Archive for the 'Auto Transport' Category
It seems that, no surprise, our economic woes are starting to hurt small businesses associated with the auto industry. A myriad of companies are finding themselves in a bind, with the Big Three, GM, Chrysler, and Ford, facing horrid sales, steel companies and others associated with auto production are feeling the pinch.
Southbendtribune.com is chronicling one such company, Lapeer Metal Stamping. It seems that four factories owned and operated by Lapeer are going under due to lack of business from Ford and GM. The company is now making half of what it has in the past, $60 million in stead of $120 to be exact, and apparently has become unprofitable. According to Southbendtribune.com a recent company notice reads:
“Due to sudden, dramatic and unexpected deteriorating circumstances in the automotive industry and in Lapeer’s financial and economic condition, its management has been compelled to sell its book of business and permanently close its operations.”
Another casualty of America’s declining auto industry, but auto transport of imports always seems to be doing well. It’s just a shame the Big Three didn’t revamp their companies years ago.
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This would never work in America, but apparently in Japan people don’t mind listening to the same thing as everyone else. Japanese engineers are working on a musical road surface. That’s right, the surface of the road will actually play you a little ditty as you zoom by at speeds that render the tune inaudible. The road works on the same concept of rumble strips: the surface creates a vibration, combine a series of different vibrations and voila’…a song.
Guardian.co.uk is reporting that:
There are three musical strips in central and northern Japan – one of which plays the tune of a Japanese pop song. Notice of an impending musical interlude, which lasts for about 30 seconds, is highlighted by coloured musical notes painted on to the road. According to reports, the system was the brainchild of Shizuo Shinoda, who accidentally scraped some markings into a road with a bulldozer before driving over them and realizing that they helped to produce a variety of tones.
The idea sounds cute and all, but if I’m doing some auto transportation, that last thing I really want is a song vibrating up from out of no-where. The series of events goes like this as I see it: the song plays, I freak out, I veer off the road and slam head on into a school bus full of nuns. Do you really want that Shizuo Shinoda? …also, I don’t like Japanese pop music.
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Apparently we aren’t the only country that is pumping out way more carbon then we ought to. Australia has put new measures into place in an attempt to lower carbon emissions from vehicles. The measures come from the Australian government who came up with a list of ways that Aussies can work to reduce carbon emission to include government incentives for low emission cars, according to Reuters.
The Australians do some serious auto transporting and they are looking to get more fuel efficient cars on the road. Reuters is also reporting that:
The sector [vehicles] accounts for 14 percent of the nation’s emissions, or 79.1 million metric tons.
“The federal government has put forward eight possible measures to reduce carbon emissions from Australian cars,” the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported.
“It does not advocate any particular measure, but recommends considering different registration and stamp duty for new light vehicles based on their emissions.”
Australia is apparently looking to cut carbon emissions by 60 percent over the next 50 years. As it stands they are the 16th biggest carbon polluter in the world.
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Have you ever wondered why you don’t seem more crossover between American and European cars? Certainly there is already a vast quantity of small, fuel efficient cars overseas that would be perfect for the American market. Well, yes and now.
The problem is with the safety standards of the different countries. Many cars simply won’t pass safety standards in all the countries they could be retailed in. According to MSNBC:
“Each party negotiating this has their own views about their own standards being better,” said Ronald Medford, senior associate administrator of vehicle safety at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which sets U.S. standards. “But as long as we can show we’re not lowering safety and we’re lowering cost, we’re all interested in that.”
You know that Ford must be hating Ralph Nader right about now! For years American car companies have been producing cars that would be perfect in the states, but considering the safety regulations I don’t expect to see them on our streets any time soon.
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Well it has finally happened. We aren’t transporting ourselves from place to place. The reasons why are obvious: gas prices, and a general lack of liquid assets. What people fail to realize is how much driving is a part of our economy. Think about it, how close are the places you really want to go? How do you get to other states? It always amazes me that people in Europe can go from country to country like it was no big thing. That is an impossibility here. We, as a nation, have too much urban sprawl. We are spread so thin that we have to drive hours to get places. Reuters is reporting that:
Americans appear to be cutting down on day-to-day travel as well. Since last November, U.S. drivers have driven 53.2 billion fewer miles than they did during the same period the previous year, a drop in driving larger than that seen during the 1970s oil crisis.
The impact of this recent lack of driving will reverberate through the economy. If people aren’t driving places they aren’t buying gas for one thing. The next hit to the economy (not that gas companies are hurting for business) will be to all those businesses that depend on customers coming by car. Think of all the small towns that depend on the traffic that comes off the interstate to visit, and shop. The only difference is that all businesses will start to suffer those same effects if no one wants to drive anywhere.
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Jay Leno writing for Portfolio.com shares his advice for the declining U.S. auto industry. He says that:
Where we seem to lose it is in the low-bucks econocar. I used to be able to identify any American car from 25 yards. Now they all have this jellybean look. It’s a mystery to me, because the one thing we used to do better than anybody else was build cheap, extremely high-quality cars. We did it for decades, all the way back to the beginning of the industry. There was no better car for the money than the Model T. It was a basic car, but it used the finest materials available. There are still almost a million of them out there.
I agree with Leno, 100 years ago we were on top of our game. Since then workers have done everything in their power to unionize and suck the blood from their employers, who in turn are looking for the government to pay for their problems…and lest we forget, you and I pay the government’s tab. With that in mind Mr.Leno offers some more advice:
I believe that, all things being equal, Americans will buy American. It just has to be as good as the competition; it doesn’t have to be better. The classic example is Harley-Davidson. Throughout the ’70s, the motorcycle maker had huge quality-control problems. Then Harley-Davidson said, “Look, let’s take our time. Let’s build fewer bikes. Let’s build them properly, so they don’t leak oil and they’ll run forever.” Harley-Davidson won back the market share it had lost, and it continues to dominate today.
If we start to build some better automobiles, more people will buy them. Supply and demand at it’s finest. Much like King Lear, this tragedy has the comedian telling the truth.
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The guys over at things-that-annoy-us.blogspot.com have posted a very apt list of automotive annoyances. The list is as follows:
1) The cost of buying a car is more than your life savings
2) They still break no matter how much money you spend for a better car
3) Each year you have them inspected they find another problem needing repair
4) Interiors of most cars are still made of plastic and feel cheap
5) Controls still get put in the wrong place sometimes even after all these years
6) Brakes still don’t last long enough
7) New models each year are improved but still have flaws
8.) The smallest cars cost as much as a bigger ones
9) The model car you want looks great but you find out it has the worst repair record
10) You still can’t fly over slow traffic with them yet
Are there any you would add? Number 2 reminds me of a quote by Chris Rock that goes something to the effect of “that’s like Cadillac making a car that lasts for 50 years. And you know they can do it…
but they ain’t gonna do nothing that (expletive) dumb. They got metal on the space shuttle
that can go around the moon…and withstand temperatures of up to 30,000 degrees. You mean to tell me you don’t think they can make an Eldorado where the (expletive) bumper don’t fall off? They can, but they won’t.”
Number seven reminds me of school textbooks. The come out with a new version, your old one is worthless, and they basically have the same crap in them. If any others come to your mind feel free to leave a comment and let me know.
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It’s disturbing how common stories like this are. The basic elements are these, a boy and girl, brother and sister, both 3, were found dead in a parked car outside their Kansas house. Apparently both had spent 2 hours in the car. The Associated Press is reporting that:
The temperature was about 75 degrees when the children were found Sunday afternoon, two hours after they were reported missing, authorities said. Shawnee County Sheriff’s Sgt. Akim Reynolds said the temperature inside a car with its windows up could have reached 20 to 30 degrees warmer.
The girl, who was about to turn 4 next month, was pronounced dead at the scene. The boy, who had just turned 3 on Aug. 2, was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The mother was being questioned by detectives. The children’s father, who Reynolds said worked out of town, had been notified and was returning to Topeka.
The sad moral of this story is, don’t lock your kids in the car! Don’t lock your dogs in the car for that matter either. When I hear these stories I wonder if the parents are homicidal or simply negligent. There is no way to reasonably explain why things like this happen, but hopefully something can be learned by the rest of us. Whether it be kids, the elderly, or animals, don’t let them sit in a car unattended for more than a minute or two at most.
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When was the last time you had a flat tire? If you are anything like me you are not currently thinking: Was that during the Johnson, or Nixon administration? For whatever reason, I get flat tires like they are going out of style. With that in mind I though I might pass on a few pointers regarding changing a flat. The following words of wisdom are for every person who has ever found themselves kneeling next to a car in 100 degree temperatures with complete humidity saturation: the sun beating down, you had to be somewhere important 12 minutes ago, and as you cut your finger on that rusty bolt you ask “when was the last time I had a tetanus shot?” Such a seemingly simple task can become a beast of burden if you are not prepared physically, and mentally.
Gemini automotive care recommends the following procedures:
* Find a level spot completely off the side of the road, even if you must drive for a few hundred yards on a flat tire. Make sure you are out of the way of traffic.
* Apply your parking brake. If you have an automatic transmission, place the car in “park.” Manual transmissions should be placed in first gear or reverse.
* Turn off your engine and turn on your hazard lights.
* Alert other drivers of your presence by placing safety flares and / or reflectors about five car lengths in front and back of your vehicle.
* Gather your tools: the spare tire, jack, lug wrench and the wheel key (if your car requires one).
* The Process: Remove your wheel covers (if applicable). Depending on the type you have, you may need to unlock them first. Others can be popped off or unscrewed.
* Loosen, but do not remove, the lug nuts. Usually you can achieve this by turning them about a half-turn counterclockwise.
* Determine the proper positioning for your jack according to the owner’s manual and raise the car until the tire barely touches the ground. It should take the weight off the tire, but not come off the ground.
* Rotate the lug wrench counterclockwise, removing each lug nut. In order to remove the flat tire, it will be easiest if you position your hands at the “three o’clock” and “nine o’clock” positions and pull it straight toward you.
* Replace the flat with your spare tire. It’s easier if you align the holes in your spare tire with the bolts first, then place it firmly on them.
* Replace and slightly tighten the lug nuts.
* Lower your car back to the ground and then finish tightening the lug nuts in a cross pattern.
* Final Steps: Put your tools back in the proper places and conduct a final check to be sure you haven’t forgotten anything.
* Get to a service station as soon as possible. You will need to have the flat tire repaired and reinstalled (if possible) and have your lug nuts tightened with a torque wrench to the proper specification for your vehicle.
I would personally add to this list:do not throw your lug wrench in anger or disgust (always important), and try to be on level ground, if you are not, you may find yourself repeatedly jacking the car up and lowering it in a hopeless effort to simply get the tire far enough off the ground to change. This becomes a sad dance of desperation after about the third move, so you may want to move “level ground” to the top of your list.
If you are a visual learner, you may find this video (the first in a series) quite helpful.
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With the rise of eBay Motors and similar online car buying venues, the question remains: How do you get your car? If the car in question is some distance away, the simplest way is to use an automobile transportation company. There are things to know when choosing a company, but otherwise the process is fairly straightforward. I suggest the following link to check out all things “auto shipping” related, nationaltransportllc.com.
The internet has revolutionized the process by which people conduct business, with sales, and thus transport, seeming to be high on the list of change. It seems like yesterday that it would have been unimaginable to purchase a car from say, Atlanta, if you lived in Dallas. To see just how common these long distance purchases are becoming, read the following from eBay motors:
Dan and Patricia Weidler just wanted a good deal on a good truck, and that’s exactly what they found. Dave Pelis, a car dealer from Northampton, MA, sold them their forest green Ford F-250, which turned out to be the 3 millionth vehicle sold on eBay Motors.
Three Million people on just one site! Those are pretty amazing numbers. Though some of those cars must have been local, you would have to imagine that most were not. With that in mind prepare to see lots more trucks shipping cars on the highway over the next few years. The benefit of being able to purchase cars from all over the country, and to compare all those prices, will most certainly make car sales a buyers market.
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