Auto Parts Delivery Guide: How to Ship Automotive Parts

Nowadays, the big players in your industry are prone to issues delivering auto parts because of the rising demand.

Over 8.8 million vehicles were produced in the United States, which couldn’t be possible because of effective auto parts deliveries.

The auto part delivery can be challenging if you don’t have the right information and ecosystem to handle business operations. 

Auto parts are the backbone of the automotive industry, and you should take utmost care while delivering the products for smooth manufacturing. 

Being an auto parts delivery service provider, you should know the nitty-gritty aspects of handling auto parts delivery.

Here is a detailed auto parts delivery guide to help you manage your delivery operations and achieve desired outcomes.

How to Pack Auto Parts Properly?

Automobile parts are of different sizes and shapes. So, there are different ways to pack the auto parts from smooth and trouble-free deliveries. 

You can establish standard guidelines for your delivery team to ensure different auto parts are packed using specific packaging techniques.

Also, the package will be shipped through warehouses and depots, so ensure a double box for all the components. Don’t forget to use plenty of internal packaging for smooth processing. 

Below, we have filtered a few important auto parts and their ideal packing process to help you improve your logistic and delivery operations for auto parts.

1. Bodywork

Main body auto part you should pack extremely well. You cannot cover it in bubble wrap, as you must protect the overall structure, grilles, bumpers, and other important segments.

The bodywork transportation should be effective, and your team should avoid damage to the parts by bending them. 

Using a box or two is the best solution. If you can’t find a suitable box, look for soft packaging and pay particular attention to the corners and edges, as these can poke through.

2. Glass components

Shipping restricted items like headlights or instrument displays require care and precision while packaging. You should pack the glass components of a vehicle carefully. 

We recommend you use a solid box and add further protection by covering the fragile sides with extra cardboard. Wrap the part in bubble wrap and ensure it’s firmly secured in the box.

3. Wheels and tires

Most auto shipment service providers ship wheels in separate boxes. Because wheels are heavy, packaging four together requires an extremely sturdy box and cushioning material.

If you want to ship wheels fitted with tires, you do that without using boxes, as the tires act as packaging for the wheels.

Ensure you put a decent amount of cardboard protection over the face of the wheel and check whether the tires are deflated.

4. Engines and heavy items

If you want to ship heavy items such as gearboxes, engines, and axles. It would help if you sourced a heavy-duty crate or a wooden pallet. You can also order these online or acquire them at a large local store.

Remember that heavy auto equipment needs to be carried using forklifts. Ensure you purchase one based on your load requirements. You require highly trained specialists to complete heavy auto part deliveries because of the specific requirements for packaging and collection.

Keep in mind: If you’re shipping a component containing fluids, it’s vital to ensure all the liquid is drained. It can help you avoid leakage and keep hazardous fluids from causing damage.

If fluids are detected, it can impact the shipping container and deliver a poor customer experience. You can increase the chances of customer churn and impact future auto part delivery business.

As a precaution, you should put absorbent material around the part, just in case there’s residual liquid.

What Auto Parts Can be Shipped? 

With companies expanding their manufacturing and part development ecosystem, multiple auto parts must be transported from one location to another. 

It can also be shipped internationally to assemble the vehicles for cost-cutting and saving export duties in multiple countries.

But what are the important parts that can be shipped?

Most of the important components used in vehicle manufacturing can be shipped like:

• Tires ( must be deflated)
• Wheels
• Lights
• Radiators
• Gearbox and differential
• Body Panels 
• Bonnets 
• Doors 
• Fluid reservoirs
• Fuel tank
• Engine
• Engines
• Exhausts
• Boots/tailgates
• Bumpers 
• Gearboxes
• Seats

Delivering auto parts that contain fluid is illegal if you don’t have the purge certificate. The certificate proves that the auto part has been purged of all fluids.

Also, the protection cover should not cover components made of glass, including windows, windscreens, wing mirrors, etc., to avoid breakage. 

Even batteries and airbags shouldn’t be delivered using the general courier service practices. You must follow standard safety procedures to minimize damage during transit.

Delivery companies also have restrictions on different sizes and weights of the auto part packages, so based on your operational capacity, you can also include limits for your clients.

Choose a competitive price for your auto part delivery services and streamline your delivery operations to strengthen your position in the industry.

That’s not the only way to increase your auto part shipping effectiveness. You can follow result-oriented standard practices to improve the shipping of your auto parts. 

Best Practices for Shipping Auto Parts

Following standard practices for shipping your auto parts help you streamline your productivity and ensure higher customer retention. 

Train your workforce to follow the best practices like:

1. Follow the delivery schedule

With the rise in demand, dealers and manufacturers want you to deliver on-time deliveries to streamline their production and assembly lines. 

Your delivery team should honor the delivery schedule and focus on following the SOPs for better productivity.

Your management and strategists should create new delivery plans and improve the existing workflow to avoid delays or failure in the auto part deliveries.

Use professional software like Upper Route Planner to set reasonable delivery time rates and plan your delivery routes. Create reliable delivery operations and workforce to help your clients get the best outcomes. 

2. Create a flexible working environment

A flexible business ecosystem and delivery workflows can create multiple opportunities for you to attract new business. With an effective and flexible environment, you can handle clients’ unique requirements or emergency delivery requests with finesse. 

Matching up the complex demands, you can deliver a great customer experience. Your extra efforts to help clients will be appreciated and remembered.

It can result in positive word-of-marketing for your auto part delivery services and higher customer retention. 

3. Ensure no communication gaps

Improve your communication and transparency with your clients. Provide your clients with detailed real-time auto parts locations for an enhanced experience. 

Provide notification, personalized emails, or SMS when parts deliveries are arriving early or delayed. It can minimize the negative impact of matching the promised estimated delivery timings.

With regular updates, you can showcase your client’s importance and build a solid relationship for successful future transactions.

4. Adopt a route planner

Avoid using manual route planning processes and switch to automated delivery route planning. Establish the most effective and efficient routes for your drivers to match the ETA promised to your clients. 

Integrate a professional route planner like Upper to handle your on-ground auto part shipment transportation according to optimized and shortest routes provided by the software.

Following the above-listed best practices, you can strengthen your auto-part shipping process and boost your on-ground operations. 

Ship Auto Parts Using Upper Route Planner

Be it a small or medium-sized auto part delivery business, Upper Route Planner has got your back covered!

The professional software can ensure you match your strict auto part delivery deadlines and minimize the complexities in managing your operations. 

Here’s how it can improve your existing business operations with Upper.

1. Minimizes your planning time

Upper can improve your auto part route planning process and cut down 95% of route planning time. Within a few clicks, you can create an optimal route for efficient auto part deliveries for different delivery drivers. 

2. Improves customer experience

The route planner can assist your delivery drivers in following the optimized and shortest delivery routes with minimal traffic. It can ensure faster and more secure auto part deliveries for enhanced customer experience. 

3. Auto-assigns deliveries

With the rising demand in the automobile industry, your clients can increase their delivery requirements. Upper can help you handle important and large delivery consignments with finesse. You can create multiple effective routes for multiple drivers simultaneously.

Using Upper can help you stand out and strengthen your position in the delivery industry. 

Access the free 7-day trial to explore Upper’s route planning features.

Conclusion

Optimizing your auto part deliveries is important for you to serve your clients effectively and retain the business opportunity. Therefore, you should follow different practices to ensure smooth and fast auto part deliveries and stand out from other delivery companies.

Partner with the leading freight shipping companies to handle overseas auto part shipments and expand your business operations. As far as delivery is concerned, we recommend you use Upper to find the best routes. Try out the free 7-day trial and process your auto part shipment effectively.