Globally, we’ve now finally been able to pack away 2020 and begin the New Year. And while most of us are excited to leave 2020 behind, we do know that a handful of critical learnings from the previous year will follow us into 2021.
In the New Year, the auto transport industry will see several trends as a result of everything learned in 2020 and incredible progress to be continued in 2021. Here are just a few of those trends for carriers and shippers to watch for in 2021!
Online Vehicle Shopping and Increased Delivery
While there are hopes of slowed COVID spread in 2021, it is likely that many of the new preventative measures we’ve practiced in 2020 will only continue. This includes a continuation of actions like wearing masks, and of course, socially distancing. And one silver lining learned from social distancing in 2020, is that it increases online car shopping and home delivery. In October 2020, Comscore reported that Ford saw a 43% traffic increase on its website’s inventory pages and Carvana seeing 58% more visitors online, as well. As consumers become more dependent and comfortable with online auto purchases in the midst of the current pandemic, it is likely to only increase.
Ford saw a 43% traffic increase on its website’s inventory pages and Carvana seeing 58% more visitors online this year.”
With online vehicle shopping naturally comes an increase in delivery needs. These delivery needs obviously include loads being delivered to more local dealerships, but also, home deliveries. These home deliveries could trend not only as a result of a final sale, but also new trends like a home test drive.
Now is the time to start networking and developing relationships directly with dealerships or any brokers they tend to work with to potentially get in on the dealership car delivery action.
Adopting a Platform
Technology within the auto transport industry is still a relatively new trend, but it is one that we will see more organizations move toward. More than ever, efficiency is important to auto transport businesses. Carriers and Shippers want a single place to manage and move their loads without the costs of several apps and software partners. As we’ve seen the start of comprehensive auto transport platforms in 2020, more auto transport carriers and shippers will adopt a single platform to increase their business efficiency.
Carriers and Shippers want a single place to move their loads without the costs of several apps and software partners.”
More and more organizations will start operating on platforms equipped with transportation management system technology, a connected load board, and an integrated ePOD app. Beyond these essential needs in one place, car haulers and shippers will start to leverage features like advanced load matching services to get cars matched, booked, and moved faster. All of which will continue to trend amongst auto transport platforms and an increasing number of carriers and shippers who will continue to migrate to these advanced platforms.
Need for Better Data
If we’ve learned anything from 2020, it’s that almost nothing seems predictable. However, with better increase in financial data, customer analytics, and business trends, many organizations could have slowed the hits that came with drastically slowed business or better strategized for recovery. In the auto transport industry, too many are simultaneously dependent on multiple apps, software, and platforms making it nearly impossible to gather accurate insights.
Carriers and Shippers will access all their information synced in one place to provide accurate, real-time insights on their business.”
With these new learnings comes a great need for improved data and analytics. In an effort to find a single source of truth, more carriers and shippers will leverage an auto transport platform that connects to all of their systems and from which they can pull regular custom reports. This should span from financial to operational data. Carriers and Shippers will access all their information synced in one place to provide accurate, real-time insights on their business.
While this trend is fairly new within the auto transport industry, it is one where the demand will only increase. As many auto transport platform partners continue to invest in their technology, especially around reports, this is a need that will only improve. Now is the time to find a trusted partner, make a strategy, and start investing in your business’ data.
Auto Transport Environmental Moves
In 2020, many states began the first steps to make big moves for more environmentally friendly trucks. While it will take several years for a lot of these “going green” laws to take effect, we will start to see many carriers begin their environmental investments in 2021.
There will be more efforts amongst carriers to reduce fuel consumption, abide by changing fuel emission regulations, and the very beginning of electric truck investments.”
It will be a while before car haulers are driving electric rigs, but there are already trends moving towards increasing trucking sustainability. For now, there will be more efforts amongst carriers to reduce fuel consumption, abide by changing fuel emission regulations, and the very beginning of electric truck investments.
Similar to trends in technology, this is one trend that will only increase through the coming years, especially as more states adopt similar legislation.
The new year has just begun, but these are the initial trends for your organizations to be aware of and consider how they may also benefit your organization. Check back here as we continue to update with new findings in trends throughout the month.
Learn more here on how Super Dispatch can help you meet your auto transport platform and data goals in 2021!
