OREANDA-NEWS. As remarketed and new car volumes continue to climb and industry demand for transportation exceeds carrier availability, ShipCarsNow and Ready Auto Transport are joining forces to provide multi-modal transportation to vehicle shippers. This combination of truck and rail service will increase carrier capacity and create transportation efficiencies for U.S. Manheim auto auction customers and other wholesale vehicle shippers.

The business alliance leverages ShipCarsNow's and Ready Auto Transport's expertise to offer wholesale vehicle shippers more capacity and auction destinations, coupled with door-to-door shipment visibility. The companies' combined logistics process uses a combination of truck and rail transport, which provides a more economical and efficient way to move larger volumes of automobiles.

"As wholesale volume continues growing, this collaboration will play a significant role in the remarketing industry's movement of vehicle inventory," said Jerry Tassone, president of Ready Auto Transport. "The combination of truck and rail solutions will offer increased capacity for our customers."

"ShipCarsNow, working with Ready Auto Transport, allows wholesale auto shippers to leverage the ShipCarsNow rail network between key U.S. population centers and growth markets," said Marty Coalson, ShipCarsNow president. "In addition to more capacity, in certain areas rail transport can help a seller reach more markets than direct truck at a comparable price."

Ready Auto Transport and Mannheim are wholly owned subsidiaries of Cox AutomotiveTM, the world's leader in vehicle remarketing services and digital marketing and software solutions for automotive dealers and consumers. Ready Auto Transport's logistics and transportation solutions connect Manheim and independent auctions, dealers and commercial customers to a 6,500-member qualified carrier network nationwide.

ShipCarsNow is a wholly owned subsidiary of Union Pacific Railroad, the largest automotive rail carrier west of the Mississippi River. ShipCarsNow works with most major U.S. railroads to provide nationwide rail access using 65 automotive rail ramps and 16 domestic port locations, 94 percent of which are within close proximity to Manheim's U.S. auto auctions.

Cox Automotive and Union Pacific were pioneers in their respective auto auction and transportation industries. The ShipCarsNow and Ready Auto Transport alliance follows this pioneering tradition, employing the expertise of both auto transporters to provide a previously unattainable extended market reach.