Ford Develops Innovative Way to Transport Transit Van to North American Dealers

BRIGHTON, Mich - Ford has Developed an Innovative Way to Transport Transit Van to North American Dealers. With the Ford Transit offering customers the best-in-class interior cargo heights, it has also presented Ford engineers with a challenge. Typically, Ford ships vehicles from the assembly plants to the dealerships using railcars and trucks. However, the medium and high-roof Transit vehicles are too tall to fit in conventional railcars. So, these presented Ford engineers with an opportunity to develop an innovative way to transport the Transit Van to North American Dealers. Ford engineers worked closely with railroad and railcar manufacturers to develop an innovative railcar that could easily accommodate all of the roof-heigh variations offered on the new 2015 Transit. 

Ford and leading rail companies worked together to create these modified Transit railcars. Each of the inner decks have been elevated, allowing for as many as seven medium- and high-roof Transit vehicles to be loaded onto the lower deck and up to seven smaller vehicles, such as the Ford Fusion, to be loaded onto the top deck. The height of these railcars have not been modified, so there will be no issues with overpasses and tunnels. By incorporating modified railcars into the shipping network, Ford is able to deliver Transit vehicles more proficiently and for less money. For dealers that are within a 500-mile radius of the Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri, where the Transit is produced, Transits will be delivered by truck. Shipments longer than 500 miles will be delivered by rail. Optimizing balance of rail and truck transportation will help in utilizing resources responsibly and support Ford's Blueprint for Sustainability.

Brighton Ford is located at 8240 Grand River Ave. just north of I-96 in Brighton. We are a family owned and operated business that strives for customer satisfaction. For more information on Brighton Ford visit BrightonFord.com or give us a call at (800) 836-8206.

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