Tracking a Car Shipped By Rail

[TentacleKitty]

My car should hopefully be built next week, and then shipped by rail to make it my way. I have spent some time researching and understanding the train/rail shipping process of a newly built vehicle from Flat Rock. Below is a summary of my findings.

At some point, likely after your car is built (past its blend date) your dealer will get a rail tracking number. If your communication is good with your dealer, they just might share that rail/tracking number with you.

If you try asking Ford Performance (https://performanceparts.ford.com/contact-us/), they won't tell you the rail/tracking number, but they can look it up and might tell you where your car is on the rail line.

It is my understanding all rail shipments start at Flat Rock on the CSX train line. Shipments heading east of the Mississippi stay on CSX. For those heading west of the Mississipppi, the shipment transfers from CSX to Union Pacific at some point.

Below is the YouTube video where I got this information, starting around 16:40 and running 3 minutes to 19:40. Further below is an instruction sheet I screen-grabbed from the video, with phone numbers and good information.

Hope this helps any of you who might have rail deliveries soon or in the future, and want to try and track your car by rail!

Sponsored

 

[TentacleKitty]

What does Method of Transport Convoy mean? Truck?

Correct. “Convoy” means delivery from Flat Rock to the Dealer by Truck. “Rail” means delivery from Flat Rock to close to your Dealer by Train, then usually some local car carrier picks up the car from the rail yard and trucks it to the Dealer.

 

[TentacleKitty]

If you go to the 27:58 time stamp in the video I shared in this thread’s first post, you’ll see what is called the Vehicle Visibility Report (VVR). I think this is what the Dealers have access to view on any cars they’ve ordered.

What is interesting about the VVR is the granularity of details, especially the delivery section (if shipped by rail). The date/time markers are to the minute as the train passes by established waypoints on the rail line.

 

[daveolej]

Interesting, my Mach1 was produced Friday. My window sticker says convoy but when I called Ford Performance yesterday, they said it is going by rail to Chapman Ford.

 

[willieT]

Mine sticker also said convoy. Built 1/11. Also went to Chapman. Picked it up 2/2. When I called Ford Performance the third week in January they told me it was in twin oaks, Pa. Started searching twin oaks on the net and found out it’s a rail yard for unloading new cars. Go figure.

 

[Zent]

Damn dude you are IN the know. You always know all the info about tracking lol #RESPECT

 

[TentacleKitty]

My local Ford dealer currently has 10 Mustangs listed for sale. I checked the Window Stickers of each, and here is something interesting I discovered: 8 of Window Stickers say shipment is by RAIL, and 2 of the Windows Stickers say the shipment is by CONVOY.

Realize this dealer is all the way out west in Oregon, over 2000 miles away from the Flat Rock production plant. I would expect that all car deliveries to my dealer from Flat Rock would be by RAIL, but that doesn't always seem the case.

I don't know how CONVOY from Michigan to Oregon even is considered, unless it is a timing/availability of shipping companies and available car carriers (by truck) that somehow get into the mix. For example, I know other companies like CarMax use car carriers (trucks) to ferry used cars around the country. Perhaps various car carrier companies somehow make themselves available to Ford indicating things like "Hey, we got a few open spots on a truck scheduled drive from Michigan to Oregon." I don't know for sure, but can only speculate on it.

 

[22GT]

That's interesting how some are rail and some are convoy for your area. It sparked my interest so I had to search my two dealers closest to me and there were 8 total mustangs and they were all convoy. I live roughly 10-11 hours from flat rock.

 

[Skye]

I've been studying the next step: shipment. Thank You for the insight on this topic.

Since the birth of my window sticker, it has been listed as "CONVOY"; this has not changed. Going to the dealer's web site, every MY22 Mustang is convoy. Interestingly, 80% of the F150s are convoy, 20% rail.

https://www.unitedroad.com/delivery-receipt

I assume my vehicle will travel by a combination of rail and convoy. I can think of at least two locations in-state they could begin breaking shipments up for the last leg to the dealer.

 

[Skye]

I've been studying the next step: shipment. Thank You for the insight on this topic.

Since the birth of my window sticker, it has been listed as "CONVOY"; this has not changed. Going to the dealer's web site, every MY22 Mustang is convoy. Interestingly, 80% of the F150s are convoy, 20% rail.

https://www.unitedroad.com/delivery-receipt

I assume my vehicle will travel by a combination of rail and convoy. I can think of at least two locations in-state they could begin breaking shipments up for the last leg to the dealer.

Brief follow-up from yesterday...

United Road has a "Contact" section where you can message for general information. II messaged them this AM; they can register your e-mail and create a tracking account.

Completing that just now, I confirmed that, while my sticker is marked "CONVOY", United Road will not pick the car up until it lands outside of Denver. The pick-up, route and drop-off is already programmed in.

Notifications were setup on the account, so when the car leaves the rail yard, then later arrives and is signed for, I'll receive an e-mail at each step.

 

[Skye]

United Road's tracking system works well. Still too soon for my car, but since I got an account, I've been logging in once in the AM and once again in the evening. The last few days I've noticed cars arriving, waiting for pickup. Only six rides (all Ecosports). I'm thinking once they have a full trailer worth, United Road will then dispatch a rig to pickup and deliver.

 

[fcuboi]

United Road's tracking system works well. Still too soon for my car, but since I got an account, I've been logging in once in the AM and once again in the evening. The last few days I've noticed cars arriving, waiting for pickup. Only six rides (all Ecosports). I'm thinking once they have a full trailer worth, United Road will then dispatch a rig to pickup and deliver.

You’re much better than me… I checked that damn thing dozens of times a day lol.

At least for me, there were only two cars on the load including mine that were headed for my dealer. I’m not sure if maybe the truck had cars for other dealers as well that I couldn’t see.

 

[Houston Kid]

Never mind. Wrong thread. LOL

 

[Phils15GT]

My car always said inactive on website but somehow showed up at dealer already. Never was active on United Road.

 

[DCloak]

My car always said inactive on website but somehow showed up at dealer already. Never was active on United Road.

Same here. I was surprised when the dealer called me to say it arrived.

Sponsored