Business
Total-Loss Vehicles in STR Fleets: Where the Money Bleeds
The carslogistic desk 5 min read
carslogistic — European Car Logistics, Decoded
The Latest
Inefficiency
Ro-Ro Free Storage Days: The Formula OEMs Keep Getting Wrong
The carslogistic desk 5 min read
Inefficiency
Compound Sequencing for Dealer Collections: Where It Breaks
The carslogistic desk 5 min read
Business
Spot vs Contract Rates: How EU Car Carriers Price Your Lanes
The carslogistic desk 5 min read
Inefficiency
How EU 3PLs Invoice Demurrage on Finished-Vehicle Shipments
The carslogistic desk 5 min read
Inefficiency
Launch Surge Logistics: Where the EU System Quietly Breaks
The carslogistic desk 5 min read
Inefficiency
Cross-Border Maintenance Scheduling: LTR's Broken System
The carslogistic desk 5 min read
Inefficiency
EV Battery Wagons vs ICE Rail: Europe's Terminal Chaos
The carslogistic desk 5 min read
AI
Where machine intelligence actually moves cars.
AI for Finished Vehicle Logistics Planning: What Works Now
European OEM logistics planners are replacing spreadsheets with AI-driven forecasting, dynamic slot allocation, and multi-modal routing. Here's what's actually working in 2026.
5min read
AI's DRAM Hunger Will Stall Your Production Line by 2027
AI data centres have captured the memory chip market. For OEMs, that means price shocks, production risk, and compounding delays all the way to the European forecourt.
4min read
The AI Tipping Point in Car Logistics Is Here. The Industry Is Still Deciding Whether to Notice.
AI is no longer a future bet in car logistics — it's reshaping forecasting, routing, and PDI sequencing now. OEMs that wait will pay for it in margin.
4min read
Digitalization
The slow, overdue software rewiring of vehicle logistics.
Port Agents Juggling Multi-Brand Releases: No System, All Risk
How port agents physically and administratively coordinate simultaneous multi-brand vehicle releases at European ro-ro terminals — and why the cracks are widening.
5min read
VIN Tracking Across EU Borders: Where Data Custody Breaks
Freight forwarders track VINs across EU borders — but data custody breaks at compound gates, customs handoffs, and eCMR gaps. Here's where and what fixes it.
5min read
EV PDI in European Compounds: The Workflow OEMs Must Rebuild
EV pre-delivery inspection in Europe is not an ICE checklist with a charger. Here's the exact sequence OEM planners must rebuild — and why it costs more yard time.
5min read
Inefficiency
Where the money leaks between factory and forecourt.
How OEMs Manage Unsold Inventory Across EU Markets
European OEMs run a three-lever playbook to clear unsold stock across markets — but each step compounds costs that most distribution teams underestimate until the bill lands.
4min read
Ro-Ro Free Storage Days: The Formula OEMs Keep Getting Wrong
European ro-ro terminals calculate free storage days differently — and OEM logistics managers who don't know which trigger applies are paying demurrage they could contest.
5min read
Compound Sequencing for Dealer Collections: Where It Breaks
A step-by-step breakdown of how EU compound operators sequence vehicles for dealer collection — slot booking, YMS logic, pre-staging, and the failure modes that cost you days.
5min read
Regulation
Customs, compliance and the rules reshaping cross-border vehicle flows.
Sanctioned Ro-Ro Port? Four OEM Recovery Paths Ranked
When a ro-ro port falls under EU or UK sanctions, OEMs have four concrete recovery paths. Here's which to trigger first — and why sequencing is everything.
5min read
How EU Customs Verifies VINs on Import Declarations
A step-by-step breakdown of how EU customs authorities cross-check VINs on import declarations — ICS2 scoring, physical inspection triggers, and the mismatches that hold shipments.
5min read
EV Battery Storage Safety at EU Compounds: No Playbook Exists
European compounds are retrofitting for EV fire safety with no shared rulebook. Here's what OEMs must know about thermal runaway, segregation rules, and fragmented national codes.
5min read
Sustainability
Decarbonising vehicle transport — EVs, low-emission haulage, modal shift.
Why Carmakers Are Shifting to Rail: 3 Hard Pressures
Carmakers aren't shifting to rail logistics for green PR. Driver shortages, toll hikes, and compound dwell costs are making rail a strategic default for OEM distribution planners.
4min read
OEMs' Green Pledge Has a Dirty Secret: Their Own Trucks
OEMs publish net-zero roadmaps while their outbound logistics fleets run on diesel. ECG's Parliament lobbying reveals the collision no one wants to name.
5min read
Startups
The companies and funding reshaping automotive logistics and mobility.
Chery in Sunderland: STR Fleets, Your Sourcing Model Is Stale
Chinese OEMs manufacturing in distressed European plants signals a supply wave is coming. Short-term rental fleets need to rethink sourcing and remarketing now — not later.
5min read
Business
Finance, operations and strategy across the vehicle supply chain.
Total-Loss Vehicles in STR Fleets: Where the Money Bleeds
A step-by-step breakdown of how European short-term rental operators handle total-loss vehicles — and exactly where cost and downtime escape the process.
5min read
Spot vs Contract Rates: How EU Car Carriers Price Your Lanes
European finished-vehicle logistics pricing has two logics — and in 2026, they're converging dangerously. Here's how to negotiate before you get caught.
5min read
Fuel Surcharge Formulas in EU Car Carrier Contracts: The Traps
How European car carriers price fuel surcharges on finished-vehicle transport contracts — the formula, trigger mechanics, and where OEM shippers consistently bleed margin.
5min read
Industry
The wider European car-logistics picture.
What Is a PDI in Automotive? The Dealer's Real Guide
PDI is the last quality gate before a car reaches your customer. Here's what actually happens, who does it, what gets missed, and why a sloppy process costs you margin.
5min read
What Is a Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC)? The OEM Planner's Guide
A PCTC isn't just a big car ship. Here's the deck logic, CEU math, and deep-sea distribution role every OEM logistics planner needs to know.
5min read
Automotive Rail Wagon Capacity: What Every OEM Must Know
Laaps, Laaeks, 560.4 — European rail wagon capacity isn't a fixed number. Here's how OEM logistics planners should read the codes and protect slot economics.
4min read