Home C8 Corvette News Details on 2021 Corvettes Being Shipped by Rail

Details on 2021 Corvettes Being Shipped by Rail

by Rob LoszewskiRob Loszewski
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2021 Corvette to be shipped to all parts of the United States via Jack Cooper Transport temporarily

Corvettes that have normally shipped via rail car to various parts of the country are temporarily being shipped via Jack Cooper Transport

Last week, news broke that Corvettes normally shipped via rail to various parts of the United States have now begun shipping via truck by Jack Cooper Transport.

While this is great news for customers who normally have to wait anywhere from 1-3 months to take delivery of their new Corvette if it’s shipped via rail, it should be noted that this is only a temporary situation.  Rail cars are still being utilized, so GM hasn’t completely eliminated the use of trains, however, they are relying more heavily on Jack Cooper Transport than they are on the rail system.

Corvettes that are slated for these parts of the country are usually shipped to a rail yard via truck, await loading on to a rail car and then pass through several other GM assembly plants depending on the final destination of the rail car.  Vehicles from those plants are then loaded on to the train and proceed to their final destination.

Vintage photo of a rail car filled with 1968 Corvettes

Vintage photo of a rail car filled with 1968 Corvettes

Now that the assembly plants for the Chevy Malibu, Trax and Equinox are shut down through mid-April, it’s impossible to fill an entire train in order to make it economically feasible for GM.

As a result, GM has decided to utilize Jack Cooper Transport to carry Corvettes out to those parts of the country where Corvettes would normally be delivered via rail.

Again, this is only a temporary change and not permanent.  Once the other assembly plants open back up, we would expect normal rail transportation of Corvettes to resume.

Texas Map showing rail vs. direct delivery

Texas Map showing rail vs. direct delivery

Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to tell which cars are going via rail or truck.

If your 2021 Corvette has been built and you may live in one of those areas of the country where Corvettes are shipped via rail, you may stand a chance of taking delivery of your new Corvette a lot sooner than normal.  For more details, reach out to your dealer who can pull your order up in GM’s Global Connect system.

If a Corvette that’s normally shipped via rail is being shipped by Jack Cooper, it will show “ACCELERATED FLEET” under the Event Description block.

Accelerated Fleet NotificationIf your dealer is unable to access that information, you could try contacting the Corvette Concierge at 1-866-424-3892.  They may be able to provide you with more shipping details about your order.

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