CEVA Logistics Sends Formula One cargo by Rail for First Time

CEVA Logistics, a world leader in third-party logistics, recently engineered an innovative rail transport solution in North America for Scuderia Ferrari’s F1 racing team. In a world first for Formula 1, Ferrari equipment is traveling by rail between three of the North American F1 grand prix races in an effort by the two companies to reduce carbon emissions.
 
CEVA has been transforming the Scuderia Ferrari logistics program since the beginning of their partnership in 2022. The flow of the six separate 45-ton equipment kits that traverse the globe has transitioned away from air freight to a primary combination of ocean and road freight as CEVA ensures the equipment reaches each of the 23 Grand Prix racing venues on time.

For the 2023 season, the global logistics player proposed a new solution—to transport the equipment kit by train in North America to reduce the transport’s carbon emissions. Packed in six 53-foot (16-meter) containers, the race equipment traveled approximately 2,000 miles from Montreal, Canada, to Austin, Texas, and will travel another nearly 2,000 miles from Austin to Las Vegas, Nevada.
 
CEVA’s project team calculated that the solution incorporating rail segments between the three F1 races reduced carbon emissions by 90 percent compared to the equivalent journey by air and 32 percent versus an all-road, trucking solution.
 
Finding the right routing to connect the various kits between races is an intricate logistics puzzle, but the extensive rail network across the U.S. makes the solution possible. CEVA’s project team is working closely with rail companies to synchronize the rail transport precisely with the Formula 1 Grand Prix schedule.
 
The rail transport for Scuderia Ferrari in North America is being combined with road transport from the rail terminal points. Coordination between these different modes requires strict management to ensure the smooth transition of goods from one mode to another. Moving equipment by train also calls for specialized handling, coordination and proactive contingency planning on the part of CEVA’s project team to ensure that everything arrives on time. For example, the equipment traveling from Montreal to Las Vegas via Austin required storage and road transport between CEVA’s Dallas hub location and the Austin Grand Prix venue and will require the same treatment between CEVA’s Los Angeles facility and the Las Vegas Grand Prix racetrack. 

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