TransmetriQ, A Railinc® Brand and a leader in rail shipment visibility, today announced the release of VIN Tracking which allows auto manufacturers and dealers to track finished vehicles by Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) as they move by rail from manufacturing plants to distribution terminals and to dealers across North America.
The new feature addresses a longstanding challenge in automotive logistics. Traditionally, manufacturers and dealers have relied on railcar-level tracking, requiring teams to collect location data from multiple railroads and manually associate that information with the VINs loaded on each railcar. The process is time-consuming and often delays response to exceptions.
VIN Tracking enables users to search, trace, and monitor vehicles directly by VIN, delivering real-time visibility without the need to first identify the railcar carrying the vehicle.
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VIN Trace map view and trip event history
“Automotive logistics teams think in VINs, not railcars,” says Andy Adams, Senior Solutions Engineer, TransmetriQ. “By making VINs searchable and traceable across the rail network, we’re removing a major source of friction and giving shippers faster, clearer insight into where vehicles are and when they’ll arrive.”
Powered by TransmetriQ’s direct access to high-quality rail data from Railinc, the solution provides visibility across more than 600 North American railroads. Users can trace up to 1,000 VINs at a time, view last reported locations and events, and set alerts or scheduled updates for high-priority vehicles.
Tracking High-Priority Vehicles Across the Rail Network
“It’s not surprising that buyers of six-figure vehicles are eager to know when their luxury car will arrive,” says Adams. “Now teams who have access to VIN Tracking can provide real-time updates to car buyers as vehicles move by rail from the factory.”
Early users report that VIN-level tracking has significantly reduced the time spent responding to dealer inquiries and investigating stalled or delayed shipments. The capability is used daily by automotive logistics teams to monitor plant output, manage distribution flows, and proactively address exceptions.
“Having VIN-level visibility changes how teams operate,” says Mika Majapuro, Vice President, TransmetriQ Product Management. “Instead of chasing data across multiple systems and railroads, they can focus on resolving issues and improving performance.”
VIN Tracking also supports historical analysis and integration with enterprise systems through a webhook, enabling broader use across distribution, customer service, and dealer-facing applications.
This release expands TransmetriQ’s rail management platform, which provides real-time rail monitoring and proactive alerting designed to help shippers reduce disruptions and improve rail reliability.
Learn more about TransmetriQ rail visibility at Rail Management Shipment Tracking.