Severe weather can significantly spoil plans for the day, work, or vacation. Still, we always forget how external conditions can affect our transport, especially when you have already agreed with a car shipping company for their driver to ferry your purchase across several states or even across the whole country.
Many little things impact of bad weather on your car’s shipment. Let’s look at this information together to understand what to expect and what to fear.
How does weather affect auto shipping?
Weather is an unpredictable, always unknown variable that still needs to be considered. Let’s try to figure out what can happen during the delivery of a vehicle in a terrible downpour, hail, snowfall, flood, fire, and more.
#1: The shipping process can take longer.
Imagine that you are driving along the highway, sliding on ice with a load of several tens of tons (the weight of your freight transport and the customer’s transport), or fall under a hurricane. If you think that this does not happen often, then remember that the territory of the United States is distinguished by entirely different landscapes and weather conditions (from desert to tundra). Therefore, in any climatic zone, you can get into trouble and stay for a long time.
#2: Snow and ice.
• May get stuck in the snow.
Of course, this can occur in almost any state, but the record holders for cold fronts are in the northern Great Lakes (Detroit, Buffalo, Minneapolis, Cleveland). Due to the sometimes abnormal amount of snow in these regions, drivers can get stuck and damage the transported vehicle.
• Accidents
However, drivers are even more in danger when snow suddenly falls where it has never been, as in Atlanta once. The difficulty will be that none of the residents are accustomed to driving in such conditions and can easily cause accidents.
In the case of a car transporter, it should be borne in mind that an icy road and snow can be even more dangerous for them, even though the heavyweight helps maintain a grip on the track surface. But if something happens, an auto transporter, unlike a passenger car, cannot slow down in time.
• Change of route
This is a frequent consequence of snowstorms and blizzards. Carriers are forced to change the route and take a longer way. But with good training and the truck driver’s experience, the trip should go smoother because he will be ready for any situation.
#3: A hurricane and a storm
• Loss of property (and transport too).
At the moment, hurricanes are not terrible because meteorologists know in advance and warn people about their appearance. So even if the car transporter finds itself in such a situation, it will be able to evacuate. Only it is not clear what to do with the load. Most likely, it will be lost.
• Ability to avoid a hurricane.
Carriers are always informed about the weather conditions on the route section on which they are or will be. The company itself does this. This can save your car from damage.
• High shipping costs to hurricane-prone states
This is due to the need to cover the cost of the cargo with insurance in case the transport is lost.
#4: Flood.
• High cost of insurance.
Flooding is one of the most unpredictable weather events. After heavy rains, this happens suddenly. The carrier will not be able to find out about the flood in advance and, therefore, will not save the cargo.
• Delays.
It will be challenging to drive on a washed-out highway, which will entail a significant delay.