Shipping a car internationally or domestically can be stressful, especially when paired with a tight deadline. You might be buying or selling a car, relocating, or moving a classic or luxury car. The aim is to ensure it arrives in its designated location safely and as quickly as possible. One uncontrolled variable, however, is the weather. Adverse weather conditions can negatively impact the timelines in which the car is shipped and delivered, often requiring adjustments or changes to the expected schedule.
In this guide, we explain what timeline adjustments you can expect if bad weather conditions arise, what steps can be taken to mitigate delays, and how best to prepare in advance. You will also learn how Car Transport 24 is an example of a car shipping company that can mitigate these risks.
How Does Bad Weather Impact Car Shipping?
Excessive snow or rain has the potential to negatively impact the period taken to ship a car. This is because inclement weather can create unsafe conditions and lead to service interruptions, detours, and road delays. Below, we discuss how individual weather components can contribute towards creating delays.
- Snow and Ice
Snowstorms and icy conditions are perhaps the most disruptive weather events for car shipping. Icy roads can lead to a complete shutdown of access for drivers, forcing car transport truck operators to adopt alternative routes. Accompanying with any leveling blockages is the waiting period which may fall under lift able restrictions.
Impact on Your Shipment:
– Delay in Shipment: The car being shipped could be kept on halt for pickup and delivery services for more than a few days.
– Route Adjustments: Transport drivers may face unplanned changes in their proposed method of travel which could slow down delivery.
– Safety Concerns: Transport companies need to focus on ensuring road and overall vehicular safety therefore due to unsafe conditions vehicles are required to lie idle or allow rescheduled.
- Heavy Rain
Much like any other weather phenomenon, heavy rain has a negative effect on transportation. Rain has the noticeable effect of reducing visibility for the driver especially for those who are in the middle of long-distance trips. Flooding in some places may cause even greater delays because the routes may be blocked or shut down due to high water levels.
Impact on Your Shipment:
– Less Speed: Rain causes the transport truck to slow down meaning the time loaded for travel will increase.
– Flooded Roads: Certain roads, where drivers plan to pass, may become flooded and useless for drivers lengthening the duration needed to deliver.
– Change of Pathways and Sluggish Travel: There is a chance to reach the desired area by going to other ways and, as a consequence, taking an extended period to arrive at the set goal.
- Hurricanes and Severe Storms
Although Hurricanes and severe storms have a low probability of occurrence, they pose a significant danger with regards to its impact on weather conditions and car transportation. As a result, whenever there are alerts for severe weather conditions, a shipment may be delayed, rescheduled, or completely canceled. Such changes disrupt the proper functioning of the transportation system further endangering the drivers as well as the vehicles.
Impact on Your Shipment:
– Delayed Delivery: The expectation of such harsh weather will result in the delay of a shipment by up to several weeks.
– Regional Dispersions: Extreme weather patterns could impact vast areas which may result in your vehicle being marooned within a bay or impact other regions acquiesced for a particular duration.
– Additional Expenses for Change of Course or Recalibrating Shipping Routes: Given that the pre-planned geographical zone has been altered, the distance travelled will exceed the calculated distance to the destination.
- Strong Winds
Strong winds are often related to storms; in addition, these weather patterns might also complicate shipment procedures and delivery of vehicles. Automated transport units with multiple vehicles onboard face substantial challenges regarding control and steering during strong winds.
Influence on the Delivery:
– Lower Velocity: Specialized personnel in charge of driving with the vehicle tend to over throttle the vehicle speed, which ends up compounding the total travel duration.
– Suspension of Services: Because of velocity limitations, transport trucks may have to sit idle until the conditions permit continuation of services.
- Intense Heat
While less likely compared to blizzards or a hurricane, extreme, rekindling temperature also has the potential of obstructing shipment procedures. Moreover, the risk of mechanical failure due clad to high temperature being a major factor, engine overheating stands as one of the highest components of breakdown issues in older or poorly maintained transportation vehicles. Additionally, excessive heat causes wear of tires and brakes on the vehicle being transported, and these components or parts along with the entire vehicle require slower speeds to mitigate engine overheating.
Effects on Your Shipment:
– Breakdowns and Maintenance Delays: Mechanical problems caused by overheat on the truck bearing your vehicle will result in unscheduled breaks along the trip, causing unwanted delays.
– Slower Travel: Drivers may adhere to slower routes as a way of circumventing overheating the vehicle.
How to Reduce Weather Generated Delays
Delays caused by climate condition are beyond anyone’s control, however, there are certain procedures that can be taken in order to lessen the effects such circumstances have on your vehicle shipment. Below are measures designed for weather-related delays?
- Book Well in Advance
Moving your vehicle shipment requires allocation of time in excess of what you perceive will be necessary for procedures like loading, transporting and unloading. For order booking purposes however, this time becomes useful when dealing with possible setbacks. Considering the vehicle is being shipped during the winter, harsher weather conditions are expected and thus ordering a vehicle shipment well in advance can considerably mitigate the risk of problems arising along the way.
- Select a Trustworthy Company for Car Shipping
It is important to acknowledge that car shipping services are not comparable. Shipping companies that stand out and the rest differ from the likes of Car-Transport24, as they have extensive experience NOAA in providing weather related services. Such companies will keep you informed and have proactive communication so that you are covered for any possible weather condition encountered. They will also likely provide many other services like GPS tracking of your car which helps you find out if there are any delays at that moment.
- Think About Using Enclosed Transport
If you are shipping a high-end luxury class car, or even a vehicle that you would simply wish to protect from any weather elements, choosing enclosed transport is the best option available to you. Enclosed carriers provide an extra layer of protection against severe weather conditions such as snow, rain, and hail, which makes it beneficial for the car itself.
- Set a Delivery Date You Can Change
If you guessed that bad weather could slow you down, it could turn out to be true. Make a delivery date that can be changed in case bad weather holds up the car transport because you can relax knowing that clear weather grants you plenty of time. This is one of the most important factors when dealing with inclement weather – margin for delays is critical. By talking to the shipping company, make the clear arrangements early so you plan your set realistic expectations.
- Monitor Weather Reports
Though you may not control the weather, monitoring weather reports for the area your vehicle will be shipped to and shipped from allows you to anticipate any possible delays. Being aware, for example, that there are storms or other adverse phenomena expected along the path allows you to strategize and be prepared for any delays that may occur.
Conclusion
Weather is a bad, often unforeseen, phenomena that has the possibility of turning the timeline of your vehicle shipment upside down. Whether its snow, heavy rain, hurricanes, or severe heat, weather can bring about delays, impose a change in routes, and reduce the speed of travel. While you cannot alter the weather, you still have the option of working with a reliable car shipping service like Car-Transport24, whose expertise in dealing with delays and proactive communication ensures your vehicle will be well taken care of.
If you intend to ship your car and are worried about weather-related issues, you should do so in advance to ensure reservations are done early. Look for a company that knows how to deal with the different conditions involved in car transport. Through appropriate measures and competent shipping in place, you are certain that your vehicle is able to arrive at its intended destination regardless of the weather conditions.
