Shipping a car from one place to another comes with various concerns to keep in mind. While car owners won’t be engaging their minds with what to take into account during auto shipping, there remains one significant issue they might be eager to acknowledge: car transport in bad weather.
People sometimes wonder whether it is safe or not to transport a car in severe weather conditions. If that question has been residing in your mind for a while, this article covers all you need to know about bad weather and auto-car transportation.
Severe weather conditions in the US
The United States is known for its diverse climates and weather conditions. While the southern coastal states have high temperatures, it could be freezing in the country’s northern parts, where rain and snow start early in winter and last to early April.
Different kinds of severe weather inflict different areas in the country. Hurricanes are familiar in the Gulf states, and along the Atlantic coasts, thunderstorms, wildfires, floods, and snowstorms are other existing patterns of adverse weather conditions in the United States.
These hostile conditions can bring serious damage, especially to auto transport carriers, and some areas are considered dangerous to get into during the vagaries of weather.
The impact of severe weather on vehicle carriers
As we have mentioned earlier, bad weather conditions could inflict devastating outcomes. However, when it comes to auto shipping during winter or other natural events, some challenges show up, which are the shipping company’s responsibility. Here is how severe weather can affect a transporting trip and how shipping companies tend to handle such occurrences.
Cut off roads
Road cut-offs are common during strong snowstorms, after floods hit an area, or when a wildfire occurs. As a result of these occasions, some locations become inaccessible, hindering the transporting procedure. Though such events represent natural forces that are out of the hands of any human, a reliable auto shipping service provider would try to find alternative routes, and those who have been in the industry for ages already have plans to tackle such incidents.
In general, severe weather conditions are predictable in most areas like hurricanes and tropical storms, making it easy for transporting vehicle drivers to prepare. In all cases, giving an ear to the weather forecasts and looking out for warnings and announcements provided by the local authorities is one of the regular tasks all experienced auto shipping companies do.
Slippery roads
Other dangers must be considered in areas where snow and snowstorms are common. The formation of thin ice makes these roads slippery to drive through, especially when it is steep terrain. In such situations, vehicle carrier drivers use tire treads that help on slippery roads, allowing them to slow down and stop the vehicle when needed.
Fog and intense smoke
The smoke is harmful when driving through an area where a wildfire spreads along the way. During such devastating natural phenomena, traveling through these areas is unsafe as doing so compromises a major loss. The transported cars could be damaged if ash embers reach them. Regarding these dangerous-to-reach locations, carriers would probably wait until fires are put off so it is safe to pass through the area.
Heavy fog is another weather condition affecting visibility and following the traction. Preventing clear road vision, fog results in reduced steering ability as well. When it is foggy, transporting vehicle drivers should slow down their speed and stay open-eyed to avoid road accidents.
Other precautious activities include avoiding loud music or distractions while driving through fog, clearing the mirrors, and ensuring the vehicle’s visibility by turning its lights on. Headlights, in particular, are useful in these conditions of poor visibility.
Tackling severe weather conditions while transporting vehicles
A trustworthy and reliable auto shipping company like Tempus Logix is already aware of these circumstances and how they could affect their shipping journeys. So, Tempus Logix has a professional staff qualified to carry out the shipment plans and tasks and solve any posed problem that could affect the transporting procedure. The company’s drivers are also licensed and seasoned in handling various road issues throughout the travel journey, making it safe to ship your car under any condition.
In severe weather conditions, prices could be affected by urgent changes in routes, especially when taking a longer way. Sometimes delivery delays happen, or the date and location of pick-up or dispatch are rescheduled. In the end, because severe weather conditions are common in the United States, several ways came up to handle these conditions. The transportation process will be safe if you ship your car with a company accustomed to these situations.
