Photo by beuwy.com Alexander Pütter on Unsplash
In most cases, the weather isn’t a problem when it comes to car shipping. However, there are some rare instances in which it could be a problem for both the shipping schedule and your car itself. Let’s take a look at situations in which you may need to alter your shipping plans because of the impact of poor weather conditions.
Delays Due to Bad Weather
This is actually one of the rarest occurrences and only happens during the most extreme of weather patterns. Hurricanes, tornado warnings, and flash floods could all cause a delay in having your car shipped. On top of this, a hale storm may cause a delay for open car carriers that wish to avoid having the cars damaged.
The best way to avoid issues such as these is to simply be aware of weather conditions during the time you plan on shipping your car. For the most part, this is a non-issue. However, if there are severe weather warnings, you may want to hold off on the shipment or expect delays and make room for that in your schedule.
Protecting Exotic and Classic Cars
Sometimes avoiding any chance of exposure to poor weather is a must when shipping cars. This mostly applies to exotic and classic cars that are worth a lot. The good news is that the answer is as simple as hiring an enclosed transportation option to deliver your car. In most cases, this is a truck with a trailer designed to hold one or multiple cars.
When transported in a completely enclosed trailer, your car is 100% protected from the weather and other threats such as road debris, vandals, and thieves. If you need to make sure that your car is completely secure during transport, this is the option you want. Just be aware that enclosed car shipping is typically more expensive than open car shipping. In fact, it can be up to 30 to 40% more expensive in some cases. Even so, if you need total protection for your car, this is the best choice.
Higher Rates
Since car shipping companies are businesses, they sometimes will raise their rates during times of the year when weather conditions are expected to be poor. On top of this, sometimes bad weather or severe weather warnings will force the delivery driver to take an alternate route. This can cause delays and also increase the number of miles that the driver must travel. Since many car shipping companies charge by the mile, this could increase your fee.
If this is a worry for you, then be aware that many car shipping companies will give you an upfront quote with no hidden fees. This will put your mind at ease when you ship your car since you know that you won’t be paying extra if something goes wrong. For example, if you hire an Arizona car shipping company that gives you a quote and the driver is forced to take a detour halfway through the delivery due to bad weather, you won’t be expected to pay for the extra mileage. This goes hand in hand with the #1 rule of hiring a car shipping company: Get everything in writing.
Insurance and Bad Weather
In most cases, you won’t be paying more for insurance when shipping your car in bad weather. That said, if something goes horribly wrong and your car is damaged or destroyed due to bad weather, then you’ll be reimbursed by the insurance company. This is one of many reasons that insurance is not optional when it comes to car shipping. Even so, you want to make sure that you review the insurance policy that is provided when shipping your car to make sure that it covers instances of bad weather if you think it will be a concern.
Shipping Your Car with Peace of Mind
Bad weather can cause a lot of stress when shipping your car. While putting off the delivery can be a good idea, it isn’t always practical or possible. If you must ship your car in bad weather, or if bad weather arises during the shipment, don’t hesitate to contact your car shipping company for an update if it will put your mind at ease.
