The auto transport cost and delivery time are affected by distance and location, the model of your car, type of shipping carrier, and seasonal fluctuations. Besides these factors, the weather conditions can have an impact on transport time and price to ship your vehicle.
How can weather affect auto transport?
Being aware of weather-related influences in the auto transport industry helps you prepare and budget accordingly.
How is vehicle delivery timing affected by weather?
Harsh weather conditions can cause unforeseen delays in car’s delivery. In cold climates, heavy snowfalls and blizzards can cause blocked roadways. Heavy rainfalls may leave roads impassable. In these conditions, the safety of their cargo remains the top priority for carriers. Hence, drivers move at a slower pace or take longer, but safer routes.
In the summer and winter alike, inclement weather also causes heavy traffic bottlenecks. Although in the winter season, traffic delays may also be amplified by the snowbird phenomenon.
When weather causes disruptions, the best advice for you as a customer is to be patient and flexible. We know the delays may be frustrating. But a good auto transport company will do its best to deliver your car safe and sound and keep you updated on its movement.
How does weather affect car shipping prices?
Due to adverse weather conditions, some roads may close down. Hence, carriers have to adjust their routes, which in turn will affect their ability to pick up vehicles. Also, not all drivers feel comfortable operating heavy haulers in difficult weather conditions. Thus, the supply on various routes goes down. And consequently, the auto transport rates increase.
In the beginning, I also mentioned that the auto transport industry is affected by seasonality. It means that the prices for the same distance or type of car can highly depend on the season.
Different seasons are associated with different frequencies of people’s moving patterns. In the summer, most moves happen between Memorial Day and Labor Day. And during the cold season, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s are the busiest travel times. These are also the periods when the demand for car shipping is higher.
At Corsia Logistics, we believe that being more informed about these fluctuations will help you better choose when to move your car. That is why we offer free, manually calculated quotes, based on current data from national dispatch boards. Our vehicle relocation experts carefully follow real-time price fluctuations to provide you with the most accurate quote.
What safety measures to take when shipping your car?
Sometimes, despite unfavorable weather conditions, you cannot wait for a better climate to transport your car. For different reasons such as a new job in another state or a last-minute plan to spend winter in a warmer place, shipping your car can become an urgency.
To your benefit, there are some prudential measures that you can take before shipping your car:
- Make sure your vehicle is protected during transport ask about the extent of the transporter’s insurance coverage. Also, check with your insurance provider if your personal policy would cover any damages during shipping.
- Do not leave personal items in the car to avoid any interior damage. The insurance does not cover any damage which comes from these items.
- Choose enclosed carriers to transport your car. Especially in the winter season, this is the best type of carrier, which will protect your car from unfavorable weather conditions.
How to prepare your car for harsh weather
Strong winds, heavy rainfalls, or endless snow are works of nature and you can do nothing to change their course. However, what you can do is prepare your car in order to resist any weather damage. In a word, you can winterize your car. The measures are quite simple. Without much effort, you can enhance your car’s resilience. And as winter is fast approaching, these tips become even more relevant.
- Get winter tires or make sure that your current tires are have properly inflated air pressure to resist cold temperatures.
- Make sure your anti-freeze mixture is in the right proportions to prevent radiator freezing. You can get the anti-freeze testers at your nearest auto parts store.
- Check the oil tank. Make sure that the oil has the right viscosity to lubricate the engine. The information on the respective climate-dependent viscosity is in the manual of your car.
- Make sure the hoses and belts in your car are functioning well. If they have any tears or damages, then colder temperatures can cause problems with the engine running.
At Corsia Logistics we cannot go against nature, but we can make sure to go along with it. Whether you need to ship your car from Florida to New Jersey, or anywhere else in the country, we offer honest advice and real-time quotes, as well as up-to-date information regarding vehicle delivery.
For any vehicle shipping inquiries or to get a quote do not hesitate to give us a call at (818)850-5258. Our vehicle relocation experts are also available via our online chat. Thank you!
