We have talked a lot about when you could book to get a smooth transport and how to get a transport that will for your desired pick-up and delivery schedule. However, there are plenty of things that can delay a transport (something may be out of the driver’s control). We are here to give you a list of things that can delay your transport and how long the delays can be.
Weather
Weather is certainly a major concern because it can be a cause for flooded streets, fire near normal routes, snowed on roads, and dangerous winds. Weather can become unpredictable and drastic weather can come up without notice. On the East coast, hurricanes can run rampant and may cause drivers to take a new route entirely.
Traffic
Traffic is not the biggest factor in most cases, but traffic can cause a transport to be delayed by about a day or two depending on the route. The most traffic happens in coastal states and if traffic is especially terrible, then a driver might have to rest the extra day (an auto transport driver may legally drive for only 8 hours).
Carrier Problems
Sometimes a carrier breaks down and it may not be the driver’s fault. Most drivers do not own their own semis and will use the auto transport company’s trucks to complete the job. These carriers have likely been on the road for 10+ years and begin to not work as well. Most auto transport companies keep their carriers up to date and always repair anything that needs attention. Simply due to “old age”, some carriers malfunction during a transport and it may cause a delay for a couple of days. Extreme breakdowns or repairs are rare and may never happen for an auto transport company during the year. However, these have happened in the industry and have set back transport dates drastically.
Customers
When you use a transport service that requires the driver to pick-up and deliver multiple vehicles, some of those other vehicle owners may delay everyone else’s transport by not being there for delivery on time or they miscommunicate with the driver. If this happens several times with multiple customers, this can delay a driver several hours to a couple of days. A transport may also be longer depending on where everyone else needs their vehicle delivered. Brokers will fill up a carrier with vehicles that are heading the same way and are not veering off the route that much. However, some customers deliver their vehicles far from the route and this can delay everyone else’s transport.
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