Rain or shine, the auto transport industry keeps cars moving year round. However, many brokers, shippers, and car haulers take time off or temporarily change business hours to enjoy some much deserved time off.
While not every auto transport business will be available during the holiday season, it doesn’t mean your cars still don’t need to be moved. This seasonal availability change could make it challenging to ship your car, but it doesn’t have to be stressful. Check out these tips to better prepare for the transportation of your car during the holiday season.
Schedule Now
Don’t wait until the last minute to schedule the transportation of your car. In fact, the earlier ahead that you schedule, the better. By scheduling at least two weeks in advance, your car is more likely to avoid any sort of delays and arrive on time during the holiday season.
Flexibility is Key
Whether you are working with an auto transport broker or directly with a carrier, discuss all potential issues and ask about their holiday policy. This can frequently include longer transit times or higher costs.
Depending on your location, a carrier might run into holiday traffic or poor weather conditions that can significantly delay its arrival. Also, considering the number of businesses who take time off for the holidays, the auto transport carriers who are still operating might already be jam packed with loads.
Because of this, it’s important to be flexible when it comes to delivery times and to be open to different delivery dates.
Avoid the day after Thanksgiving
We get it, it’s your day off and is therefore a convenient time to take care of transporting your car. However, many companies across the auto transport industry are closed the day after Thanksgiving as an extension of the holiday. While there still are a few car haulers who can assist you on the day after Thanksgiving, there is still a chance that they won’t be able to haul your car until after the weekend.
The week after Christmas is a no-go
Many of our hardworking friends and family in the auto transport industry take the time between Christmas and New Years to enjoy time with their family and celebrate the year. As always, somewhere there is a car hauler hard at work, but you should expect service to be in short supply during this time.
If possible, we recommend avoiding the dead week and plan to ship your car either before Christmas or at the beginning of the New Year. These times, while still usually busy, are better times as there are likely more auto transport workers open for busy who will be able to help you.
Don’t let your auto transport needs add to the stress of the holiday season. With these tips to help you navigate shipping your car between Thanksgiving and the New Year, you’ll be better prepared to ship your car headache-free. Looking for someone to transport your car? Read Super Dispatch‘s helpful post about tips for finding the perfect auto transport broker.
