COVID-19: How the Car Transport Industry Has Changed
While many of us are seeing the reopening of states, the pandemic that has hit our nation and the rest of the globe and has reshaped the way the car transport industry operates. This is your guide to those changes, provided by Exotic Car Transport.
Is it safe to transport vehicles right now?
We understand the worry that comes with interacting with businesses at this time and want to assure you of your safety. As this is the number one question on people’s minds, the short answer is yes, it is safe to transport your vehicles if, and only if you are being cautious. And here’s how to do just that.
What are the risks?
While many states were closing and stay-at-home orders were implemented, vehicle transport carriers were still functioning. This means that truck drivers were still actively at work in the thick of the pandemic. While this may make you feel uneasy, there has been no indication from data that supports vehicle carriers or truck drivers being at a higher risk of contracting Coronavirus.
What are drivers doing to be cautious?
Most of a truck driver’s workday is spent in isolation. However, once at their destination, face-to-face interaction must be met with their customers. Therefore, drivers are following all guidelines indicated by medical professionals and the CDC. When interacting with customers drivers are following social distancing protocols. The other procedures being adhered to are the washing and sanitizing of their hands and any other frequently used surfaces.
What can customers do to be cautious?
Similar to truck drivers, you as a customer must also follow safety protocols. Some helpful things that you can do are as follows:
- When interacting with personnel, practice social distancing
- If social distancing is not possible wearing a mask and gloves is essential
- Need to sign a form of confirmation? Bring your own pen and disinfect or dispose of the utensil afterward
More guidelines and suggestions for proper safety procedures can be found on the CDCs website and we encourage everyone to educate themselves on risks.
Nervous about interacting with carriers during this time?
Here’s our guide to making your experience as smooth as possible:
Things to do before dropping off your car
- It’s standard to clean and remove all personal belongings from your vehicle before drop off. But if you would like a little more peace of mind, clean your vehicle even more vigorously.
- Another method that would be useful is to create a cleaning kit that includes gloves, face masks, hand sanitizer, and disinfectants that you can use or a carrier can use.
Things to do during pickup
- This is another time where masks, gloves, and disinfecting wipes would be vital. It is important to clean all surfaces that you will touch with your bare hands during this time.
- Make sure to clean and disinfect your door handles, steering wheel, gear shift, etc. Although the vehicle may be safe to operate at this point, if a thorough cleaning comforts you then by all means continue cleaning before operating the vehicle.
What can you do to maintain your safety?
Finally. Your vehicle is back in your care. However, there is still something you can do to maintain the safety of you and your loved ones moving forward. A safe practice to follow as you go to other destinations such as retailers is to disinfect your vehicle continuously. Keep wipes on you at all times. Giving everything a good wipe down is the best way to practice caution.
How has the industry changed?
Gas Prices
Many parts of the auto and transportation industry have changed during COVID-19. As one can expect, when businesses, schools, and others began self-quarantining, gasoline prices plummeted. This became encouraging to truck drivers and other businesses that utilized trucks because now they were enabled to continue working at lower gas prices.
Traffic
This of course is not going to remain true as states continue to reopen, but truck routes did in fact change drastically as quarantine began. Drivers spent less time worrying about traffic especially in major cities which may result in less time between routes.
The caveat to this, of course, would be the influx of people ordering merchandise online.
What happens when people quarantine?
The more time people spent in their homes away from the people in their communities, the more opportunities they had to choose to shop at online retailers. Again, this promoted more usage of trucks and vans for deliveries resulting in more trucks being on the roads.
How long will this change last?
No one will truly have a finite answer to this question. But something to observe here is that changes have already occurred. Those whose jobs became obsolete or those who struggled to keep their businesses afloat during the pandemic know what it feels like to struggle financially. So much uncertainty hangs in the air and while it may be easy for some to pick themselves up and dust themselves off as states continue to reopen and restrictions are lifted, no one will forget how it felt to be here.
More importantly, those who met financial hardships will transform how they view money. It’s safe to say that a lot of people will be more inclined to save as much money as they can, perhaps even spending less in preparation for another time just like this one.
As for the people who began shopping or continued to shop at online retailers, their buying habits may entirely change in favor of the online option. The uncertainty of contracting a virus will more than likely far outweigh the amount of time deliveries take or even the cost of shipping to people.
