How to ship your car safely during the pandemic

The last few months have inadvertently changed our economy, from closing most non-essential stores, downsizing companies, people working remotely from home, with everyone constantly uncertain about the future. 

Vehicle transportation companies are also affected, even though transportation is considered by the Department of Homeland Security as an essential industry. Since a lot of people, especially students and workers are staying home during the pandemic, not many people are using delivery services.

However, some college students have been stuck in a stay-at-home order in a different state even though they need to go back home. Their car needs to be immediately shipped out, but they are worried about staying safe and their vehicle meeting the safety requirements to be hauled to their homes.

Here are some steps for the customer and the vehicle transport companies can take to ensure a safe transport during the pandemic:

Some steps that the person can prepare his vehicle to be sanitary and ready to be delivered, is to clean the vehicle's interiors before dropping off the vehicle at the drop off point. Getting some EPA approved disinfectants to wipe down the windows, dashboard, signals, handles, and everywhere that is commonly handled is very helpful to the transport company.

During drop off of the vehicle, an auto transport carrier should go to the vehicle owner instead of having the customer come to them, after being assigned a drop off time. This way, they can stay protected by only meeting with one person instead of other people in the building. Make sure both parties are wearing N95 masks, and try to stay socially distanced.

Drivers can keep themselves safe while hauling the car across the state, by reducing interactions with other people along the way. They should wash their hands frequently during breaks, and make sure to be aware of their body and report to the company if they are not feeling well.
The shipping company should also have an insurance plan or a backup plan for the haulers so that if something happens to them, they can swap out with someone else, or they can be taken to a hospital securely and conveniently.

When receiving a shipment from high risk zones such as China, Italy, Iran, Spain and England, there should be extra steps to disinfecting the shipment and workers should have certain safety guidelines in place to follow when receiving these deliveries.

When dropping off the vehicle, the carriers should also wipe down the areas that were touched, such as the dashboard, windows, handles, mirrors, etc. They should sanitize the areas that the carriers were in so that they can ensure a safe delivery to the person picking up the vehicle at the drop off point.

These protocols and safety measures should ensure a secure environment for all parties during drop off of vehicles and transporting vehicles to the drop off location.