Transportation as many other industries is also regulated by seasons helping people move yearlong. During summer, transportation is at its highest peak nationwide, summer has the benefit of providing great weather and road conditions for multiple jobs to get done. Schedules are also more flexible as customers take advantage of school brakes to move and transfer to new homes. Spring and fall are also good times for shipping and road conditions are still inviting. Once winter hits, routes nationwide start to close and some routes are even closed for the season, however, some routes depend on winter season to reach their highest peak, such as the east and west coast.
Snowbirds are looking to move to southern states to pass the bad weather conditions and then relocate back once the season is over. Although there is a high demand of drivers, bad road conditions due to snow cause delays during this time. If you are looking to ship during this time you need to have a backup plan in case of delays, which due to bad weather conditions is very likely. Requiring expedites and last minute services are possible, however you need to be realistic with your expectations. Customers tend to book last minute and due to the bad season coming in fast they lose their patience and start causing storms for unrealistic requirements.
During this time it is very important to be patient, understand that not only your schedules can be delayed due to bad road conditions, also driver’s schedules are delayed to continue with their jobs. It is important to understand that they are doing the best they can to make it on time and keep going for the next pickup or delivery. Mechanical issues are also prone to happen during this time more than usual due to the cold and snow. Trucks go through regular maintenance checkups to avoid these issues during transit; unfortunately not every mechanical issue can be avoided.