When a pickup or delivery date moves

Why dates move

Weather is the common one. Snow on a northern interstate, a hurricane watch on the Gulf, or flooding on a stretch of highway can hold a truck for a day, and the delivery at the far end moves with it.

A mechanical problem with the truck is the next. A car carrier is a heavy vehicle doing long days, and a tire, a brake or a hydraulic line can fail. The driver fixes it or waits for a shop, and that is usually a day, sometimes 2.

Then there are the other customers on the route. If a car at an earlier stop is not ready, or the person meeting the driver is 2 hours late, every stop after it shifts. A driver can wait only so long before the day's legal driving hours run out.

Last, a carrier can drop the load before pickup. It happens when a truck breaks down before it reaches you, when a driver's route changes, or when a carrier accepted more cars than it could fit. The next section covers what we do then.

When a carrier cancels before pickup

Sometimes a carrier backs out after accepting a car. When that happens, we offer the car to carriers on your lane again, straight away, and a coordinator calls you with what it means for the pickup window.

1. The carrier tells us it cannot make the pickup, or misses it and does not answer. Either way the assignment ends.
2. We offer the car to the other carriers on your lane. If the first carrier dropped it for the rate, we tell you so and talk through the options before changing anything on your order.
3. A new carrier passes the same four checks as the first. Your order page updates to the new company, driver name and driver phone, and an email tells you.
4. The new carrier confirms its pickup day, and you get the new window by email and from your coordinator.

Nothing changes on your side. You are not charged twice, the price does not move because a carrier dropped out, and the agreement you signed stays the same.

How you hear about it

Every status change sends an email, and the order page shows the current status at any hour. If a date moves, a coordinator tells you by phone or by a text they send themselves, and gives you the new one. We do not send automated texts.

You can also call the driver. Once a carrier is assigned, the order page shows the driver's name and phone, and on the day of pickup and delivery the driver is the person who knows where the truck is.

• How an order goes

Planning around a window

Give the car a day or two of slack at both ends. If you are flying out, do not make the pickup the morning of the flight. If you are moving into a new house, do not plan to have the car the day the furniture arrives.

Name someone who can hand it over or receive it if you cannot. A neighbour, a friend or a family member can walk around the car with the driver and sign the bill of lading for you. Give us their name and phone when you book, so the driver calls the right person.

If a date is fixed for you, choose the guaranteed pickup date when you book. The carrier collects the car on that day, and if it misses, the $200 is refunded. Delivery stays an estimate on every order, because the road does not take bookings.

If the change is on your side

Tell us as soon as your date changes, and we move the window with you. The earlier we know, the more carriers can fit the new date.

Two rules from the agreement apply when the change comes late. If the car is not ready when the carrier arrives, a $100 rescheduling fee applies, because the driver has made the trip. Cancelling within 7 days before or after the scheduled pickup carries a minimum fee of $200. A change you tell us about a week out costs nothing.

• The transport agreement