.png)
Virginia fleets must prepare for hurricane season with proactive inspections, protective measures, and emergency planning to minimize vehicle damage, downtime, and safety risks.
We are currently in the heart of Virginia’s hurricane season, and residents need to stay on guard. Many Virginians are still feeling the effects of Hurricane Helene, which struck in 2024. Residents need an emergency plan, including a radio, boards for their windows, and a way to protect their most valuable documents and vehicles.
The same applies to businesses that may use fleet vehicles. Intense winds and flooding can damage your vehicles, leading to lost profits, downtime, and the inability to help the customers who need it the most.
How Hurricanes Impact Your Fleet
Winchester and Frederick County are close enough to the coast to have a significant impact if a hurricane makes landfall near Virginia. For example, in 2024, Tropical Storm Debby brought an average of six inches of rain.
Rain could cause your fleet to hydroplane, potentially causing wrecks, injuries, and fatalities. Strong winds may also topple your fleets, damage windows, and make driving difficult. The costs can be expensive, possibly fatal.
Some Fun Facts About Hurricane Season
Hundreds of Thousands of Vehicles Get Damaged
According to Carfax, as many as 347k vehicles were damaged in the 2024 hurricane season. Don’t let your fleet vehicle become part of that statistic.
Many Claims Get Denied
Besides the fact that your insurance can come up if you have a costly repair, car insurance companies can deny claims. There is not much data about how many hurricane-related claims have been denied, but we can guess it’s a good amount. If you’ve ever had to deal with insurance, you probably have had to deal with people who don’t want to accept your claim and will fight you tooth and nail to deny it.
Flooding is the Most Common Reason for Damage
It makes sense, as hurricanes can create inches, even feet, of water. Some hurricane damage is obvious, such as mechanical failure. However, some flooding damage can be more subtle. Your vehicle may look fine, but have corroding that could affect it down the road.
These facts weren’t that fun, right? Luckily, you can prepare your fleet against the worst the season has to offer.
The Importance of a Pre-Season Fleet Inspection
Before the season begins, it’s crucial to ensure that each of your fleet vehicles is prepared for the season. Faulty or aging brakes can be deadly when it’s raining hard. If your tires are aging or lack hydroplaning resistance, you may need some new ones. Your car suspension should also be checked for any faults or aging.
Testing your batteries is also essential. The last thing your drivers would want in the middle of the storm is a car that won’t start due to a dead battery.
Also, your fleet’s windshield wipers, lights, defoggers, and AC should all be working.
Brian Omps has a comprehensive maintenance check for fleet vehicles, ensuring that your cars are season-ready.
Protecting Your Fleet When It’s Not on the Road
Some businesses will have garages, elevated lots, or other facilities that can protect their fleet when a storm is approaching. If your business doesn’t, there are some ways to protect your vehicle.
Placing storm-resistant covers over your vehicles can prevent storm damage from damaging your vehicles. Removing any sensitive equipment from your cabs will reduce your loss in the event that flooding occurs.
If your fleet was damaged during the storm or you want to move each vehicle to a safe location, Brian Omps can help. Our hauling services can quickly get your fleets out of a problematic area!
Essentials Any Fleet Vehicle Needs
Your fleet vehicle should have an emergency kit that is easy to access whenever a hurricane occurs. The kit should include first aid supplies, flashlights, batteries, flares, reflective triangles, basic tools, jumper cables, external chargers, drinkable water, and non-perishable snacks.
Besides those items, each fleet vehicle should have a comprehensive list of emergency contacts, including emergency towing. Brian Omps has a 24/7 towing service in the event that your vehicle gets stuck at an unconventional hour.
Inspection and Repairs After the Storm
The storm has passed, and your vehicles appear unscathed, or maybe a couple took some lumps. Even if your vehicle looks fine, if it was near an excessive amount of water, there could be corrosion, minor mechanical issues, or other flood damage that may be hiding. And if these problems aren’t taken care of, they can get worse.
Brian Omps can inspect your fleet for any potential storm damage and repair it if needed.
Why Us?
Brian Omps has decades of experience serving Winchester and the surrounding communities. We’ve dealt with many, many hurricane seasons, and we are ready each time a hurricane season happens.
We work with both commercial and private vehicles and provide emergency towing services, as we know not all businesses close at 5 p.m.
