When shipping your car, you generally expect the carrier to follow a set route along the way. But, can drivers make detours when shipping a car?
Yes, drivers can change their route during the mid-shipment.
Carriers do not reroute on a whim because strict federal regulations bind them. Carriers may reroute only under certain safety conditions.
This post explains reasons for a reroute, times drivers can change their route plus times they cannot, and the impact of rerouting on the shipment. All this information will help you experience smooth vehicle shipping!
Understand Why Rerouting Sometimes Happens Mid-Shipment
Transporting a car may involve more than simply moving the car from point A to point B; conditions may change en route and rerouting for national safety or efficiency is normal for long-distance transport to a manufacturer or dealer.
Drivers may be forced onto a detour during shipment for safety reasons, including snowstorms, floods, and high winds. Other reasons stemming from mechanical issues and accidents with a car or truck, major highway shutdowns, construction detours, and customer changes to an order and its shipping requirement, such as a change in destination or an alternate delivery time, may force a shipment to take an unplanned detour. With vehicle loads, carriers will often route a vehicle to drop it closer to its destination. If highways are weight, height, or size restricted, the carrier may not have any option but to choose a route that accommodates that restriction. These re-routes are meant to keep your vehicle safe and on time, as the intended route is not an option anymore.
Learn When Drivers Are Allowed to Reroute Under Regulations
Though transport drivers are free to change routes, they must still comply with both federal and company rules as well as their customer contracts, while allowing for unplanned obstacles.
There are several factors, such as the FMCSA regulations that require an auto-transport driver to avoid roads or weather conditions that are considered to be hazardous. Dispatchers have some influence on the routes, monitoring the road conditions and instructing drivers to change their routes. Drivers carry five to ten cars at a time for delivery to multiple customers. This requires constant changes to their routes. A change to the truck’s route is needed when a customer wants delivery sent to another address. Delivery trucks must reroute because of detours with road closures or construction to meet deadlines.
Drivers are NOT allowed to reroute:
- For personal errands
- To delay delivery greatly without reason
- To diverge from DOT-approved trucking routes.
- To avoid tolls when it is against company policy
- Not notifying dispatch of important route changes
Drivers are guided by the company and will only reroute for safety, logistics, or customer demand, not by choice.
How Rerouting Affects Your Delivery Timeline
Reroutes during transit do not tend to slow the shipment down, but they may help the carrier keep the driver on schedule by avoiding blocked or unsafe roads.
Routes may be changed to go around construction projects, to aid traffic flow or to go around bad weather. For some cases, dispatchers will reroute buses in real time to address large detours caused by bad weather or long-length highway closures, avoiding bottlenecks and downtime for drivers. Requests from customers that change the address and mechanical problems that require stopping for repairs or service may also cause the actual route to deviate from the official route. A responsible carrier will notify affected customers. Here is a real example: A driver hauling seven cars traveled from Chicago to Denver and had to drive almost 200 miles south to go around five interstates. These interstates on parts of the route were closed from ice, snow, and accidents. The driver and dispatch worked together toward finding a safe route around the unsafe highways, adding several hours to the trip.
The driver hauling multiple cars from Colorado to Texas took the southern route because of a snowstorm on I-25. It added only a couple of hours onto the trip it took, it avoided the icy conditions. Customers were kept informed and deliveries were safe and on time.
What You Should Do If Your Driver Must Reroute (Step-by-Step)
If you see that your driver has rerouted mid-shipment, there are only a couple of steps you can take.
Step 1: Stay calm—rerouting is normal
It rarely indicates a fault and ultimately is safer and more efficient.
Step 2: Request an updated ETA
Ask the dispatcher or your broker for the new estimated delivery time.
Step 3: Confirm whether the drop-off location or time is affected
Most reroutes will not change your delivery appointment.
Step 4: Keep your phone available
Drivers call close to delivery time if rerouted.
Step 5: Prepare for delivery as usual
Despite the reroutes, most vehicles still arrive at their destinations by the time.
This will communicate effectively in order to keep you up to date.
Choose a Transport Service That Communicates Clearly About Route Changes
Reroutes are not your enemy. Poor communication is. By choosing a reputable transport company, you know what is happening with your vehicle, even if the driver has to do a reroute.
- Clear route expectations
- Real-time dispatch notifications
- Immediate notification of major reroutes.
- Accurate revised delivery windows
- Professional, FMCSA-compliant drivers
Why Car-Transport.org is a trusted choice:
- They work only with vetted, insured drivers
- Dispatchers monitor road conditions in real-time
- They update customers whenever routes change
- They stress safety, efficiency, and clear communication.
- They can guide you through the entire shipping process from pickup to delivery
With a professional staff monitoring the shipment, a reroute during transport becomes standard procedure rather than a surprise.
Final Thoughts: Yes, Drivers Can Reroute—But Only When Necessary
The other advantage of rerouting is that it protects your vehicle, gets you back on track, and allows you to be flexible with any issues that may arise on the road. When you work with a recognized and reputable company like Car Transport.org, there is nothing to stress about with reroutes.
If you’ve been looking for a trusted, easy-to-access, consumer-centered shipping solution, call Car-Transport.org to arrange for a trip for your vehicle, wherever your destination.
