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Trucking fleet
How trucking fleets can prepare for hurricane season
Atlantic hurricane season is officially here—are you ready?
Running from June 1 through November 30, the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season is already being closely monitored. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this year’s outlook suggests an above-normal hurricane season, driven by unusually warm Atlantic waters and the potential weakening of El Niño conditions. NOAA predicts 6 to 10 hurricanes, including 3 to 5 major hurricanes (Category 3 or higher).
For the trucking industry, hurricanes can be more than a weather event—they can be a major disruptor. Now is the time to reinforce your fleet’s business continuity plan and prepare for the potential operational, financial, and logistical impacts. We share tips and tricks to get through hurricane season including three strategies shared by WEX OTR customers who’ve weathered these seasons before.
Download our detailed hurricane preparedness checklist to ensure your fleet is prepared
How hurricanes disrupt the trucking industry
Hurricanes have historically caused widespread delays and increased costs across the supply chain. For trucking fleets, the impact can be felt immediately and for weeks—if not months—after the storm clears.
Key ways hurricanes affect trucking fleets:
- Road and infrastructure damage: Flooded highways and closed bridges can delay deliveries and reroute trucks for miles.
- Disrupted supply chains: Damaged warehouses or ports can create bottlenecks, increasing wait times at non-impacted facilities.
- Spike in transportation demand: Relief logistics require trucks for delivering essentials—fuel, food, medicine, building supplies—shifting your fleet’s normal operations.
- Limited truck availability: More trucks diverted to recovery efforts mean fewer available for regular freight lanes.
- Higher operational costs: Increased demand combined with fuel price spikes—especially if Gulf Coast refineries are hit—can put a strain on margins.
- EV fleet limitations: Charging infrastructure may be out of service, and saltwater damage increases risk for battery-related fires in affected zones. While this may not impact most of your long-haul drivers, you may have office staff impacted.
Seven top safety tips immediately following a hurricane
Document any damage for insurance
Before using any vehicle, check it thoroughly for signs of damage. If there is visible damage, photograph the damage and the surrounding context. Many insurance claims will be rolling in after a hurricane hits, so sending your claim to your insurance company with thorough visual documentation will help ensure it is processed in a timely fashion.
Never start a wet engine
If a vehicle was parked in a flooded area, it makes the most sense to tow it to a mechanic. Trying to start the vehicle while the engine is wet could cause extreme damage to the engine’s most critical parts including: the pistons, cylinder head, valves, crankshaft, and engine block. Avoid a costly engine rebuild by never starting a wet engine.
Drive around standing water
Puddles can be a safety hazard. Remember that debris can be carried for long distances and roads can become badly damaged. An otherwise clear road could be hiding sharp debris or deep potholes underneath standing water. If you can, drive around standing water. If you can’t drive around, get out of the car and investigate before driving into the unknown.
You may think that the water looks shallow, but looks can be deceiving. If the water is even six inches deep, driving through is dangerous. Consider these three facts from Liberty Mutual:
- A vehicle can lose control or stall in just six inches of water
- One foot of water will float many vehicles
- Two feet of rushing water will carry away most cars, trucks, and SUVs
Be suspicious of road debris
Just as a puddle might be hiding a pothole, leaves could be covering a tire-puncturing nail. This is why drivers have a higher likelihood of puncturing a tire right after a storm. Drive around road debris, or take the time to clear the road before driving through. In case of a flat, be sure you pack an emergency kit and a charged cellphone in every vehicle.
Dry your brakes after driving through puddles
In post-hurricane conditions, reaction times are critical. However, when brakes are wet, they may take longer to slow your vehicle. After driving through a puddle, lightly apply your breaks to dry them.
Don’t drive under fallen trees
If a fallen tree is suspended across the road, there is no safe way to drive under it. It is impossible to know if the tree’s position is secure, and it is not worth the risk. Time to turn around and plot another route.
Drive slowly (Even if you’re running behind)
Chances are your business had to slow or stop on-the-road operations due to the hurricane. That may mean that drivers feel pressure to make up time. Impress upon every driver that safety and caution should be their top priorities in post-hurricane conditions. In order to assess possible obstacles and safety hazards, drivers should slow down and stay alert.
WEX customer Bill Boughan, President of Boughan Brothers / Bonus Transportation shares with us how his company prepares for hurricane season:
“There are a number of things we do to be prepared for Hurricanes. First, we ensure that all the drivers heading into adverse conditions are fuelled up and are routed on the safest possible route. Second, we park trailers close together so that they do not blow over. We also remove any loose debris off the yard that could potentially cause harm and be dangerous to people and property. Third, we tell drivers to use I-75 and not I-95 if they can. If it’s too late we tell them to park and sit tight.”
Three proactive steps for hurricane season fleet recovery
Sandy McCarthy, Operations Manager at Honey Transportation shares their strategies for dealing with hurricane season:
“We tell our drivers to proceed with caution and route them on the safest possible routes. We make sure we are keeping updated with local weather to get ahead of it as best as we can. We also have a terminal in Alabama that we will route drivers to when things get bad in Florida.”
In addition to McCarthy’s tips, to reduce downtime and accelerate recovery after a storm, incorporate the following steps into your hurricane preparedness strategy:
1. Create or update your business continuity plan:
- Identify alternate fuel stops and routes.
- Maintain communication protocols for drivers in impacted regions.
- Ensure backup power options are available for key operations.
2. Use telematics to assess fleet position and movement:
- Monitor vehicle locations and reroute drivers as needed.
- Confirm whether assets are in flood-risk zones.
3. Partner with trusted vendors:
- Leverage fuel card partners like WEX to maintain access to fuel, manage spend, and get support quickly if fraud or outages occur.
How WEX supports fleets during and after hurricanes
When disaster strikes, WEX helps fleets recover faster with:
- Better purchasing control and insights with powerful Level III data where available
- Acceptance, discounts, and rebates at thousands of truck stop locations across North America
- Greater security with two factor authentication
- Easy, on-the-go access with handy mobile apps
- Fast funding and competitive rates with comprehensive factoring solutions
From fuel management to financial stability, WEX is a fleet partner that knows how to respond when the unexpected happens.
Keep your fleet moving—Even in a storm
Kellie Rusiewicz from C&W Global shares how they’ve updated their operations having learned from prior hurricane seasons,
“We have learned from previous years that we need to have power and wifi in the building at all times. We have a generator and fibre so that we are always powered and online. We also get trucks and trailers to surround the building to make a shield to protect the main HQ with our servers and IT equipment.”
The 2025 hurricane season is already shaping up to be active. Don’t wait until the next major storm to get your business ready. With a plan in place and support from trusted partners like WEX, your fleet can withstand disruptions and get back on the road faster.
Learn more about how WEX helps trucking fleets prepare for and recover from natural disasters at wexinc.com.
Learn more on how to better manage your over-the-road fleet:
All fleet cards are not the same, and different types of fuel cards suit the needs of different kinds and sizes of businesses. View WEX’s fleet card comparison chart to see which fleet fuel card is right for you.
Download our hurricane preparedness checklist.