The nation's largest wholesale vehicle auctions, including Manheim and Adesa, have shifted to digital-only auctions and taken other precautions to protect the facilities from Hurricane Dorian's possible landfall later this week.
"During severe weather conditions such as Hurricane Dorian, Manheim proactively plans and prepares to protect the safety of our team members, clients and locations," said Mark Ford, regional vice president for Manheim's Florida region. "This includes moving vehicles from low-lying areas, communicating with clients about the status of our operations and their vehicles, and moving physical sales to digital channels for safety reasons."
Manheim has shifted four of its auction locations to digital auctions today and Wednesday, including Manheim Central Florida, Manheim Daytona Beach, Manheim Fort Lauderdale, Manheim Lakeland, Manheim Palm Beach, and Manheim Orlando.
The human resources department of Cox Enterprises, Manheim's parent company, is also sharing relief resources and information with Manheim employees in Florida.
Kar Auction Services' Adesa unit operates five auctions in Florida, including Adesa Jacksonville, Adesa Ocala, Adesa Orlando, Adesa Sarasota, and Adesa Tampa. The facilities in Jacksonville, Ocala, and Orlando will be closed on Tuesday. The sales will be postponed to Thursday in Orlando and Wednesday in Ocala. Kar will also close the Florida branches of its Automotive Finance Corporation business unit, as well as the AFC Charleston office.
Dorian, which is now a Category 2 storm, caused devastation on several Bahama islands over the weekend and has begun to move toward eastern Florida. The storm was rated as Category 5 when it struck Grand Bahama Island.
Hurricanes tend to result in more vehicles with flood damage coming into the used car market. At least 107,000 vehicles were flooded in 2018 after hurricanes Florence and Michael moved through the Carolinas, Florida, and Georgia. In 2018, more than 127,000 flooded vehicles were still in operation following storms the prior year.
