Realities of Weather within Recycling

“In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours”
– Mark Twain

Weather is an unavoidable operational force in auto recycling, affecting everything from dismantling and depollution to logistics, safety and customer communication. Brian Bachand shows that success depends on planning, flexibility and teamwork: recyclers cannot control snow, mud, heat or dust, but they can control how well they prepare, communicate and keep the yard moving.

Brian Bachand, CEO of Westover Auto Salvage in the US, discusses the operational realities of weather within auto recycling, drawing on first-hand experience from Western Massachusetts. From heavy snow and freezing temperatures to mud, rain, dust and heat, Bachand explains how changing conditions shape dismantling, depollution, logistics, safety and customer service across the yard. His article highlights a familiar truth for recyclers everywhere: the climate may be predictable, but the weather often decides how the working day will run.

Weather as an operational reality

The challenges today’s Auto Recyclers face may be best described as continuous and evolving. Monitoring market swings, diagnosing demand shifts, and rubbernecking regulation increases. And then there are vehicle design changes, consumer trends, and evolving legislation, each hitting different segments of the industry at different times; a lot of variables to withstand. Yet our industry has, and continues to remain, resilient, seemingly rolling forward to weather every storm. Whether it is mandatory recycling rates, catalytic converter theft, or the looming shift to electric vehicles, the auto recycler is continually adapting to the changing landscape. Right as rain, sure as the sunrise, yet unexpected as jury duty and unpredictable as a toddler with a permanent marker. The climate may change, but the recycler is left to deal with the weather.

Each climate has a different set of elements to contend with, and within each geographical location, its own set of operational challenges. Up here in New England, in the Northeast of the United States, the effects of weather are significantly different from the same weather faced by neighbors on all sides of this same region. With the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Hill town topography to the West, the ocean line to the south, and the tundra to the north, it is a perfect storm for climate change. The elements Mother Nature throws our way are enough to take priority over all the challenges and changes listed above. Regardless of location, the weather affects how we all work, yet we continue to persevere. We dismantle cars in the rain and cold. Our operators move vehicles out of the mud, we inventory cars and parts that come in from the snow, and we continuously work hard to keep the dust under control. With that said, to get an insider view of recycler logistics, here is a first-hand account of how things unfold when the Weather becomes the biggest challenge of the week.

Snow-covered damaged vehicle awaiting processing in an auto recycling yard.

Rows of vehicles covered in snow at a winter auto recycling facility.

Western Massachusetts, where it is too far to say you are from Boston but not close enough to say you are from the Berkshires. Either way, when it comes to New England Winter, blink your eyes and the weather will have changed everywhere. A melting pot for not only people but also for the many types of outdoor elements we all face over short periods of time. Most recently, this February has given us significant snowfall and temperatures we had not experienced in quite some time. As Auto Recyclers in the Northeast, we are used to the elements. We expect the weather to change on the fly, just like the attitudes and opinions of customers, coworkers and employees. We prepare and operate according to the changing seasons. However, I believe it is quite paramount that we shed light on the landscape and the lay of the land when it comes to working within said weather.

Planning for disruption

Imagine you are to receive two feet of snow that will cover your facility. This is quintessential New England at any given time during winter. Having this knowledge and expectation, what is your plan to combat this? Do you shut down for the day? Require only the necessary personnel to show up to handle operations given this challenge? Or, as many New Englanders do, do you plan for the worst and then wait and see before deciding to act? It is very difficult to plan for snow and even more so given such a daunting predicted accumulation. But it is to be expected each winter here in the Northeast.

We just roll with it. Jobs are promised, parts are sold, and neither Mother Nature nor Uncle Sam will get in the way of us taking care of our customers. With that expectation, it is on each recycler’s mind how they will transition their operations to address this challenge. Buckets on loaders, ploughs at the ready, salt and shovels for every non-operator. No one wants to close for the day, but sometimes the weather is too much for our team to handle while still fulfilling orders and completing the day’s to-dos. This means that staff keep tabs on weather reports daily. Our teams create a plan to deal with the elements to allow operations to run as smoothly as possible, given the circumstances. We plan to succeed despite the weather challenges; failure to plan is not an option.

Auto recycling is expected to operate outdoors across the nation. We have been vetted, and we will tell you that the weather is to be expected; otherwise, we expect to lose money given the laissez-faire mentality. So we plan for snow, ice, rain, mud, dust, cold, heat and whatever Mother Nature wants to throw our way. This also means that the weather dictates our operations when the elements hit. Case in point is the two feet of snow we have received. Any time the weather becomes a factor, people’s transportation is in jeopardy, and accidents will happen. Not a plus, but recyclers do see an uptick in business when the weather affects the commute. Yet it is a Catch-22, for that uptick sees days where production is at its most challenging and gruelling stage, and possibly even to its breaking point.

Keeping the yard moving

The two feet of snow, paired with freezing temperatures, make it quite difficult for our operators to move vehicles around and to find and approach them. This is after we have prepared for the day by cleaning, sanding, salting, and removing snow to make the yard operational, accessible, and, hopefully, as safe as it can be. Yet cars are blanketed with snow, making working out in the field an elongated, stressful, and strenuous process. We have seen more advanced yards that map out their vehicle storage, and others with a lower inventory count, navigate the elements more quickly. This translates to a low workload, yet in a yard where you have to move quite a few vehicles to get to anything, this becomes quite the disruption. And any yard that dismantles when parts are sold off the car, or pulls parts off the vehicle while it is in storage, is in for quite a long week.

In the event that snowfall reaches this kind of accumulation or temperatures hit extreme lows, we are hard-pressed to send the entire crew out in the yard to dismantle. In that case, for a full-service yard, a strategy is needed to accommodate and complete continuing orders. One that severely limits or does not involve dismantling out in the field. Usually, this means bringing vehicles and having most of the team work inside, with only them outside to clear snow. We also have to think of delivery and shipping delays. Are we sending out delivery drives, and will all inbound and outgoing logistics be parlayed due to the elements? We are required to monitor these things and have a plan to address delays while ensuring we stay on top of what we can control. That requires coordination and space, but to maintain production and morale, it is an absolute necessity to be empathetic while striving for efficiency.

Close-up of a snow-covered vehicle headlight in a recycling yard.

Storm-damaged vehicle covered in snow after a fallen tree impact.

If we are a self-service yard, it is a different story altogether. Do you plow and make accommodations for the customers you hope to come to your facility, or do you limit time on removal if you are a hybrid of sorts, or do you wait and see? Either way, the cleaning, clearing, and making things safe takes added time out of our days that we normally do not have. The process is even further elongated with the elements causing us to search for or bring up vehicles and clean them off. Stuff is frozen, and part types like glass may have to be dismantled at later points in time due to having to acclimate in order to successfully harvest them. In New England, rust might as well be the state flower. It is just as common as a Dunkin’ Donuts on every corner. Mix in the salt, mud, snow and freezing temperature, it is not what we call a dismantler’s delight. How we manage our time, logistics, and safety, given the promised orders and their timelines and the weather, is the great juggling act of the American auto recycler.

Safety, people and communication

So how does it feel to recycle vehicles in the midst of Mother Nature’s gambit? Truthfully, it can be exhausting for all. Imagine cars with 2 feet of snow on them. If you are not dressed for the weather, it will dress you. Walking around in muddy, wet, or frozen boots is neither glamorous nor comfortable. Dismantling out in the cold is no joke either. Things begin to break if you are not careful. The safety of the inventory, our operations, and, most importantly, our people is always the utmost priority. If we are bringing vehicles into the garage for dismantling or depollution, we should all have a protocol for cleaning them before they come in. No one wants to work in a mess, nor do they want to work on a vehicle that is just going to rain on them continuously. Thus, the point of being out of the elements. To do things right and safely, yet as efficiently as possible.

If time is money and we have so much to do, vehicles may come in covered in snow, straight from out back, and we may be forced to work outside. It is up to the team to decide whether we should make the time to have our operators stage the vehicles that need to be brought in throughout the day in an area where we can clean them off. The more members who are able to help with the logistics, the better. Yet the more handling of the inventory is never a good thing within production unless quality inspections. It is up to each recycler to decide how they operate best given the elements. We must constantly ask ourselves, how are we to take care of our team, our bays and the facility in order to keep pace with the flow? Sometimes we get nuts trying to complete orders and cut corners. These things from time to time take place, but as with all things that are rushed, mistakes will happen. Our customers are very important, but our team must be held in the same regard; otherwise, we can expect to see disregard, potential demise and even safety issues within our production crew.

Overall, the consensus is that if you do not have the people, be it customers or employees, how are we to fulfill the parts orders? Weather affects us all, which means people cannot make it into work or out to pick up the parts. Customers, coworkers, and employees can all become disgruntled when weather challenges seem overwhelming or when there is not enough support to handle the elements. That is a variable just as unpredictable and uncertain as the climate in this region. And that is why communication on all sides is crucial to making sure expectations are set and met by all parties.

Bringing your own sunshine

When it is nice outside, we have the bay doors open, the temperatures are nice, and everyone seems to be in a better mood. Dismantlers can pull parts out in the field without qualms, and our inventory specialists may even consider this to be better lighting. Operators are not getting stuck, sliding everywhere, or having to juggle vehicles on their forks. And managers, well, they can manage people better without being stressed by the elements. The Reality of weather for the American auto recycler is no different from that of any vehicle recycler. “We expect climate, instead we receive weather”. We do the best we can with what we can, but those with experience seem to continue to plan ahead and succeed. Mark Twain said, “Good judgement is the result of experience, and experience is the result of bad judgement”. A true statement when we reflect on the hindsight of our decision-making. That being said, it is up to each recycler, regardless of the climate, to always bring and create their own sunshine. Safety first, then teamwork. How you plan each day, given the natural and unexpected elements and variables discussed, is crucial to how much you will achieve. How we communicate, implement, and execute our operational strategies and logistics plans will bring us success around the globe, regardless of the weather.