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With the rising incidence of hail activity causing increased hail damage, there is a proportionate rise in insurance premiums resulting in more challenges for auto dealerships to mitigate risk on open, exposed car lots.
The Gunn Auto Group in San Antonio, Texas, has found one way to act upon this threat by using Hailports, manufactured by TricoUSA, and specifically designed to protect vehicles from hail damage. The extensive installation of 6 dealerships and 2 inventory lots, total a number of 1,600 car spaces, resulting in 260,000 square feet of inventory protected. The structures are proving to give added advantages through the hot summer, in that they provide shade to customers from the hot Texas sun. Wes Burke, president of Gunn Auto Group said, “We have been pleased with our dealings with Trico.” What’s a Hailport? 
| Hailports offer a simple, cost effective solution to protect vehicles which are exposed to the elements – such as hail and UV damage – while waiting for repair.
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What exactly are these multi-use structures and can they really protect property underneath the hail net? The original invention of shade structures, in their birth place of South Africa, was to primarily protect vehicles from hail damage, the product then saw an evolution to shade protection and multiple applications in the U.S. Shade structures are made from high density UV-protected polyethylene, while the massive strength is derived from the construction of the filaments which have UV additives applied in the extrusion process. The netting is then sewn with UV-protected thread and tops are stretched taut over steel frames. Over the years, shade structures continue to demonstrate that industrial fabrics prove their viability and are beginning to take their place as a permanent building material option. According to statistics from State Farm Insurance and the National Weather Service, the United States experiences approximately 3,000 hailstorms a year. Although hail damage can happen anywhere in the United States, the four states mostly affected are Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska, which account for 42% of the national average of all hail storms per year. Among State Farm’s 25 highest claim payouts in history, eight involved significant damage caused by hail. |
