Jan. 9, 2023—Recent winter storms in conjunction with usual industry delays have northern Minnesota body shops seeing backlogs of up to four months.
According to a report from Fox 21, six shops contacted in and around the city of Duluth are all experiencing a wait of anywhere from six weeks to four months. Recent storms in the snowy region near Lake Superior have added to a backlog already resulting from supply chain woes and shortage of employees. A local towing company reported having trucks running nearly all day, every day. Bulldog Collision in Hermantown, Minnesota, has a constant line of cars outside the building just waiting on repairs.
“I’ve never seen it like this, not where shops are completely booked three to four months out," said Bulldog owner Ryan Underthun to Fox 21. "It’s unheard of in our industry."
Underthun reports that the shop has been doing repairs in stages to get by, getting cars to the point of safe drivability even if they're cosmetically unsightly. Anything to help people, as well as the shop's operations, get moving again.
“We want them (vehicles) gone, just as bad as they want them back,” he continued.
