Moving, Packing, Storage Information

ACCESSORIAL (ADDITIONAL) SERVICES: Services such as packing, appliance servicing, unpacking, or piano stair carries that you request to be performed, or that are necessary because of landlord requirements or other special circumstances. Charges for these services may be in addition to the line haul charges.

ADVANCED CHARGES: Charges for services performed by someone other than the mover. A professional, craftsman, or other third party may perform these services at your request. The mover pays for these services and adds the charges to your Bill of Lading.

ADVERTISEMENT: Any communication to the public in connection with an offer or sale of any interstate household goods transportation service. This will include written or electronic database listings of your mover's name, address, and telephone number in an on-line database. This excludes listings of your mover's name, address, and telephone number in a telephone directory or similar publication. However, Yellow Pages advertising is included within the definition.

AGENT: A local moving company authorized to act on behalf of a larger, national company.

APPLIANCE SERVICE: The cost of a complete disconnect of an appliance at the originating residence and a reconnect of the appliance at the new residence. Covered appliances include washers, dryers, dishwashers, and refrigerators. Certain movers charge a surcharge for this service while others simply charge the amount of time the actual service takes.

APPLIANCE SERVICE BY THIRD PARTY: The preparation of major electrical appliances to make them safe for shipment. Charges for these services may be in addition to the line haul charges.

APPLIANCE DOLLY: Supplied by self-service movers to help you load and unload large items like appliances and oversized furniture.

ASSESSED VALUE COVERAGE: This specifies how much money per $1,000 of assessed value you will need to pay to cover your household items to their fully assessed value. Purchasing this protection requires that a cash value be assigned to the items you will be moving. If a deductible is applied, that value is stated next to the cost-per-$1,000 figure. For example, 7.50/100 means that the consumer must pay $7.50 per $1,000 of assessed value to cover the load against loss, and the first $100 of damage is not covered. Some valuation policies are calculated on a sliding scale, where the price per $1,000 of coverage will vary depending upon the total amount of coverage. In such cases, carriers are requested to quote valuation prices based on $25,000 of coverage. Please note that most valuation policies require that the entire load be covered, not just specific items. Ask your carrier for terms.

BILL OF LADING: The receipt for your goods and the contract for their transportation. It is important to understand everything on the bill of lading before you sign it.

CARRIER: The mover transporting your household goods.

CASH ON DELIVERY (COD): This means payment is required at the time of delivery at the destination residence or warehouse. Make sure to ask if your payment should be in cash, credit card or check.

CERTIFIED SCALE: Any scale designed for weighing motor vehicles, including trailers or semitrailers not attached to a tractor, and certified by an authorized scale inspection and licensing authority. A certified scale may also be a platform or warehouse type scale that is properly inspected and certified.

COMMENTS: Any additional information about a listed company.

COST OF MOVE: This addresses how much the specific move will cost, not including the various extra charges and insurance. All cost estimates are calculated based on information obtained from the listed moving companies during a signup interview. Although every effort is made to gather the most accurate information, customers should be aware of the fact that many factors affect the cost of a move. Make sure to ask about all of the mover's involved costs including things like flights of stairs and distance between your residence and the moving van.

DEPRECIATED VALUE COVERAGE: See Assessed Value Coverage.

DIVIDER: Many self-service movers will place commercial goods behind your household possessions on the trailer. A divider is installed between these separate shipments to keep them secure.

DIVIDER INSTALLATION: This specifies how much extra it will cost a consumer to have a divider installed.

ESTIMATE, BINDING: An agreement made in advance with your mover. It guarantees the total cost of the move based upon the quantities and services shown on the estimate.

ESTIMATE, NON-BINDING: This is what your mover believes the cost will be, based upon the estimated weight of the shipment and the accessorial services requested. A non-binding estimate is not binding on the mover. The final charges will be based upon the actual weight of your shipment, the services provided, and the tariff provisions in effect.

EXPEDITED SERVICE: An agreement with the mover to perform transportation by a set date in exchange for charges based upon a higher minimum weight.

FLIGHT CHARGE: An extra charge for carrying items up or down flights of stairs.

FLIGHT OF STAIRS: This tells you the additional cost, if any, of a flight of stairs either at the point of origin or the destination. Please note that a third-floor walkup counts as two flights since you are starting on the first floor. Serviceable elevators which are large enough to transport the household goods eliminate the need to pay this fee.

FREIGHT SERVICE: A low-cost alternative to a full-service move. Freight-service movers will move all of your household goods from your old address to your new address but will deliver the items only to the doorstep of your new home. Your items must all be boxed in advance, and your individual pieces of furniture will not be wrapped in blankets, as distinguished from full-service movers.

FULL REPLACEMENT VALUE COVERAGE: This specifies how much money per $1,000 of value, you will need to pay to protect your household items for their full replacement value. Full replacement value is the amount of money it will cost to purchase a new replacement for a damaged item, regardless of how old the damaged item was. If a deductible is applied, that value is stated next to the cost-per-$1,000 figure. For example, 7.50/100 means that the consumer must pay $7.50 per $1,000 of declared replacement value to cover the load against loss, and the first $100 of damage is not covered. Some valuation policies are calculated on a sliding scale, where the price per $1,000 of coverage will vary depending upon the total amount of coverage. In such cases, carriers were requested to quote valuation prices based on $25,000 of coverage. Please note that most valuation policies require that the entire load be covered, not just specific items. Ask your carrier for terms.

FULL-SERVICE MOVER: The most common form of moving company. The full-service mover will move all of your household goods from your old address to your new address. The items are picked up from every room in your old home and delivered to the appropriate rooms in your new home. Individual pieces of furniture are wrapped in blankets to protect them during shipment. Full-service movers will also provide, at additional cost, full packing and unpacking services as well as appliance service.

GUARANTEED PICKUP AND DELIVERY SERVICE: An additional level of service featuring guaranteed dates of service. Your mover will provide reimbursement to you for delays. This premium service is often subject to minimum weight requirements.

HIGH VALUE ARTICLE: These are items included in a shipment valued at more than $100 per pound.

HOURLY RATES: Customers are charged by the hour per man, per truck.

HOUSEHOLD GOODS: This means the personal effects or property used, or to be used, in a dwelling, when part of the equipment or supplies of the dwelling need to be transported. Transportation of the household goods must be arranged and paid for by you or by another individual on your behalf. This may include items moving from a factory or store when you purchase them to use in your dwelling. You must request that these items be transported, and you, or another individual on your behalf, must pay the transportation charges to the mover.

INTERSTATE MOVE: Any move that crosses a state boundary, regardless of the number of miles.

INTRASTATE MOVE: Any move which does not cross a state boundary, typically over 40 miles.

INVENTORY: The detailed descriptive list of your household goods showing the number and condition of each item.

LINE HAUL CHARGES: The charges for the vehicle transportation portion of your move. These charges, if separately stated, apply in addition to the accessorial service charges. This is the basic method of billing for long distance service and are calculated by mileage and the weight of your shipment. Line haul charges may not include fees for charges such as the ones noted in Additional charges.

LOADING RAMP: Provided by self-service movers to help you load your household goods onto the trailer.

LOCAL MOVE: A move within a state, typically 40 miles or less.

LOCAL MOVING: Local moving usually refers to moves of less than 100 miles within the same state. This type of move is based on hourly rates and is regulated by the states DOT (Department of Transportation) or other regulatory body.

LONG CARRY: An additional charge for carrying articles excessive distances between the mover's vehicle and your residence.

MAY: An option. You or your mover may do something, but it is not a requirement.

MOVER: A motor carrier engaged in the transportation of household goods and its household goods agents.

MOVING COMPANY: A Moving Company is the business offering your move program and is in charge of transporting your belongings.

MUST: A legal obligation. You or your mover must do something.

ORDER FOR SERVICE: The document authorizing the mover to transport your household goods.

ORDER (BILL OF LADING) NUMBER: The number used to identify and track your shipment.

PACKING SERVICE: Many full-service movers provide customers the option of having all of their possessions packed before the move and later unpacked at the destination.

PEAK SEASON RATES: A premium rate that is charged at certain times of the year. This higher rate is generally applied in the summer months.

PIANO: This specifies the additional cost to move a single 42-inch piano as part of the total household. This is not the cost to move the piano if it is the only item being moved.

PICKUP AND DELIVERY CHARGES: Separate additional transportation charges applicable for transporting your shipment between the storage-in-transit warehouse and your residence.

PRICE: This tells you how much the specific move will cost, not including the various extra charges and insurance. All cost estimates are calculated based on information obtained from the listed moving companies during a signup interview. Although every effort is made to gather the most accurate information, customers should be aware of the fact that many factors affect the cost of a move.

REASONABLE DISPATCH: The performance of transportation on the dates, or during the period of time, agreed upon by you and your mover and shown on the Order for Service/Bill of Lading. For example, if your mover deliberately withholds any shipment from delivery after you offer to pay the binding estimate or 110 percent of a non-binding estimate, your mover has not transported the goods with reasonable dispatch. The term "reasonable dispatch" excludes transportation provided under your mover's tariff provisions requiring guaranteed service dates. Your mover will have the defense of force majeure, i.e., that the contract cannot be performed owing to causes that are outside the control of the parties and that could not be avoided by exercise of due care.

SELF-SERVICE MOVER: Companies in this category will provide a trailer for you at your old home. You load the trailer yourself and the company returns to move the trailer to your new destination. You then unload the trailer yourself and call the mover to remove the empty trailer. This type of move is becoming increasingly popular with consumers because it saves money in two ways. First, you do not pay for any of the loading/unloading labor. Second, the self-service mover will often load commercial goods on the trailer behind your household goods, to help defer the cost of the total shipment.

SHOULD: A recommendation. We recommend you or your mover do something, but it is not a requirement.

SHUTTLE SERVICE: The use of a smaller vehicle to provide service to residences not accessible to the mover's normal large line haul vehicles.

STAIR-CARRY CHARGE: An extra charge for carrying items up or down flights of stairs.

STANDARD COVERAGE: Also called "basic liability" or "limited liability". Movers, by law, are required to provide a minimum amount of free coverage. This number, typically 60 cents, refers to the amount of money you will receive per pound of damaged goods. This coverage is a bare minimum and should not be relied upon to cover you for any significant damage. For example, if you have a priceless vase which weighs two pounds, you would only be entitled to $1.20 of compensation if the vase is damaged in transit.

STORAGE-IN-TRANSIT (SIT): The temporary warehouse storage of your shipment pending further transportation, with or without notification to you. If you, or someone representing you, cannot accept delivery on the agreed-upon date or within the agreed-upon time period because your home is not ready to occupy, your mover may place your shipment into SIT without notifying you. Normally, you may not exceed a total of 180 days of storage. In these circumstances, you will be responsible for the added charges for SIT service, as well as the warehouse handling and final delivery charges. However, your mover also may place your shipment into SIT if your mover was able to make delivery before the agreed-upon date, or before the first day of the agreed-upon delivery period, but you did not concur with early delivery. In these circumstances, your mover must notify you immediately of the SIT, and your mover is fully responsible for redelivery charges, handling charges and storage charges.

SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD: An agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates household goods carrier tariffs, among other responsibilities. The Surface Transportation Board's address is 1925 K Street NW., Washington, DC 20423-0001 Tele. 202-565-1674.

TARIFF: An issuance, in whole or in part, containing rates, rules, regulations, classifications, or other provisions. The Surface Transportation Board requires that a tariff contain three specific items. First, an accurate description of the services the mover offers to the public. Second, the specific applicable rates (or the basis for calculating the specific applicable rates) and service terms for services offered to the public. Third, the mover's tariff must be arranged in a way that allows you to determine the exact rate(s) and service terms applicable to your shipment.

VALUATION: Valuation is not insurance. Valuation offered by your moving company is a tariff level of carrier liability based on the weight of your goods. Valuation covers your property by assessing value in three different ways explained above (Assessed Value Coverage, Full Replacement Value Coverage & Standard Coverage). In a nutshell, Valuation is an amount that reflects "what your goods are worth." Valuation only covers your goods for damage or loss if you can prove negligence on the part of the carrier. IT DOES NOT cover any loss or damage due to Acts of God, (high winds, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes) riots, strikes, civil commotion, etc. and all claims are settled by employees of the carrier that damaged your goods. The valuation charge compensates the mover for assuming a greater degree of liability than that provided for in the base transportation charges.

WAREHOUSE HANDLING: A additional charge may be applicable each time SIT service is provided. This charge compensates the mover for the physical placement and removal of items within the warehouse.

WE, US, & OUR: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

YOU & YOUR: You are an individual shipper of household goods. You are a consignor or consignee of a household goods shipment and your mover identifies you as such in the bill of lading contract. You own the goods being transported and pay the transportation charges to the mover.