Moving Glossary
Additional charges (Accessorial charges)
These are the extra charges apart from the transport charges we need to pay for services such as packing, unpacking, extra pick up, long carry, elevator carry etc. These services may be requested by us or are necessary because of landlord requirements or other special circumstances like building regulations.
Advanced charges
These are charges for services provided by a professional other than the mover at your request. You are responsible to pay for these charges. These will be added to the Bill amount.
Agent
A local moving company having authority to act on behalf of a larger, mature company. May serve as booking, origin, destination and /or hauling agent.
Booking Agent
A booking agent is a person who writes, books and accepts the order for your move.
Hauling Agent
The agent who owns the van assigned by the van line to transport your possessions.
Destination Agent
That agent located at or near your destination who provides necessary services and information at the end of your move.
Appliance service
This means the cost incurred in preparing the major appliances for safe transportation. The appliances are disconnected at the originating residence and reconnected at the new residence. Generally appliances like dryers, washers, dishwashers and refrigerators are covered in this service category. There may be a surcharge for these services or the charge may depend on the time taken for these services. If the mover does not perform this service or contracts with a third party, then in the table it will be marked “NA”.
Appliance Dolly
These are items supplied by self-service movers
Assessed Value Coverage
This column specifies how much money you will need to pay per $1000 of assessed value to cover your household items to their fully assessed value. Opting for this coverage(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-$1000 figure. As for example, 8.50/100 means that a consumer must pay $8.500 per $1000 of assessed value to cover the load against loss and the first $100 of damage is not covered.
While some other valuation policies are calculated on a sliding scale, where the price per $1000 of coverage will vary depending upon the total amount of coverage. In these cases, carriers are requested to quote valuation prices based on $25,000 of coverage.
Do NOTE that most valuation policies require that entire load be covered, not just specific items. And remember to ASK your carrier for terms.
Bill of Lading
This is the contract between the mover and you for the transportation. And also the receipt. It is your responsibility to understand the bill of lading. You should not sign when you are not COMFORTABLE with any thing contained in the bill of lading. All items on it are to be read and understood before you sign it. Don’t lose or misplace your copy. It’s very important document
- Binding : A flat price is quoted for the given inventory. The mover quotes a flat price no matter how long the job takes. This is given when onsite estimate is performed.
- Non-Binding: An initial quote is given basing on the past experience of the mover. The final price depends on the job when finished.
- Hourly Rates : these are charged by the hour per man per truck.
Carrier
This is the moving company that you are working with.
Comments
Any additional information about a listed company.
Cost of Move
This tells how much a specific move will cost without including the various extra charges and insurance. These costs estimations are calculated based on information gathered from the listed moving companies during a signup interview. Despite every effort to have the most accurate information you should be aware that many other factors affect the cost of a move like flight of stairs, the distance between your residence and the moving van( if the distance is significant, some movers may charge extra). So you should make sure that you should ASK all the relevant information regarding the factors affecting the cost of the move.
C.O.D. (Cash On Delivery)
This is the payment to be made by you when the delivery is made at the specified destination i.e., residence or ware house. You should make sure you know before how the payment is to be made : cash, credit, travelers check or check. Some movers will not accept personal checks
Expedited Service
This is when you pay a higher rate in exchange for the mover transferring your things on a set(specified) date. The charges will be based on a higher minimum rate.
Estimate
A professional assessment regarding the truck space, or the weight of your household goods, assessments of accessorial services and the total of a Binding or Non-Binding Estimate cost.
Flight Charge
An extra charge for carrying items up or down flights of stairs.
Flight of Stairs
This column tells you the additional cost, if any, of a flight of stairs either at the origin or the destination. Notice that a third-floor walk-up counts as two flights since you are starting on the first floor. In case there are elevators large enough to transport the household goods, this charge is eliminated.
Freight-Service
As against full service move, this is a low cost based moving where the mover delivers your things at the door step of the address specified by you. Your items must be boxed (of course by you) in advance and they will not wrap up your individual furniture pieces in blankets as is done in full service.
Flight of Stairs
This column tells you the additional cost, if any, of a flight of stairs either at the origin or the destination. Notice that a third-floor walk-up counts as two flights since you are starting on the first floor. In case there are elevators large enough to transport the household goods, this charge is eliminated.
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-$1000 figure. As for example, 8.50/100 means that a consumer must pay $8.500 per $1000 of declared replacement value to cover the load against loss and the first $100 of damage is not covered.
While some other valuation policies are calculated on a sliding scale, where the price per $1000 of coverage will vary depending upon the total amount of coverage. In these cases, carriers were requested to quote valuation prices based on $25,000 of coverage.
Do NOTE that most valuation policies require that entire load be covered, not just specific items. And remember to ASK your carrier for terms.
Full Service Mover
This is the most common form of a moving company. The mover here moves all of your household items from your old address to your new address. All the items are picked up from the old room and placed in the respective places of the new rooms. Further individual pieces of the furniture are wrapped up in blankets to protect them during the transportation. In addition for additional cost, these full service providers will, do full packing and unpacking services as well as appliance service. See also Self-Service Mover and Freight-Service.
Guaranteed Pick up and Delivery Service
The dates of services are guaranteed, with the mover promising to compensate if any delays made. For this a premium, subject to minimum weight requirements, is charged.
High Value Article:
Items included in the transportation which are valued at more than $100 per pound. These items should be disclosed to the mover to ensure they are protected accordingly.
Inventory
The form made by the van foreman which has the list showing the number and condition of each item (piece of furniture, carton etc.) . The condition marked should be carefully read before signing the inventory list.
Linehaul Charges
These charges are basic charges for long distance. These are calculated by mileage and weight of your shipment. Linehaul charges are generally extra from additional charges.
Long Carry
An additional charge when the mover has to travel to your residence. Usually there is a limit for the distance between the rear of the moving van to the entrance of the residence and when this limit is exceeded then you are to pay additional charge.
Local moving
Local moving generally 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 Distance
Intra State: This is a move of more than 100 miles within the same state.
Inter State: This is a move from one state to another regardless of the number of miles and is billed by weight and distance. This type of move is regulated by the United States Department of Transportation.
Loading Ramp
This is an item provided by self-service movers to help you load your household goods into the trailer.
Moving Company
A Company which according to it’s licenses can provide quotes and the Moving and storage services itself.
Order Number (Bill of Lading number ):
Number used to identify and track your shipment.
Order for Service
The document authorizing the mover to transport your household items. Must be attached to every Bill of Lading.
Operating Authority:
This the certification issued by a state or federal governmental entity authorizing a mover to move household goods between designated geographical areas.
Peak Season Rates
These are the higher linehaul charges which are applicable during the summer months.
Pick Up and Delivery charges
These are separate transportation charges for transporting your shipment between the warehouse and your residence.
Phone
The phone number for the sales department of each listed mover.
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 that is the only item being moved.
Price ( Cost of Move )
This tells how much a specific move will cost without including the various extra charges and insurance. These costs estimations are calculated based on information gathered from the listed moving companies during a signup interview. Despite every effort to have the most accurate information you should be aware that many other factors affect the cost of a move like flight of stairs, the distance between your residence and the moving van( if it’s significant, some movers may charge extra).
So you should make sure that you should ASK all the relevant information regarding the factors affecting the cost of the move.
Packing Service
The cost of packing and unpacking all your possessions as specified by the weight. This is an option which may be exercised by you. Many full-service movers provide customers this option.
Shuttle Service
This occurs when a smaller vehicle is used to haul goods to a location which is not accessible to normal large trailers.
Shipper
The person (customer) whose goods are being moved. (You)
Storage-in-Transit (SIT):
This is the temporary warehouse storage of your items pending further transportation. As for example, if your new home isn’t ready to occupy, you might use SIT. You must specifically request SIT service, which may not exceed a total of 180 days(in some cases 90) of storage, and you will be responsible for the added charges for SIT service, as well as the warehouse handling and final delivery charges.
Self-Service Mover
In this case you yourself pack, load at the origin point and unload, unpack at the destination place. All you need to do is to call the mover when the things are packed up and call him again when the you have unloaded the items. Obviously this is a cheaper mode of moving. And this type of moving is increasingly becoming popular; for it saves money in two ways – firstly you do not pay for the labor for loading and unloading and secondly the trailer will often load commercial goods on the trailer which reduces the total cost of the transport.
Stair-Carry Charge
An extra charge for carrying things up or down flights of stairs
Standard Coverage
The movers, by law, are required to provide a minimum amount of free coverage, listed in tables under the Std. column. This refers to the amount of money you will receive per pound of damaged goods(the amount is typically 60 cents per 1 pound). 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 3 pounds, you would be entitled to only $1.80 of compensation if this vase is damaged in transit.
Transport Type: (used with Self-Service Movers)
Movers may transport your household goods using a variety of transporting methods. Each transport type possess unique benefits:
Truck
A truck will be delivered by the moving company to your home. The truck will remain at your residence until you have completed loading it and request pick-up from the moving company.
Trailer
The moving company will deliver only the trailer section of the truck to your home. The trailer will remain at your residence until you have completed loading it and request pick-up from the moving company.
Truck & Trailer:
The moving company will deliver an entire truck, both cab and trailer, to your home. The truck and trailer will remain at your residence until you have completed loading it and request pick-up from the moving company.
Mobile Container:
The moving company will deliver large storage containers to your home. The storage containers will remain at your residence until you have completed loading them and request pick-up from the moving company.
Tariff
The carrier rates provisions, for all aspects of moving a shipment from one location to another.
Valuation
Valuation is what your goods are worth. It is not insurance. Valuation covers your property in any of the three different ways given above i.e., Assessed value coverage, Full replacement coverage and Standard coverage. Valuation is a tariff level of mover liability basing upon the weight of the shipment.
Note that valuation covers only your goods for damage or loss if you can prove negligence on the part of the mover. IT DOES NOT cover any loss or damage due to Acts of God, (high winds, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes) riots, strikes, civil commotion, etc.
The valuation charges compensate the mover for assuming a greater amount of liability than that was provided for in the basic transportation charges
Warehouse Handling
An additional charge applicable each time SIT (storage in transit) service is provided. This charge compensates the mover for the physical placement and removal of items within the warehouse