While
most people do not move often enough to become familiar with the
language of moving, knowing a few basic terms will make it easier to
work with your moving company to set up a move that is as smooth and
stress-free as possible. Here are a few terms that will help you to
better work with your mover:
Accessorial services include services other than the transport
of your goods. Services including packing, unpacking and extra pickup
are performed by the carrier at your request. Charges for these services
are in addition to the transportation costs.
The
agent is an affiliated moving company authorized to act on
behalf of the van line. The agent may handle the booking, origin,
hauling, and/or destination services.
Auxiliary service (shuttle) is used if the assigned
over-the-road van is unable to make a normal pickup or delivery because
of physical constraints (extremely narrow road, inadequate parking area
for the truck, weak bridge, etc.). An auxiliary service is the use of a
secondary, smaller vehicle to complete the pickup and delivery. Charges
for this service are based on the vehicle used and additional labor
involved.
The
Bill of Lading is your receipt for your goods and a
contract for their transportation. Your signature acknowledges that your
household goods can be loaded on the van and "released to the
carrier."
The
booking agent accepts the order for your move and registers
it with the van line. The booking agent may or may not be your origin or
destination agent.
Bulky articles include such items as boats, snowmobiles, golf
carts, and campers. These "bulky" items usually carry an extra charge to
compensate the hauler for the difficulty of loading and unloading, as
well as for their unusual bulk or low-weight density.
The
carrier is the moving company providing transportation for
your household goods under whose Department of Transportation
registration the shipment is moved.
A
claim is a statement of loss or damage to any of your household
goods while in the charge of the carrier or its affiliated agent.
C.O.D. (cash on delivery) shipments are those where the
customer pays the moving charges at the dime of delivery. For C.O.D.
shipments, payment is required in cash or by traveler's check, money
order, cashier's check or credit card. If you use a credit card, you
must arrange this with your
origin agent
because authorization is required before loading commences.
Declared valuation is the shipper's indication of the value
declared for the possessions being shipped, thereby establishing the
carrier's maximum liability for loss or damage to the shipment. If no
value is declared, the liability is then controlled by the tariff under
which the shipment is being handled.
The
Department of Transportation (DOT) is the federal agency
which, through the Surface Transportation Board within the DOT, governs
the interstate transportation industry, including movers of household
goods.
The
destination agent is the agent designated in the destination
area to be available to assist or provide information to you or the van
operator regarding your shipment.
An
estimate is an approximation of the probably cost of your move,
based on factors such as the van space required and the weight of your
household goods. The two basic types of estimates are binding and
non-binding:
- With
a binding estimate, you will know in advance what your
move will cost, regardless of variances in the actual weight (as long
as the inventory of the items moved is the same as the estimate
inventory and additional services are not requested).
- A
non-binding estimate is based on an inventory of the
customer's merchandise and provides the customer with a pricing
guideline. There is no contractual commitment to this estimate, and
the final charges the customer must pay could be higher or lower than
the estimated cost, depending on the actual weight of the shipment.
Gross weight is that of the van and its contents after your
goods are loaded.
A
high-value inventory is used for items of "extraordinary value"
such as antiques, coin collections and jewelry included in the shipment.
Items worth more than $100 per pound are considered articles of
extraordinary value.
The
inventory is a detailed list of the items in your shipment
and their condition before the van is loaded. The van operator will
present the inventory to you after the van is loaded and again when the
shipment reaches your new home. Your signature on the inventory
acknowledges that your goods have been delivered in the same condition
as received by the mover for transportation.
Net weight is the
gross weight
minus the tare weight.
Non-Allowables are items that should not be included in your
household goods shipment, including hazardous materials such as poisons,
corrosives, explosives and flammables. Unless special arrangements are
made, perishables such as refrigerated and frozen foods are not allowed.
All non-allowables are prohibited by law.
The
Order for Service is a document authorizing the moving
company to transport your household goods.
An
order number is used to identify your shipment and appears
on the upper right corner of the Order for Service and
Bill of Lading.
This number should be used whenever you contact the carrier.
An
origin agent is the agent designated in the origin area to be
available for preliminary readying of the shipment before movement or to
provide information to you regarding your move.
Overflow happens when articles to be shipped are left behind due
to insufficient space on the primary van. A second van is then utilized
for transportation and delivery.
PBO
(packed by owner) occurs when articles are packed by you, the
shipper, for moving.
The
shipper is the person (customer) whose household goods are
being moved.
Storage-in-transit is the temporary storage of your household goods
win the warehouse of the carrier's
agent, pending further transportation
at a later date.
A
survey is performed by the booking agent to examine your goods
in order to develop an estimate of move charges.
Tare weight is that of the van and its contents before your
goods are loaded.
A
tariff is the carrier's provisions, including rates, for
services performed, applicable to your move.
Third-party services are performed by someone other than the
carrier at your
request or required by federal, state or local law (e.g., appliance
servicing).
The
van operator oversees the loading, hauling and unloading of
your possessions
