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Licensed numbers: CAL-T0192046 · US.DOT 3361458
Accessional (Additional) Services – Services include packing, disposal of junk, and loading and unloading bulky items such as piano or a hot tub.
Advanced Charges – Charges for a third-party contractor, other than the mover. Those charges are for prep work in order for the mover to be able to lead the inventory items. If the moving company pays for those items, they will be added to the Bill of Lading.
Agent – A local moving company branch that provides agents in different areas of the country for the convenience of the customer. Those agents are are part of a bigger, nationwide company and work on their behalf.
Appliance Service Charge – Charges for the prep work of appliances, electronics and equipment. In order for the movers to apply padding and load any appliances, the appliances need to be disconnected by a certified technician. The charges and fees to the technician are considered appliance service charges. If the moving company pays for those services, they will be added to the Bill of Lading.
Auxiliary (Shuttle) Services – If the truck carrying the inventory items is unable to park near the destinations location, a shuttle vehicle could be assigned to transport the items. A situation where a shuttle might be required would be, for example, if a road was too narrow or a bridge to the property cannot hold the weight of the truck. Charges for auxiliary services are per hour and in addition to the labor charges.
Bill of Lading – The final contract and the receipt for the goods and/or services provided. It is important to review and understand the Bill of Lading before signing it. Keep it for your records and for tax purposes.
Booking Agent – The agent who is responsible for obtaining the correct information about the move and scheduling it. Your booking agent is different from the dispatch person, who is in charge of monitoring your shipment.
Broker – Person similar to the booking agent but who does not work as an employee for the company that will transport your items. A broker does not assume possession of your items, the moving company does.
Bulky Article – items that include, but are not limited to, pianos, hot tubs, boats, cars and snowmobiles. Those items have a separate “Bulky Article” charge as an addition to the regular items. In some instances, those charges are based on the weight of the item.
Carrier – The mover/driver transporting your household goods.
Carrier’s Liability for Loss or Damage – The ramification and cost the mover takes for damaging your goods. Carrier’s Liability comes in variety of options, be sure to ask about each option. Carrier’s Liability is sometimes mistakenly referred to as “Insurance.”
Claim – A statement assessing a loss or damage to the shippers’s goods, while in the process of shipping or loading and unloading.
Cash on Delivery (COD) – Payment for the delivered item in a form of cash or cash equivalent. Cash equivalent can be a money order, cashier’s check, traveler’s check or a pre-approved credit card.
Commercial Shipper – Any person who receives and cosigns for the items upon delivery. Commercial shipper does not have possession of the goods but assumes payment and full liability of the items.
Consignee – The person who takes possession of the items upon delivery.
Consignor – The person who releases the possession of the items. The consignor and the consignee can be the same person.
Carrier-Packed (CP) – Items that are packed by the carrier/mover, not by the shipper.
Cwt. – Abbreviation for rate per 100 pounds.
Deadhead – The distance a carrier travels with an empty load of truck from the office to the pick-up location and from the destination to the office.
Declared Valuation – The declared value of the items being shipped. Declared valuation is used for insurance purposes. If no value is declared, the tariffs control the liability.
Destination Agent – An agent acting as a dispatch who can provide you with important information about your shipment.
Elevator Carry – An additional charge for having the mover transport the items through an elevator.
Estimate, Binding – An agreement made with the shipper that guarantees the total of the Bill of Lading for the good and services. In the State of Illinois it is illegal for a moving company to provide a Binding Estimate to their customers.
Estimate, Non-Binding – An estimated of the total charge that provides no guarantees for the total of the Bill of Lading. If the Bill of Lading is higher than the non-binding estimate, the shipper is required to pay 110 percent of the estimate and any amount over that within 30 days.
Expected Services – An agreement with the mover to perform a move on a set date for a higher rate of services.
Flight Charge – An additional charge for carrying the items up and/or down flights of stairs.
For-Hire Carrier – A trucking company in the business of transporting inventory items to others.
Force Majeure – Taking additional steps to complete the move in the event where the contract could not be performed due to unforeseeable factors.
Freight Forwarder – Similar to brokers, freight forwarders contract a cargo company to transport items from the origin. Unlike brokers, they actually take responsibility of the cargo. Freight forwarders do assume possession of the items at some point in order to deliver it and perform any additional services.
Full Value (FV) – Under this option, the movers are responsible for the full total estimated value of the good transported. In case of damage, the carrier needs to reimburse the shipper in cash for the full depreciated value of the items. Calculating the replacement value is either a minimum of $5,000 or $4 times the weight of the items, whichever is greater.
The cost for purchasing FV coverage is calculated by estimating the total value of the items and multiplying it by $8.50 for every $1,000 of the value.
Example:
– Weight of the shipment: 3,500 pounds
– FV= 3,500 x $4 = $14,000
– Cost = ($14,000/$1000) x $8.50 = $119
There are three options to the cost of your FV, coverage: having no deductible, $250 deductible and $500 deductible.
Alternative coverage is based on the Released Value.
Government Bill of Lading Shipper – Any person who is shipping his/her goods under the governmental Bill of Lading.
Gross Weight – The total weight of the truck and the goods after everything has been loaded.
Guaranteed Pick-Up and Delivery Service – An additional service stating that the mover is required to deliver the items by a set date and time. Any delay of the delivery will create a fee for the mover based on their agreement. This service has minimum weight requirements.
High-Value Articles – Any disclosed items that have a valuation of more than $100 per pound.
Household Goods – The personal property of the shipper that are being transported. Those items could include factory or inventory items.
Individual Shipper – The person who has possession of the goods being transported. The individual shipper is also the person consigning for the household goods.
Interstate Move – Any move from one state to another state. This also includes moves that are within one state if the route passes through another state.
Intrastate Move – Moves that do not pass another state’s lines. Those moves are not regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
Inventory – The list of household goods that are being transported. Inventory list can include the quantity and quality of the items.
Line Haul Charges – The transportation charges separate from the accessorial charges. Line haul charges include the expenses of the truck for fuel, tolls and mileage.
Local Move – Any household move within the designated counties listed in the tariffs.
Long Carry – Additional charges to the accessorial charges related to carrying the household goods by a great distance from pick-up location to the truck and/or from the truck to the drop-off location.
Long-Distance Move – Any move outside the designated counties listed in the tariffs that is more than 35 miles in distance from pick-up to drop-off.
Long Haul – Any interstate or an intrastate move that is more than 450 miles in distance.
Motor Carrier – A company that provides transportation for trucks.
Net Weight – The weight of the household goods. It is calculated by subtracting the tare weight from the gross weight of the truck. Net weight is provided to the customer for his/her verification.
110-Percent Rule – The amount the shipper is required to pay from the non-binding estimate. Any amount over the 110 percent needs to be paid within 30 days.
Operating Authority – Certification provided to the carrier giving him the ability to travel through certain geographical ares. The certification can be obtained through a state or federal government entity.
Order for Service – A legal document authorizing your carrier to transport your household goods.
Order for Service Number – Customers’ order identification number, which appears at the upper right corner of the Bill of Lading and the Order for Services.
Origin Agent – The agent designated to provide you with all the necessary information about your move before it is loaded.
Overflew – Household items that are left behind because of insufficient space on the truck.
Packed By Owner (PBO) – Household items that are already or will be packed in boxes by the shipper, not the carrier.
Peak Season Rates – Higher rates for line haul and accessional services during the months of higher demand for household moving services.
Pick-Up and Delivery Charges – Additional charges for unloading your household goods in a warehouse and loading them again for delivery.
Private Carrier – A full-service logistics service in which a private trucking company produces, sells and transports its cargo.
Reasonable Dispatch – The actual performance of the services contracted, which include, but are not limited to, packing, loading, transporting, unloading and obtaining the correct payment. If the shipper is unwilling to pay any amount over the 110 percent of the Non-Binding Estimate and the carrier is unwilling to release possession of the items, the carrier has not executed a reasonable dispatch.
Released Value – Coverage added at no extra cost to the shipper. Unlike FV, released value provides coverage at no more than $0.60 per pound per article. In most cases it is only $0.30 per pound per article. For example, if an item weighting 100 pounds is destroyed, the carrier is required to pay $30 (1000 x .30), even if the market value of the item is $1,000.
Reweigh – An additional weighing of the household goods at the request of the shipper or the carrier.
Road Van – A truck trailer used for long-haul moves.
SAFETEA-LU – Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. A United States federal bill for regulating transportation spending.
Shipper – The customer whose household items are being shipped.
Short Haul – Any move that is less than 450 miles in distance. Usually a straight truck is used for transporting short-haul household items.
Straight Truck – A smaller truck usually having a box with a length between 10’ to 26’. Straight trucks are much smaller than tractor-trailers and the box cannot be disconnected from the cab. Straight trucks are used for short-haul moves.
Storage-in-Transit (SIT) Charge – In addition to the warehouse handling, storage-in-transit is the cost to warehouse the items while they are in transit to delivery. This charge can occur if the items have been delivered prior to the date on the contract and possession cannot be released. Storage-in-Transit charge does not have to be approved by the shipper.
Surface Transportation Board – A branch within the Department of Transportation responsible for regulating household moving tariffs.
Survey – An on-site estimate of the household items to be transported. The person performing the survey will provide a non-binding of the move.
Tare Weight – The weight of the truck including any supplies and equipment on the truck, without the household items.
Tariffs – The Terms of Service in which the carrier provides information about the rates, rules, regulations, classifications and other provisions. The tariffs are regulated by the Surface Transportation Board and need to have three important factors. First, a description of the services; second, the rates that apply for each of the services; and third, clarification of the rates and services in order to determine your exact cost for moving your household items.
Third-Party Service – Additional services provided by someone other than the carrier.
Unpacking – removal of plastic and padding from your furniture in addition to removing of the household items from boxes and paper.
Valuation – The value of the household items for lability and insurance purposes. Valuation can be used for Released and Full Value coverage.
Van – Any vehicle used the transportation of the household items, no matter the size of it.
Van Operator – The driver of the van.
Warehouse Handing – The labor charge for the movers to perform a SIT.