Moving Glossary

A

Accessorial (additional) services
Services such as packing, unpacking, extra stop or shuttle that you request (or are necessary because of landlord requirements or other special circumstances). Charges for these services are in addition to the transportation costs.

Agent
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.

B

Bill of lading
Customer’s receipt for goods and contract for transportation. The customer’s signature acknowledges that the household goods can be loaded on the van and released to the carrier.

Binding/non-binding estimate
A binding estimate is an agreement made in advance between the customer and the mover that guarantees the total cost of the move based on the quantity of items and services shown on the estimate. A non-binding estimate is the carrier’s approximation of the cost based on the estimated weight of the shipment and the accessorial services requested. A non-binding estimate is not binding on the carrier and the final charges will be based on the actual weight and tariff provisions in effect on the day of the load.

Booking agent
The agent that accepts the order for the customer’s move and registers it with the van line. The booking agent may or may not be the origin or destination agent.

Bulky article
To ensure safe transportation, some articles included in a shipment (e.g., big screen TVs, motorcycles, hot tubs, etc.) require extra handling. United’s tariff provides a schedule of extra charges for such articles.

C

Carrier
The moving company providing interstate transportation of household goods under whose Department of Transportation registration the shipment is moved.

Claim
Statement of loss, damage or delay to a household good shipment while in the care, custody or control of the carrier.

COD (cash on delivery)
Shipments where the customer pays the moving charges at the time of delivery. For COD shipments, payment is required in cash or by traveler’s check, money order or cashier’s check. If a credit card is used, it must be arranged with the booking agent because authorization is required prior to loading. Personal checks are not accepted.

D

Department of Transportation (DOT)
The federal agency which, through the Surface Transportation Board (STB) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA), governs the interstate transportation industry including movers of household goods.

Destination agent
The agent designated in the destination area to be available to assist or provide information regarding the shipment to the customer or the van operator.

Diversion
When a customer changes the destination of their shipment after it is en route, transportation charges shall be calculated from the point of origin to the point at which the carrier is able to effect the diversion, plus the transportation charge from the diversion point to the new destination point.

E

Exclusive use of vehicle
Upon request and subject to availability, the customer may request and the carrier may provide an exclusive vehicle for a shipment.

Extra labor
Hourly labor charge (15 minute minimum) for performing any requested services for which specific fees are not published. This generally covers activities such as packing/unpacking owner’s furnished boxes and containers, etc.

Extra pickup or delivery
Linehaul/transportation charge includes pickup from a single address and delivery to a single address. Additional charges are assessed for each stop requiring an additional pickup or delivery.

F

Fuel surcharge
The carrier’s tariff provides for a percentage adjustment to the transportation charge (and storage in transit, pickup and delivery) to aid in the recovery of the increased cost of fuel. The surcharge, which can change weekly, is based upon the national average cost of diesel as reported by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Full-service packing and unpacking
Hundredweight rates that apply based on the weight of the shipment when the carrier is requested by shipper to pack or unpack the complete shipment. The full-service packing rates include cartons and packing labor. The full-service unpacking rates include the unpacking of carrier packed cartons and the removal of such debris.

G

H

High-value article inventory form
The carrier will have you fill out a High-Value Inventory Form to list items included in a shipment that are valued at more than $100 per pound to ensure they are protected accordingly.

I

Insurance-related general increase (IRR surcharge)
The carrier’s tariff provides for a percentage adjustment to the transportation charge (and storage in transit pickup and delivery) to aid in the recovery of the increased cost of carrier’s and van operator’s liability insurance expenses.

Inventory
A detailed descriptive list of the items in the shipment and their condition before the van is loaded.

J

K

L

M

Method of payment
Payment must be in the form of cash, traveler’s checks, money order, a bank cashier’s check or a credit card. Credit card payment must be pre-approved prior to loading. Personal checks are not accepted.

N

Non-allowable list (prohibited items)
The carrier will not accept shipment property that will contaminate or damage (i.e., bug infestations, chemicals, propane tanks, etc.) the carrier’s property or the property of other customers, nor will it remove items that would damage the article or the premises (i.e., furniture that will not fit through doorways). Further, the carrier will not accept liability for items of a perishable nature (food, wine collections, plants, etc.).

O

Order for service
A document authorizing the moving company to transport your household goods.

Order number
Used to identify the customer’s shipment and appears on the upper right corner of the Order for Service and the Bill of Lading. This number should be used whenever the carrier is contacted.

Origin and destination service charge
A hundredweight rate that applies based on the weight of the shipment plus any weight additives and location where the shipment is picked up and delivered. The charges compensate the carrier for basic handling and servicing of the shipment and includes services such as elevator, stair and excessive distance carries; piano and organ flight carries; additional transportation charge (ATC); basic appliance servicing (preparation of appliances to make them safe to ship); shipments moving transborder between the United States and Canada; and the import and export service charge.

Origin agent
The agent designated in the origin area to be available for preliminary readying of the shipment before movement and/or to provide information regarding the customer’s move.

Overflow
When articles to be shipped are left behind due to insufficient space on the primary van. An additional van(s) is then utilized for transportation and delivery.

Overtime loading and unloading service
If you request loading or unloading on a specific date which is a Saturday, Sunday or a holiday, an overtime charge based on the weight of your shipment is assessed. This is also true if you request the service to be performed after working hours (i.e., between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m.) on any week day or when prevailing laws ordinances or landlord requirements will not allow loading/unloading during normal working hours on week days.

P

PBO (packed by owner)
When articles are packed by the customer for moving.

Q

R

Reweigh
Before the actual initiation of the unloading of your shipment, you may request a reweigh of the shipment. If a reweigh is performed the actual charges will be based upon the reweigh weight, regardless of whether the reweigh weight is higher or lower than the first weight of the shipment.

S

Shuttle service
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.). A shuttle service is the use of a secondary, smaller vehicle to complete the pickup or delivery. Charges for this service are based on the weight of the shipment and the location where the service is performed.

Storage-in-transit (SIT)
The temporary storage of your household goods in the warehouse of the carrier’s agent, pending further transportation at a later date. SIT service may not exceed a total of 180 calendar days. After 180 days, the interstate nature of the shipment ends and is converted to the rules of the local warehouseman.

Survey
Performed by an agent to examine the customer’s belongings in order to develop an estimate of move charges.

T

Tariff
A publication containing the carrier’s rates, rules and regulations for services performed, applicable to the customer’s move.

Third-party services
Performed by someone other than the carrier or its agents at your request or required by federal, state or local law (e.g., appliance servicing, crating).

U

Unpacking
Removing the customer’s goods from containers and placing them on a flat surface, as well as the disposal of such containers and packing materials. If ordered, unpacking service must be performed at the time of delivery unless requested otherwise.

V

Valuation
A tariff-based level of carrier liability for a customer’s household goods while they are in the care, custody and control of the carrier. Valuation is NOT insurance.

Van operator
Oversees the loading, hauling and unloading of your possessions.

W

Waiting time
If you are unable to accept delivery of your shipment within the free waiting time (i.e., two hours) after notification of arrival at destination, you may request waiting time until delivery can be made. There is a charge for the vehicle and manpower for each hour between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. local time (excluding Sundays or state/national holidays). The alternative is unloading your shipment at an agent’s warehouse. You will have storage, handling and delivery from warehouse expenses, and consequently it may be less expensive to pay for waiting time if it is not for an excessive length of time. The carrier is not obligated to provide waiting time, but may do so when it does not result in the delay in the delivery of other customers’ shipments or does not cause other undue inconvenience to the carrier.

Weight additive
Some articles included in a shipment (i.e., camper shells, boats, canoes, boat trailers, etc.) are comparatively light and occupy space in the van that is not commensurate with their weight. For instance, one might load 4,000 pounds of furniture and cartons in the space taken by a 1,500-pound boat. To compensate for this inequity, our tariff provides a schedule of additional weights for such articles.

X

Y

Z

Check out the most common moving terms and definitions that you should know.