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What Happens if Movers Break or Lose Something?

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Moving can be rough on your belongings, and sometimes, things break or get lost, especially fragile items like glassware, delicate furniture, mirrors, and electronics. Other times, boxes get lost in transport, or if you’re particularly unlucky, valuables get stolen.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t trust moving companies. Most follow federal standards, and when they sign the contract to transport your goods safely, they honor it. Despite their best efforts, though, accidents can happen. But, even if things go wrong sometimes, you don’t have to bear the cost of damaged, lost, or stolen goods.

That’s why we’ve gathered everything you need to know about lost or damaged items during a move. Whether you’re wondering what happens if movers break something or what kind of lawyer you need to sue a moving company, we’ve got the answers.

Set Yourself Up for Success Before the Move

You shouldn’t have to pay for items that were lost or damaged during your move. By making preparations like taking a detailed inventory, insuring your items, and fully understanding your contract, you can protect yourself. If you need to file a claim or complaint, you’ll have the documentation you need to back it up.

Take an Inventory

Woman taking a house move inventory while sitting among stacked moving boxes.

The best way to keep your belongings safe is to keep track of everything you’re packing and moving. This may seem like a daunting task, but it protects you in the long run. Most moving companies also require it for the bill of lading — a legal document that confirms your shipper took possession of your items and that a contract exists between you and the company.

You can do this by hand, recording items line by line in a notebook, or using a home inventory app or spreadsheet. It’s recommended to take photos and record video of working electronics as you go to prove damage if something breaks in transit.

Go room to room, recording all items and creating descriptions for each, including their current condition and serial numbers (if relevant). Also, record the approximate value of the item and proof of purchase if you have it. If you don’t, look up the approximate value online.

If you have especially valuable items, such as jewelry, artwork, or collectibles, consider moving them yourself. If the items need to be transported with movers, have them appraised in advance.

Decide If You Need Moving Insurance

You can decline extra moving insurance regardless of whether you’re moving any high-value items. However, if anything gets damaged, it’ll only be reimbursed at the standard released value coverage, which is rarely enough to cover the cost.

 

“In most cases, movers respond to claims within 30 to 60 days. Typically, they have 30 days to acknowledge they’ve received the claim, then an additional 120 days to investigate…”

 

When you hire a moving company through HireAHelper, you receive a $1,000 service guarantee. If that’s still not enough to cover the value of your big-ticket items (and it probably isn’t if you’re moving a whole home), consider getting full-value moving insurance coverage.

Read the Fine Print

Even if you pay for moving insurance, take time to read all the terms and conditions. There are often exceptions to the coverage. Jewelry, artwork, and other expensive items valued at over $100 per pound may be excluded, even under full-value coverage, and may not be allowed on the moving truck.

Ensure you understand the coverage thoroughly and don’t hesitate to ask questions. Your moving company should clearly explain the terms.

Are Movers Responsible for Damage or Loss?

Mover dropping cardboard boxes during a house move outside a building.
Yes, moving companies are liable for damage and loss. You paid them to transport your items from point A to point B safely, and if they fail to do so, they owe you.

Moving services come with limited liability protection by default when you book with reputable companies. However, that liability is likely lower than you’d think — only about $0.60 per pound of damaged goods.

Most moving companies offer full-value liability insurance as an add-on. If you pay the extra cost, they will pay out enough to repair, replace, or reimburse you for any lost or broken items. The catch is that the cost for coverage is usually 1 to 2% of the total value of your shipment.

What to Do if Items are Missing

If you’ve unpacked and noticed a few things missing, don’t panic or jump to conclusions that your moving company lost the items just yet. Filing your claim should be the last step once you’ve confirmed that the item is truly missing and not just misplaced.

Double-Check Everything

Before reporting the missing item, confirm it hasn’t simply been misplaced during the move. It’s not unusual for items to wind up in the incorrect place when unpacking. Check closets, drawers, garages, unpacked boxes, and anywhere else it could have been placed.

If you can’t find the missing items, head back to your previous residence if possible.If you can’t, check in with the previous landlord, property manager, or new homeowner to see if it was accidentally left behind.

Contact the Moving Company

If you still can’t account for missing items after running inventory at home, it’s time to let the moving company know. Check over your entire inventory list to ensure you know exactly what’s missing. Then, record any identifying information, such as the label on the box it was packed in or a photograph. Provide this information to the moving company.

Ask if anything was left in storage or on the truck. This confirms whether everything was unloaded. The company can also attempt to track the lost items to see if they know where they were last accounted for in their system.

File a Formal Claim

If you still turn up empty-handed, you’ll need to file a formal claim. If you moved across state boundaries, you have up to 9 months from the delivery date to file a written claim for lost or broken items. This timeline is mandated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for legal purposes.

If you moved within the same state, that timeframe may be much shorter. In most cases, it’s outlined by your moving company. They typically include specific time limits for filing claims for lost or damaged items in their contracts.

In your claim, include your inventory list, photos, receipts, and other information you documented before the move. This should prove that you packed the item and entrusted it to the moving company. Try to provide as much identifying information as possible at this stage.

What to Do if Items Are Damaged

Losing an item isn’t the only thing that can go wrong during a move — your items could break, too. And if your moving company damaged your property, you usually have some sort of recourse.

Document the Damage

This is where taking photos or videos before you pack comes in handy. Start by documenting the damage with plenty of photos as soon as you notice it. Ideally, this should align closely with when you received your shipment, but if it’s been a few weeks, don’t worry — any documentation is better than none.

Take clear, dated photos from multiple angles. If the item no longer works as it used to, take video evidence. Combined with the videos and photos you took before the move, this helps show exactly what type of damage occurred and how much it may cost to repair or replace the item.

Start the Claims Process

Just like with missing items, you have 90 days to file a claim for damaged goods that crossed state lines. If you moved within the same state, the exact amount of time you have depends on what’s written in your contract or insurance policy.

Let your moving company know you need to open a claim for damaged items. Some companies let you do this online, while others may require you to do it over the phone. When you initiate the claim, make sure you have everything you need to prove the damage came from the move. Submit before and after photos or videos of the damaged item. If possible, also include the appraisal or receipt from when you purchased the item, as well as the estimated cost for repairs or replacement.

What to Expect from the Claims Process

When you move, you hope you’ll never have to file a claim. But it helps to know exactly what the steps are, and how much time you have to take them, before you’re faced with broken or missing goods.

How Filing a Claim Works

Before you file a claim, familiarize yourself with the process. Generally, moving companies follow similar processes. The steps commonly include:

  1. Submit your claim in writing or electronically. Some companies may let you start a claim over the phone, but require the official claim in writing for documentation.
  2. Identify your shipment and the damaged or lost items.
  3. Show evidence that the moving company is liable for the loss. This could include before and after photos, or your written inventory and statement that the item is missing.
  4. Ask for compensation according to your policy and the item’s value.
  5. Wait for the moving company to review your claim.
  6. Follow up in 30 days if your claim hasn’t been acknowledged.

Filing a Claim With National Moving Companies

Filing a Claim With Local Companies

Unfortunately, there’s no formal process for damages caused by a local moving company that you hire directly. That said, many local moving companies will offer to help or partially pay for damages, but it’s entirely up to them.

 

“[Legal action] isn’t free. Expect to pay filing fees, administrative fees, hourly or daily arbitrator fees, and potentially additional fees for the hearing itself.”

 

However, if you hire a local moving company through an online mover marketplace like HireAHelper, you will be covered in all instances of damage. HireAHelper automatically steps in to mediate and get your money back.

You can reach HireAHelper’s customer service line at (800) 995-5003 or email customer-support@notices.porchmovinggroup.com. They are available seven days a week.

Timeline

In most cases, movers respond to claims within 30 to 60 days. Typically, they have 30 days to acknowledge they’ve received the claim, then an additional 120 days to investigate and settle or deny the claim.

If you don’t hear back, you’ll need to file a formal complaint or seek legal action.

Resolution

Your claim will either be resolved or denied. If it’s resolved, you receive a settlement depending on the degree of coverage you have. If that’s limited liability, you’ll receive $0.60 per pound of damaged or lost goods. Full value protection coverage usually provides a repair, replacement, or the cash value of the items.

Filing a Claim With Moving Insurance

Once you file a claim with your moving insurance, the company must acknowledge it and investigate the situation. If they determine that the lost or damaged items qualify for coverage, you receive compensation.

Keep in mind that claims may be denied, especially if you miss specified deadlines or fail to provide important information. Here are some reasons your claim may be denied:

  • If packed items broke due to your negligence
  • If valuable items were packed without being declared
  • If items were damaged due to unpredictable natural disasters
  • If items were damaged prior to the move
  • If you can’t provide evidence tying the move to the damage

File a Complaint if the Issue Isn’t Addressed

If your claim is ignored or wrongfully denied, you can file a complaint. Interstate movers have 30 days to acknowledge your claim based on federal regulations. These don’t apply to intrastate moves, but most reputable companies usually follow the rule anyway.

If you haven’t heard back within 30 days of filing, consider contacting customer service directly. If you’re still ignored, file a formal complaint.

Where do I file a formal complaint?

For interstate moves, you can file a complaint with the FMCSA. Regardless of whether your move crossed state lines, you can also file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Sometimes, the fear of a bad reputation is enough to encourage a company to respond.

 

“Moving services come with limited liability protection by default… [h]owever, that liability is likely lower than you’d think — only about $0.60 per pound of damaged goods.”

 

Most states regulate intrastate movers through their designated utilities or transportation commissions. In Washington, for example, it’s the Utilities and Transportation Commission. In Florida, movers answer to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. You can find the right department by using Google to search “who regulates in-state movers in [state].” Follow the instructions on the state’s page to file a formal complaint.

If that fails, you can, at least, leave bad reviews for the company. You might not get a response or recompense for your things, but it warns others to avoid the company.

Pursue Legal Action as a Last Resort

Judge banging gavel in court.

Legal action against your moving company should be seen as a last resort. It comes with extra fees, can lengthen the timeline before you see an end, and there’s no guarantee you’ll come out ahead.

In many cases, seeking arbitration instead of going straight to court can help. Legally, the FMCSA requires interstate movers to offer arbitration to handle disputes with customers whose claims are $10,000 or less. To initiate arbitration, request a hearing with your moving company.

The American Trucking Association (ATA) sponsors a dispute settlement program that often oversees arbitration. This allows an independent third party to weigh in on who’s at fault. If you choose to request arbitration through the ATA, you must do so within 90 days of your mover’s final settlement offer or denial of your claim. After filing, you’ll have to provide evidence and attend the arbitration hearing.

This process isn’t free. Expect to pay filing fees, administrative fees, hourly or daily arbitrator fees, and potentially additional fees for the hearing itself. Any fees are split between you and the moving company. The final decision is considered legally binding and enforceable in court.

Can I Sue a Moving Company for Damages?

Yes, in some cases, you can sue a moving company for damages. If your items arrive damaged or never arrive, the moving company has broken its contract with you. If they don’t make it right on their own, you can seek legal recourse.

If you’re only out a few hundred dollars and your move didn’t cross state lines, small claims court will likely handle the case. However, crossing state lines means you can sue in federal court or in the moving company’s home state.

If you plan to sue a moving company, you likely want advice from a contract or civil litigation attorney. They are familiar with the applicable laws and know how to navigate your contract.

Pro Tips to Prevent Future Issues

You can’t always prevent theft and damage, but you can take steps to protect yourself, making the claims process smoother. After helping countless movers, we’ve compiled our best advice and pro tips to help you avoid issues.

  • Always hire reputable movers. Take the time to vet your potential movers by checking their customer reviews and exploring their policies. If you book your movers on HireAHelper, you know you’re getting top-rated, reliable movers in your area. You can even explore real customer testimonials about their services. Avoid unlicensed movers or day laborers found on Craigslist.
  • Confirm the contents of your delivery before signing. While you might not be able to parse through every last item, do a general inventory first. This includes counting boxes and looking over furniture. If you sign and notice issues later, you’ve signed a legal document saying you received everything already.
  • Label boxes clearly as you pack, including a list of general contents and the room names. This helps you verify contents at a glance when taking inventory and avoid accidentally misplacing items.
  • Consider sliding in an AirTag or GPS tracker in critical boxes that contain valuable items or electronics.
  • Whenever possible, move your most valuable items yourself. If you couldn’t bear to lose it, don’t entrust it to the movers. Once it’s out of your hands, you lose all control over how it’s handled.

Every Major Moving Report of 2017 Analyzed: Where Is Everybody Going?

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Migration reports are out in full force, including the famous United Van Lines yearly report.

But while United handles more moves annually than any other mover network in the country, their numbers are not definitive across the industry board.

North American, Atlas and Allied all see slightly – and in some cases, wildly – different results in their migration study results. Not a surprise, because as a Full Service move provider, United handles a somewhat different clientele compared to companies like ABF, U-Haul and PODS – companies whose numbers might look a lot different. Then there’s that little thing called the Census.

Yep, the state-to-state migration numbers for 2017 are out – and folks, we have new inbound state champions! Here are the results:

United Van Lines

Vermont Takes United 2017 Inbound Crown

In 2015 they came in at third on the inbound rankings. In 2016 they inched their way up to number two. Now, this tiny state known mainly for skiing and maple syrup has captured the coveted top inbound spot on United’s 2017 National Movers Study.

Yes, the champagne is indeed flowing like syrup in Stowe, Killington and Montpelier as Vermont looks back on a year that saw a whopping 68% of their interstate moves coming in. 

Reasons

According to United’s survey, “family” was the most common reason respondents gave for relocating to the Green Mountain State. Retirement, lifestyle and job also figured fairly evenly into the equation.

On the other hand, a full 75% of people moving out of state gave employment as their reason. This helps explain why half of all outbounders fell into the Under-35 age category – and another 25% were between 35 and 45 – while 40% of those moving into the state were 65 or older.

Those mountains may be green, but with those unemployment numbers, it looks like the valleys are starting to turn gray.

But before we start replacing all those ski lifts with wheelchair-friendly escalators, let’s take a step back and look a little closer at where the stats behind Vermont’s inbound crown come from. Keep in mind we don’t know how many moves Vermont actually saw by their report. (68% can be broken down to 17 inbound moves and 8 outbound moves – which hardly amounts to a mass migration to this land of wooden bridges and Bernie Sanders.)

Inbound:

1. Vermont
2. Oregon
3. Idaho
4. Nevada
5. South Dakota
6. Washington
7. South Carolina
8. North Carolina
9. Colorado
10. Alabama

This past year saw some familiar names on United’s Top Ten Inbound States list. Oregon, Nevada and North Carolina are all there, as they have been every year since 2011. Washington, Idaho, South Dakota, South Carolina and Arizona are also back after making 2016’s inbound list. Newcomers include Alabama and Colorado. Meanwhile, Florida has dropped off the inbound list after a strong three-year run.

This past year’s top inbound states are also fairly spread out around the country. The same cannot be said about United’s outbound states.

Outbound:

1. Illinois
2. New Jersey
3. New York
4. Connecticut
5. Kansas
6. Massachusetts
7. Ohio
8. Kentucky
9. Utah
10. Wisconsin

As with the previous few years, the major exodus seems to be coming out of the Northeast and the Midwest, with Utah adding a little “outbound yellow” to the otherwise blue western region on United’s interactive migration map.

Perennial outbound states New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Illinois have been the most unfortunate ones; we’d have to go back to 2010 to see any of them as balanced. (New York and Connecticut were both spared the shame that year).

North American Moving Services

northamerican.com

Arizona Takes North Americans 2017 Inbound Crown

North American’s inbound champ is Arizona, with 67% of their interstate moves coming into the Grand Canyon State. Other top inbounders not on United’s list include Tennessee, Florida, Georgia and Texas – all south and southeast states. (Those North American drivers must really love the south.)

Inbound:

  1. Arizona
  2. Idaho
  3. North Carolina
  4. South Carolina
  5. Tennessee

Outbound:

  1. Illinois
  2. Connecticut
  3. New Jersey
  4. California
  5. Michigan

Like United, North American has Illinois, New Jersey and Connecticut at the top of their outbound list (with New York a notable #8). But the rest of their top outbounders – California, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Maryland (#4-8 on the map) aren’t even on United’s radar.

Interestingly, North American’s #10 outbounder is Washington, which ranks #6 on United’s inbound list.

In accounting for these discrepancies, it is worth noting what North American says of their report’s methodology:

“We define the top inbound and outbound states as those that have the highest proportion of moves where the absolute value difference of inbound and outbound moves is greater than or equal to 400. This weeds out states that had a small number of moves but would have a high ratio of inbound/outbound moves.”

This may explain why United’s 2017 champ Vermont and #5 South Dakota (United’s #1 in 2016 by the way) aren’t anywhere on North American’s Top Ten.

Atlas Van Lines

atlasvanlines.com

Washington Takes Atlas 2017 Inbound Crown

Atlas Van Lines offers some relative surprises too. Idaho, Washington and Nevada as their top three inbounders may not raise any eyebrows. But Alaska, Maine and New Hampshire at #5, #6 and #10? Oregon is a familiar name, but seeing them at #8 seems in contrast to their recent United Van Lines inbound championships.

Atlas’s top outbounder, meanwhile, is Illinois (same as both United and North American – those Fighting Illini have a real stranglehold on that top spot!). And their #2, West Virginia, was a strong outbounder for United for six years straight before balancing out in 2017.

But Nebraska at #3? Nebraska has been balanced for United since 2001! And #4 outbounder South Dakota has been an inbound darling for United the past three years.

Rounding out the Atlas top outbound list are Hawaii, Indiana, Delaware and Louisiana, all of them somewhat surprising since three of them have spent the last ten years on United’s “balanced” register. Only Indiana has managed to make a blip on United’s outbound radar in that time frame.

Inbound:

  1. Idaho
  2. Washington
  3. Nevada
  4. Tennessee
  5. Alaska
  6. Maine
  7. North Carolina
  8. Oregon
  9. Alabama
  10. New Hampshire

Outbound:

  1. Illinois
  2. West Virginia
  3. Nebraska
  4. South Dakota
  5. Hawaii
  6. Indiana
  7. Delaware
  8. New York
  9. Louisiana
  10. Kansas

In contrast to the percentages United and North American provide, Atlas gives actual numbers of inbound and outbound moves for each state. Here we see that Vermont has seen just a fraction of the moves so many other states see, so it’s easy to imagine why they wouldn’t have made it onto North American’s list. (Meanwhile, once again, Canada’s Yukon Territory has seen zero moves. We’ll blame it on the roads.)

Allied Van Lines

allied.com

Florida Takes Allied 2017 Inbound Crown

Allied Van Lines keeps it all very short and sweet. They report only their top fives:

Inbound:

  1. Florida
  2. Arizona
  3. North Carolina
  4. South Carolina
  5. Texas

Outbound:

  1. California
  2. Illinois
  3. Pennsylvania
  4. New Jersey
  5. Michigan

Based on this limited report, we’re able to come to at least one solid conclusion: Allied’s drivers love moving people south even more than North American’s do.

U-Haul

Texas Takes U-Haul 2017 Inbound Crown

Because news outlets predominately focus on Full Service van lines, it can easily be argued this eliminates an entire sector of the migrating public. (In fact, Full Service van lines actually conduct less than half of all moves performed in the US every year.)

Do U-Haul’s numbers reflect what the van lines suggest are moving trends?

Nope.

Inbound:

  1. Texas
  2. Florida
  3. Arkansas
  4. South Carolina
  5. Tennessee
  6. Washington
  7. North Carolina
  8. Connecticut
  9. Colorado
  10. Vermont

Outbound:

  1. California
  2. Illinois
  3. Pennsylvania
  4. Michigan
  5. Massachusetts
  6. New Jersey
  7. New York
  8. Arizona
  9. Maryland
  10. Georgia

Texas tops U-Haul’s 2017 Growth States list. This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, as Texas has fared well recently in the inbound-outbound game. In 2017 their inbound percentages with United, North American and Atlas were 54, 53 and 53, while Allied put Texas down as their fifth biggest inbound state.

Oddly, Texas won U-Haul’s Growth State crown by bringing in – get this – a whopping 50.3% of all one-way truck rental traffic crossing Texas’s borders. That’s right. Fifty. Point. Three.

This hardly lends a whole lot more understanding to the migration trends we’re trying to dissect. But here we are, so let’s keep moving.

U-Haul rounds out its top five Growth States with Florida, Arkansas, South Carolina and Tennessee. Yes, Arkansas – which has been balanced on United’s report 37 of the last 40 years. Then again, Arkansas remained balanced in 2017 on United’s ledger with a 54% outbound rate, so that they are U-Haul’s #3 Growth State is rather surprising no matter how minuscule their positive U-Haul balance might have been.

And who comes in at #8 on U-Haul’s list? That big loser with United and North American (but not with Atlas), Connecticut.

On the flip side, U-Haul has Colorado at #9 – exactly where United and North American have them.

United States Census Bureau

Idaho Takes United States Census Bureau 2017 Inbound Crown

Yes, the Bureau has all the moving numbers we could possibly want. So many, in fact, that it could take until next January to weed through them all.

But thanks to Business Insider we don’t have to.

In this piece with the strangely long title: While the Bureau considers “a variety of components” in determining what’s happening among the more than 325 million people who make up the US population, Business Insider brings us what we need: domestic migration.

Here we see the net population gain or loss for each state for 2017. Births, deaths and international immigration are not counted; this is simply and strictly an account of how many people moved into or out of each state. (Again, not moves, but individual people.)

Inbound:

  1. Idaho
  2. Nevada
  3. South Carolina
  4. Oregon
  5. Arizona
  6. Washington
  7. Montana
  8. Florida
  9. Colorado
  10. North Carolina

And in this, the winner is Idaho, with a net domestic migration gain of 14.6 people per 1,000 residents. In second place comes Nevada, with South Carolina, Oregon and Arizona rounding out the top five. The second half of the big ten winners are Washington, Montana, Florida, Colorado and North Carolina.

These results actually mirror the van lines’ findings to a striking degree. Only Arizona, Montana and Florida don’t show up in United’s top ten. Seven of the Census top ten are also on North American’s top ten. Unbelievably, Colorado is #9 on all three lists.

As for the Net Domestic Migration losers? Yes, Illinois is up there, but at #5, maybe this is the survey they should be talking about in Chicago.

Outbound:

  1. Wyoming
  2. Alaska
  3. New York
  4. Hawaii
  5. Illinois
  6. North Dakota
  7. New Jersey
  8. Connecticut
  9. Louisiana
  10. West Virginia

The big loser in the 2017 migration tournament is Wyoming, a surprise since the Equality State doesn’t show up on any van line outbound lists – or inbound for that matter. United had them at 53% inbound for 2017. North American had them at 54% in. Only Atlas has them as outbound – based on a grand total of 330 moves.

The Bureau’s next three biggest net migration losers are Alaska, New York and Hawaii. Alaska and Hawaii, neither of which show up anywhere for United or North American, are Atlas’s #5 inbound and #5 outbound, respectively. North Dakota, New Jersey, Connecticut, Louisiana and West Virginia complete the Bureau’s top ten.

Again, while there are outbound wild cards, we still see some consistency between the Bureau and the van lines. Atlas and the Bureau actually have seven migration losers in common between their top tens. Looking at the US Census Bureau’s Net Domestic Migration map we can clearly see the winners clustered in the south and west with the losers dominating the northeast and midwest.

What’s The Takeaway?

Remember, the numbers put together by each of the van lines represent the migration trends among the customers they’ve served. Van lines count moves, the Bureau counts people.

This may not account for the reason United’s inbound champion Vermont is somehow a net loser according to the Census Bureau’s numbers, but it does suggest that, despite the discrepancies, the van lines and the Census Bureau can give a decent overall on what is going on out there.

But in the cases where data remains too contradictory to be meaningful, evaluating regions rather than individual states might give us a slightly more reliable picture of the migration trends playing out across the US. At the end of the day, we are only looking at a mere slice of the American migratory pie.

There’s More Realistic Data Out There

We need another, more encompassing way to look at where America is moving to and from.

DIY Moves and Hybrid Moves (besides U-Haul), which by far and away are the more common ways to move, are sorely misrepresented. When you move, do you routinely call up $2,000+ movers? Have you ever saved money by having your friends move you? What are these Full Service reports actually reflecting?

That’s something to keep in mind when the local news sounds off on “moving trends” based off a single Full Service Moving company’s report. 

7 Embarrassing Lessons I Learned While Moving People

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Learning to be a good mover is not something you can get from a book. Like riding a bike, playing the piano and getting your black belt – like so many things, really – we all have to learn how to move stuff by going out to the job and getting to it.

And as with just about anything, it involves making mistakes.

This month I want to share with you seven lessons I learned during my earliest days on the job. Lessons learned both through the mistakes of others and through my own errors. They made me feel stupid and embarrassed, but nevertheless taught me things I needed to know if I wanted to stay on in this business.

#1. The nicer the furniture, the more likely you’ll damage it.

This isn’t some sort of karmic law. This is pure woodworking and physics.

The finest dressers and desks have drawers that slide out nice and smoothly – meaning you only need to tip that piece so far before gravity grabs hold of those drawers and start pulling them out and onto the floor. Quality furniture also (usually) means good, solid wood. And it’s heavy. Drawers will gain speed fast and hit the floor hard. Armoire doors, once they start to swing open, can come down so hard they put cracks in themselves; if they don’t bang against the floor, they can end up playing “irresistible force meets immovable object” with their hinges.

Yes, I’ve seen all this firsthand. A lot of it happened on a local move during my first week as a mover. I don’t know about the other guys on that crew, but that was the first and last time I let something like that happen.

Protip: Pad-wrapping items like dressers and armoires can obviously keep all those drawers and doors in place. So can a layer of shrink wrap. But if you prefer not to pad-wrap or shrink wrap those big pieces until you get them out the front door another option is using those big movers’ rubber bands, which are easy to put on, easy to adjust (by knotting up and tying off any slack) and totally economical since you can use them for years.

Extra advice: Gravity works on all kinds of furniture, not just the most expensive stuff!

#2. Sitting in the passenger seat does not mean you get to take a break from helping.

Unfortunately, one guy I worked with didn’t seem to understand this. “Watch that side,” I told him as I began backing half-blind into a slot between two other box trucks. “Aw-right,” he said, glancing lazily at the side view mirror before letting his eyes glaze back over.

I suppose it was my fault. I shouldn’t have taken it for granted that he was going to keep watching that side for me and warn me when I was about to sideswipe the truck parked on his side. Which, of course, he didn’t. And he didn’t get socked with a bill for the damage either.

Protip: This “help your driver” rule is always in effect on the road, because so are blind spots. When your driver is pulling up to the curb along a tree-lined residential street, pay attention not only to how close the tires are getting to the curb, but also how close the top of the truck might be coming to any big fat tree branches. Trust me, tree branches can do some serious damage.

#3. Don’t blindly trust a dog or its owner.

“He’s real friendly,” the customer with the mixed-breed said. “But I’ll put him out back so he doesn’t get in your way.” That seemed fair enough to all of us.

He was a quiet pup, actually, and after a while, I’d totally forgotten about him. I figure so did one of the other guys by the time he went out back to take care of the patio chairs. From the living room was where I heard the barking and the shouting, and I was walking through the kitchen when my fellow mover busted through the back door, cussing and bleeding in three places.

Protip: Quiet dogs are still dogs. With teeth.

#4. If you put things out of the way, remember where you put them.

After moving non-stop for six hours, our three-man crew was finally done with the unload. All we had to do was have the customer sign off on the inventory sheets.

“Looks like we’re missing something, fellas,” he said, showing us the lone unchecked box on his bingo sheet.

On the inventory, it just said “screw box” – which was exactly what I wanted to do. But the four of us – the crew plus the customer – spent the next half an hour looking for a screw box, not sure what one was even supposed to look like. Walking through the garage a fourth time, I looked over at the customer’s big old rolling tool chest and the sliding compartment doors at the bottom. Inside, to everyone’s relief, was a small PBO half-filled with nuts and bolts and washers and flanges and… yup. Screws.

Protip: Keep sticky notes and a marker in your pocket for anything that needs special denotation. That way, an out of the way item will be clearly visible and explained. A lot can be forgotten during a five-hour move, trust me.

#5. Pressboards can’t really be pressed.

During my first week as a mover, I was introduced to a pressboard entertainment unit in the customer’s living room. It held a big TV, stereo equipment, a VCR (this was 1996). When we got it cleared off and picked it up, it immediately started to wobble. I could feel the thing getting progressively looser as the lead guy and I eased it as best we could down the apartment building’s stairwell.

Out on the truck, the lead guy pulled out something called a ratchet strap. There I learned that when you introduce a ratchet strap to a piece of pressboard furniture, the ratchet strap will waste no time crushing that piece of pressboard furniture to pieces.

Protip: When confronted with a piece of pressboard furniture, give the customer two choices: a piece of paper called a Pressboard (Particle Board) Waiver that releases the moving company from liability for damage to a piece of furniture that shouldn’t be moved, or a piece of paper that says “FREE”. Read this discussion on MovingScam.com for more on particle/pressboard waivers.

#6. You know that the name is painted on the side of the truck, right?

One day, one of my fellow crew guys and I were asked to go help another van line agency handle a job in Manhattan. My buddy and I sat in the cramped space behind them, our knees pinned against our chests for the 90-minute ride into the city.

Granted, driving in Manhattan can suck. Driving a 26’ box truck around Manhattan is brutal. It takes patience. It takes nerves of steel. Our driver for the day had neither.

At one point there were three lanes being squeezed into two. New Yorkers generally have a grasp of the concept of merging though evidently, they don’t seem to like it. And, well, the driver let everybody on that ride know from out the window.

Protip: Most people on the road can both hear you AND read the name on the side of your truck.

#7. Shrink wrap comes in rolls, but you can’t reroll it.

“Hand me that shrink wrap, Kevin,” my buddy said from the back door of the box truck. Hands full (with what I don’t remember) I gave the shrink wrap at my feet a push with my boot and sent it rolling across the floor of the truck toward my buddy – and the boss, who had just materialized out of nowhere.

“Don’t EVER do that!” he barked in his usual intimidating way.” You know how much a roll of that stuff costs? You get one little rock in that plastic and the entire roll is shot! Where’s your head?!”

I wouldn’t say the whole entire roll would be shot. I wouldn’t say anything – not to that guy’s face. But he was right. Get even a small nick or cut or bit of debris in that plastic and it’ll drive you nuts the way it comes apart next time you try to use it. Money down the drain.

Protip: When someone asks you to hand them the shrink wrap, do just that.

Got any of your own lessons to share?

We know some of you have been around a while – long enough to have some good stories of your own about the hard lessons you’ve learned. We’d love for you to share them, so all of us can learn the easy way what you guys have learned the hard way.

Which brings me to one final tip.

Admit your mistakes. Spell them out to your team when they happen. This way you’ll be helping people avoid doing the same thing down the road.

Illustrations by Marlowe Dobbe

What’s it Like to Pack Up the President?

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January may be slow for many of us, but for one company things could hardly get any more hectic – particularly on January 20th every four to eight years.

CNN reports that while Trump is down in front of the capitol building taking the oath of office, a team of around one hundred movers were at the White house, involved in a sort of “organized chaos”: six hours to move all the Obamas’ belongings out and, from the other side of the circular driveway, hauling in all the belongings of whoever from Trump’s family is moving in.

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