Know your Moving Vocabulary before your Georgetown Move

A

ASMA: American Storage and Moving Association; It is an association which has the authority to issue certification to moving companies which are able to satisfy the association’s requirements.

Accessorial Charges: also called Accessorial Service Charges; Additional charges for services that you request and are performed by the movers. These services may include packing before the move and unpacking once you have reached your new Georgetown address, appliance servicing, extra picks-ups and other services over and above the transportation charges.

Agent: A Georgetown moving company or local outlet which is authorized to transact on behalf of a national company. An agent can be for booking, or it may be the origin, hauling agent, or the destination.

Advanced Charges: These are additional fees which will be billed to you by the Georgetown mover in addition to the basic transportation fee for services that you have requested which need to be done by professionals and not by the movers.

Appliance Servicing: Additional service which you can request the Georgetown moving company to do to set up your appliances for the safe transfer to your new Georgetown home.

B

Bill of Lading: A document which is a contract of the transportation services that you will avail from your Georgetown mover and a receipt for the things that will be transported. Since this is an important document, you should read and understand the stipulations in the contract before signing it. Be sure to keep your copy in a secure place.

Binding/Non-Binding Estimate: A Binding Estimate is the rate which is agreed upon by you and your Georgetown mover for the work involved in transporting your property from your old Georgetown address to the new one.

A Non-Binding Estimate is your Georgetown mover’s rough calculation of the charges based on the estimated weight of your belongings including the additional services that you are requesting. The non-binding estimate is not final because the final amount that you will be paying will depend on tariff provisions and actual weight of your things on the day of the move.

Booking Agent: A person or a business outlet authorized to accept orders related to your move. The Booking Agent is responsible in registering your move with a carrier.

Bulky Article: Additional charge to cover items that take up excessive space in the moving van such as motorcycles, grandfather clocks, cars, farm equipment, etc.

C

Carrier: Also called Contract Carrier; It refers to the Georgetown moving company who will transport your belongings.

Cash on Delivery (COD): also called Collect on Delivery; You will be asked to pay your Georgetown mover prior to the unloading of your things.

Claim: It is a declaration of any loss or damage as well as delay in the arrival of your transported belongings while in the charge of the movers.

D

Destination Agent: The agent or person who is located near the Georgetown area you will be transferring to who can help you by providing information and support services once you have arrived at your new Georgetown address.

Diversion: Additional transportation charges added to your total fee when you change the destination of your belongings after it has already left for the original destination. The new transportation fee will be calculated from the origin to the point where the mover’s route was diverted plus the fee from the diversion point to the point of destination.

E

Expedited Service: An arrangement made between you and your Georgetown moving service with regards to transporting your stuff on a particular date in exchange for paying a higher minimum rate.

F

Flight Charge: Additional charge for the work done to carry your things from up or down a flight of stairs.

Full Value Protection: An option that can hold the Georgetown mover liable to you for the replacement value of damaged or lost properties provided that the amount does not exceed the total value that you have declared for your shipped goods.

G

General Services Administration (GSA): The government agency which has the last say in meting out the rules for government moves; also, a government agency which has the power to grade the performance of all movers.

Government Bill of Lading (GBL): A bill of lading which is issued by any of the Federal government’s departments or agencies that provides the terms and conditions for the transport of a person’s property.

Guaranteed Pickup and Delivery Service: One of the premium services offered by a Georgetown mover that you can avail of to guarantee the mover’s services on specific dates. Your Georgetown mover will be liable to reimburse you for any delay. This is often based on the minimum weight requirements.

H

High Value Article: Any item or goods which are included in the shipment and are valued at more than $100 per pound. It is your responsibility to declare these items to the mover so that they will be given extra care and protection.

I

Inventory: It is also called Household Goods Descriptive Inventory; it is a comprehensive list of all the items that you have included in the shipment.

Invoice: A list of charges or fees for the services which are rendered by the Georgetown mover.

L

Line Haul: The fee which is based on the weight in relation to the number of miles that your things had been transported.

Long Carry: Additional charge for extra time and effort exerted by the movers to carry your items because of the excessive distance (usually in excess of 75 feet) between your new Georgetown home and the mover’s vehicle.

M

Mileage Guide: A computer system application known as Rand McNally which can help you determine the mileage from a certain point to the next point using the shortest and quickest route although it is not necessarily the course being taken by your Georgetown mover.

Moving Counselor: A person who represents a Georgetown moving company, and is responsible in helping you facilitate everything that needs to be done for the moving process. A Moving Counselor will be the one to provide you with a cost estimate of your move. A Moving Counselor can answer all the questions you might have regarding all the details of the move.

O

OCP-100: A publication which outlines “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move”. The Surface Transportation Board requires all movers to give a copy of 0CP-100 to all their customers before a contract is signed for the transport of your things.

Order of Service: A document that authorizes your Georgetown mover to transport your belongings from your old Georgetown home to your new Georgetown address.

Order Number: also, Bill of Lading Number; It is your reference number to help you identify and track the location of your things which are being transported. You can find this number on the upper right hand corner of the Bill of Lading. Keep this number handy for you will need this whenever you need to contact your Georgetown mover.

P

PBC (Packed by Carrier): Your Georgetown mover will be the one to pack your things for the move.

PBO (Packed by Owner): When you are the one who will do the packing of your stuff in preparation for the move.

R

Registration Number: The number assigned to your things, which needs to be transported, for easy identification. The Registration Number can easily be spotted in the upper right corner of the Bill of Lading and Order for Service.

Rider to Inventory: It is a form which is used by warehousemen and drivers to list down any damage to your things, missing items or any differences that they can compare to the original inventory.

S

Scale Ticket: A receipt which provides the reading of the weight scale for gross weight of a moving van and/or tare weight.

Short Haul: When your things are being transported for less than 400 miles.

Spread Date: The time allotted by dispatch when your things will be loaded or delivered. Usually a Spread Date covers two or more successive days.

Storage-in-Transit (SIT): A temporary storage of your things which should not exceed 180 days. Your things are usually stored in the warehouse of the moving company, until it can be moved at a much later date. This service comes in handy if your new home is not yet ready for occupancy. You will have to pay for the SIT service.

Survey: An assessment which is performed by an agent or a moving counselor to appraise your belongings and come up with an estimate of the cost of moving your things.

T

Tare Weight: The gross weight of Georgetown mover’s truck together with all the necessary gear and packing materials needed for transporting your stuff. The Tare Weight is obtained before your things are loaded into the truck.

Tariff: A list of the rates, classification rating, charges, rules and regulations of the Georgetown moving company.

V

Valuation: It is the coverage, based on the tariff, of your goods which are to be transported while these are still in the hands of the mover. It is NOT insurance for your stuff. It is also known as the worth of your shipment.

W

Waiting Time: If you or anybody in your family is not around in your new home when your things arrive, the driver and other persons employed by your Georgetown mover will have to wait for you so that they can unload your stuff. You will be charged an additional hourly fee for the vehicle and the manpower. Not all moving companies can accommodate a waiting period because it might result in the delay of other customers’ shipments or cause undue inconvenience to the moving service.

Warehouse Handling: When you avail of the SIT service, you will be charged with an additional amount to compensate extra work done by the mover in the placement and removal of your things in the warehouse.

Weight Ticket: Also, Scale Ticket. A document which shows the weight of your shipment taken from a certified scale and also the weight of the truck of the movers before it was loaded.