What is mover's "shuttle service" and why would I need a shuttle?

This is a very good question and thank you for asking it. When a mover provides you with a cost estimate the mover assumes that they can park their truck within a "reasonable distance" of the destination residence. My company generally considers a "reasonable distance" to be within 200 feet of the residence into which the shipment will be delivered (as we believe that this is the longest distance which our movers should be required to carry items from the truck to the residence). It should be noted that some movers will include 75-feet (for free) from where the truck can pack to the residence where the shipment is destined and then will charge the customer for each additional 50-feet increment beyond the first free 75-feet (although my company presently does not do so). When the distance from where the moving truck can park is in excess of that which the mover believes is reasonable then the mover charge you for a "shuttle," the charge for which is based upon the weight of your shipment. When the mover performs a shuttle the mover parks the tractor-trailer truck in a convenient location (such as a local big box store), rents a small truck and then uses the smaller truck to move the shipment from the big truck to the residence. The charge for this "shuttle service" helps reimburse the mover for the mover's extra expenses...

1. The extra labor the mover must pay in order to double handle the shipment.
2. The cost of renting the small truck.
3. The extra time it takes to shuttle the shipment from the large truck to the residence using the shuttle truck.
4. The additional loss/damage exposure that the mover experiences due to the need to double handle the shipment.

So you may then ask: why can't the mover simply use a smaller truck to move me? Why does the mover need to use this enormous eighteen wheeler? If the mover used a small truck I wouldn't need the shuttle service!

And this would be another vey good question. The answer is that enormous eighteen wheelers are able to carry nearly three (3) times as much as the smaller straight trucks and yet enormous eighteen wheelers don't cost much more to operate. Therefore, movers will generally move shipment on eighteen wheelers because it provides them with the opportunity to carry much more on the truck for the same cost.

You may also want to read our article "What is moving company shuttle service?"

Thanks again for your question and good luck with your move!