Term |
Definition |
Accessorial Services: |
Services, other than linehaul transportation,
performed by an agent or the van operator (such as; packing,
unpacking, an extra pickup, a long carry, an elevator carry,
etc.). Accessorial services are charged in addition to linehaul
transportation charge. |
Additional Transportation Charge (ATC): |
This regionally adjusted charge compensates the
carrier for services performed in areas where the labor rates
are higher than the national average. It also compensates the
carrier for additional costs incurred due to traffic congestion
and added time traveling to an area for pickup or for delivery. |
Advanced Charges (3rd Party Service): |
Charges for services of others engaged by an
agent or the carrier at your request. These charges are advanced
to your bill of lading charges. For example; having a pool table
dismantled by 3rd Party Service service provider is a 3rd party
service. |
Agent: |
An affiliated moving company authorized to act
on behalf of a motor carrier (for instance; Mayflower Transit,
Inc.). The affiliated moving company (the agent) may serve as
the booking agent, the origin agent, the hauling agent and/or
the destination agent. |
Auxiliary Service (Shuttle): |
If the assigned over-the-road van is unable to
make a normal pickup/delivery because of physical constraints
and a second, smaller, vehicle is needed, this is considered
Auxiliary Service (a shuttle). Examples of such physical constraints
include situations such as a road or driveway that is too narrow,
a bridge unable to support the weight of the van, and the inability
to park the moving van within a reasonable distance of the pickup
or the delivery residence. Charges for the second, smaller, vehicle
are assessed on an hourly basis, in addition to charges for the
extra labor involved in making the pickup with the shuttle truck. |
Bill of Lading: |
The is your contract with the carrier. It is
your receipt for your goods and the contract for their transportation.
Your signature acknowledges that your goods have been loaded
on the moving van and "released to the carrier". |
Booking Agent (aka: the Writing Agent): |
The agent who accepts the order for your move
and registers it with the van line. The booking agent may, or
may not, also act as your origin or your destination agent. |
Bulky Article: |
Items such as cars, boats, snowmobiles and campers
usually carry a bulky article charge to compensate the carrier
for the difficulty of loading and unloading such articles, and
their unusual bulk or low weight density. In some cases, an additional
"weight additive" is applicable. |
Carrier: |
The company providing transportation for your
household goods and on whose interstate or intrastate operating
authority the shipment is moved. |
Carrier's Liability For Loss
or Damage: |
The liability that the Carrier assumes for your
possessions. This amount can be as same as $0.30 per pound per
article (for moves within a state) or $0.60 per pound per article
for Interstate moves on up to Full Replacement Value with no
deductible. The are several different liability options available
to you so be sure to ask the Carrier's Representative to explain
each option, it's ramafications and it's cost. Carrier's Liability
For Loss or Damage is often incorrectly referred to as "insurance"
(see the document "INSURANCE
versus VALUATION - It pays to know the difference!"
for an explanation of the difference between Carrier's Liability
For Loss or Damage and insurance). |
Claim: |
Shipper's statement of loss or damage to any
of his or her household goods while they were in the care of
the carrier or its agent. Such a statement is generally made
on a "Claim Form". |
C.O.D. (Cash On Delivery): |
Shipments where customer pays moving charges
at the time of delivery. For C.O.D. shipments, payment is required
in cash, or by traveler's check, money order, cashier's check
or credit card (pending a prior credit card approval process).
Personal checks are not accepted for payment of C.O.D. charges. |
Consignee: |
The person to whom the shipment is to be delivered. |
Consignor: |
The person from whom the shipment picked up from. |
Cwt.: |
This abbreviation stands for the rate or charge
per 100 pounds. |
Deadhead: |
Empty (unloaded) miles traveled by a driver in
order to move his or her truck to pickup a paying load. |
Declared Valuation: |
The shipper's indication of the value declared
for the possessions being shipped, thereby establishing the carrier's
maximum liability for loss or damage to the shipment. If no value
is declared, the liability is then controlled by the tariff under
which the shipment is moved. |
Destination Agent: |
The agent designated in the destination area
to be available to assist or provide information to you or the
van operator regarding your shipment. |
Elevator Carry: |
A charge to compensate the carrier for the additional
labor required to move a shipment by way of an elevator. |
Estimate: |
An professional assessment as to the van space
requirements, weight of your household goods and cost of the
move determined by the physical visual inspection of a shipment
by a representative of the carrier. |
Expedited Service: |
A program which, for an additional charge, allows
a specific delivery date to be requested. If the date is not
met, only standard charges apply. |
Flight Carry (Stair
Carry): |
A charge to compensate the carrier for the additional
labor and time required to move a shipment up or down flights
of stairs which lead to or from an origin or destination residence. |
Extra Stop (Extra Pickup or
Delivery): |
If a van operator is required to make an extra
stop at either origin or destination (other than the main pickup
or delivery points) an extra charge is assessed - the charge
is determined by the tariff. |
Flight Charge (Stair Carry): |
An extra charge for carrying items such as pianos
to a higher or lower floor. |
Full Replacement Value Protection: |
A valuation program which does not incorporate
depreciation as a factor in settling claims for loss or damage. |
Inventory: |
The list itemizing the goods (and their condition)
that you have released to the carrier. |
Linehaul: |
The tariff transportation charge to move your
shipment from point of origin to it's final point of destination. |
Long Carry (Distance Carry): |
A charge assessed when a shipment must be moved
more than 75 feet from the rear of the moving van to the entrance
of the residence. |
Long Haul: |
A move that takes place over 450 miles. Long
hauls are (generally) performed with tractor-trailers. |
Lowball: |
An estimate of moving costs that is purposely
estimated on the low side in order to secure a move from the
customer. Generally, given by low life type persons who don't
know how to sell and provide quality moving services. |
Operating Authority: |
Certification issued by a state or federal governmental
entity authorizing a carrier to move household goods between
designated geographical areas. A van line's agent may also have
its own separate "operating authority" issued by a
state or federal governmental entity, to move shipments within
a certain geographical area. |
Order For Service: |
The document authorizing the carrier to transport
your household goods. |
Order For Service Number: |
The number used to identify your shipment. It
appears in the upper right corner of the Bill of Lading and on
the Order for Service. |
Origin Agent: |
The agent designated in the origin area to be
available for preliminary readying of the shipment before movement
(such as packing cartons), or to provide information to you regarding
your move. |
Overflow (aka "Leaveover"): |
Articles that are left behind due to insufficient
space on a van, to be loaded on a second van for transportation
and delivery. |
PBO (Packed By Owner): |
Articles packed into cartons or crates by the
shipper, not the carrier. |
Reweigh: |
Second weighing of shipment performed at destination
at the shipper's or the carrier's request. |
Road Van: |
A long haul tractor-trailer that moves shipments
long distance (which is generally considered over 450 miles). |
Shipper: |
The person (customer) whose goods are being moved. |
Short Haul: |
A move that takes place under 450 miles. Short
hauls are (generally) performed with straight trucks, although
tractor-trailers can, and are, often employed to complete large
short haul moves. |
Storage In Transit (S.I.T.): |
Temporary storage of your household goods in
the warehouse of the carrier's agent, pending further transportation. |
Straight Truck: |
A truck, generally one half the size and capacity
of a tractor-trailer. Straight trucks are single cab and body
vehicles (as opposed to a tractor-trailer on which the cab can
be separated from the trailer). |
Survey: |
The booking or origin agent examines (i.e.: surveys,
or visually inspects) the shipper's goods to develop an cost
estimate. |
Tariff: |
The carrier's provisions, including rates, for
services performed during the course of moving a shipment. |
Third Party Services: |
Services performed by someone other than the
carrier at your request or as required by federal, state or local
law. |
Unpacking: |
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