Archive for the ‘Moving Companies’ Category

A recent move by the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA) is expected to affect relocation company operations and moving services brokers in the country. According to reports, the FMCSA has amended its rules to require brokers who arrange household goods interstate and foreign commerce transport to provide higher levels of consumer protection.

Based on the changes implemented by the agency, moving services brokers will be required to provide their U.S. Department of Transportation numbers in advertisements and web sites. Estimated service fees and brokerage rates should also be included in these information resources. The agency further required brokers to include pamphlets from the FMCSA that contain successful moving tips, consumer responsibilities and rights and the policies of the brokerage firm on refunds, cancellations and deposits.

The amendments, which will take effect on January 28, 2011, also require brokers to increase the trust funds or surety bonds they offer to the minimum required amount of $25,000. These changes are expected to affect all areas of household moving services, including relocation company operations.

Furthermore, new rules also state that surety firms and trust funds should submit BMC-84 and 85 Forms by January 1, 2012 to the FMCSA. The surety bond provision was first established by the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1936 with the specified amount of $5,000. According to agency sources, the changes were made to ensure higher level of consumer protection.

Moreover, the FMCSA is said to have implemented the requirements as part of its efforts to comply with the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users. The move is also said to be in response to the rule-making petition filed by the American Moving and Storage Association. In addition, the amendments aim to ensure that shippers who specialize in arranging household goods transportation with the use of broker services will have the necessary information with regards to their responsibilities and rights.

Relocation company operators and moving industry brokers are expected to make adjustments to their operations to comply with the amended rules. The changes are reportedly designed to further improve the condition of foreign and interstate commerce and provide safety and assurance to customers.

Relocation services experts have asserted that the high level of unemployment in the U.S. is causing national moving companies to lose business. According to them, the more jobless people there are, the less number of households are willing to move from their current location.

Experts have stated that with the job market being in such poor condition, people should have been relocating to other places to look for better prospects. However, they reveal that the opposite is actually happening. They stated that most of the unemployed are unwilling or unable to relocate to another state to seek for a new job, either because they do not have the money to relocate or they cannot leave their home and are unable to sell it.

An online job search resource, Indeed.com, has ranked the metro areas in the U.S. that offer the biggest employment opportunities and those that are considered the least ideal for people seeking employment. According to the online resource, metro areas that have the lowest number of jobless people are Washington, Boston, New York, Baltimore and San Jose, California.

Logically, national moving companies that have operations in these areas should benefit since people should be eager to move to these cities. However, job market data showed that no such movement is happening among workers of the country. Even those who live in cities that are ranked highest among areas with the poorest employment prospects are unwilling to budge, industry experts have reported.

Metro regions that are considered poor options for those looking for a job include Las Vegas, Detroit, Miami and Riverside and Los Angeles, California. Industry observers have reported that lack of money for relocation, inability to sell current residence and uncertainty about finding a place to live in the new city have all conspired to convince most Americans to stay put despite the fact that the logical choice is to move to places where jobs are available.

In addition, industry experts believe that the housing market crisis has made the unemployment rate of the country higher than it should be. They asserted that problems in real estate curtailed potential migration and deprived national moving companies of clients. Uncertainty, they added, is currently the biggest enemy of the relocation services industry.

The MovingGuardian.org Web site has been launched to provide help to families, individuals and businesses in the U.S. find licensed relocation moving companies. According to Michael Hill, the site will help households and companies avoid fraudulent schemes perpetrated in the moving services industry by some malpracticing relocation firms.

The public service online resource will feature a directory listing top-rated moving service firms and links to Better Business Bureau that acknowledges the legitimacy of the companies. However, Hill has stated that it is not only BBB ratings that are being used by the site to determine whether a moving firm should be recommended to consumers or not.

According to him, companies will also be listed in the site's directory and their advertisements will appear on the online resource only after they have satisfied the guidelines established by Moving Guardian. The Web site will also include a section dedicated to reviews of relocation moving companies where consumers can post feedback on the firm that handled their relocation and moving concerns.

On top of these important features, the MovingGuardian.org site will also provide a free moving guide and relocation service calculator. Hill claims that the Web site will serve as a non-stop shop for people and companies that are planning to relocate. The aim, Hill adds, is to make moving a safe and stress-free activity. High visibility labels meant to prevent loss of property and Simple Language contracts for relocation firms are also featured in the site.

Hill reveals that his very first job after graduating from college was with a relocation service firm. He admits that the actual experience was quite distressing, with fake moving companies competing with reputable relocation service companies in almost equal number. He recounts seeing fraudulent companies driving auctioned off moving trucks and vans with the name of legitimate and trusted companies emblazoned on the vehicles, only to cheat unsuspecting customers who thought they were dealing with legitimate movers.

With the launch of MovingGuardian.org, Hill hopes to separate the legitimate and honest relocation moving companies from those who are only in the business to scam customers who are already stressed with moving concerns.

In-House Realty, a referral and brokerage real estate firm, maintains a strong presence in the real estate business by also operating as a relocation company and by offering various services that every home buyer and seller would need. The company, which was established in 2006, started with only three workers and expanded within a few years, with the firm having a total of 60 employees at present.

The housing market crisis has definitely impacted relocation moving companies in California, but one firm that is not being intimidated by the declining condition of the residential property industry is Hemsted's Moving and Storage.

A family from Houston, Texas has issued a warning to other households who are planning to acquire the services of moving companies in the area. The family reported that a relocation company charged them $5,000 for moving their belongings a few blocks from their original residence.

Increased activities are being seen among relocation companies in San Diego, California. As the city’s economy improves, more households are moving and more businesses are hiring employees, particularly in biotechnology and high technology sectors. These developments result in increased demand for moving firms’ services.

The month of May has been declared as National Moving Month by the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA), the trade organization that represents national moving companies in the U.S. The declaration recognizes the efforts exerted by industry members to help households all around the country, reports have revealed.

The reliability of moving companies you are planning to hire can be checked on three websites: the websites of the nonprofit Best Business Bureau and the American Moving and Storage Association, and the protectyourmove.gov of the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Moving company Allied Van Lines said that Texas was the top relocation destination in 2009, based on its outbound and inbound shipments.