Household Goods Arbitration Program

Posted by David Piotrowski

All interstate moving companies are required by law to have an arbitration program available to their customers. Failure of a moving company to provide customers with notice of the availability of arbitration is against DOT regulations and may subject the moving company to fines and/or penalties. Beware of movers who claim to have an arbitration program in place but ultimately have no such program. While the DOT requires interstate household goods moving companies to have an arbitration program, the DOT does not require movers to provide them with proof of such program in order to obtain interstate operating authority.

Before a moving company performs a pickup of household goods, they are required to provide the customer with notice of the availability of neutral arbitration, including all three of the following items:
(i) A summary of the arbitration procedure.
(ii) Any applicable costs.
(iii) A disclosure of the legal effects of election to use arbitration.

Upon the request of the customer, moving companies must provide information and forms necessary for initiating an action to resolve a dispute under arbitration.

For more information, read the DOT published brochure on arbitration.

Tariff Publishing Services

Posted by David Piotrowski

Need to publish an interstate household goods tariff?

As readers of this blog will know, interstate household goods moving companies are required to have a tariff that lists their prices and the services offered. This blog discusses household goods tariffs in many posts. Household goods moving companies are encouraged to read the following posts relating to tariffs and tariff publishing:

Publishing a Tariff
Moving Company Tariffs
Customized Tariffs
Define: Tariff
New Household Goods Tariff Rules

We offer two (2) types of tariff publishing services. Each option caters to a different type of moving company and you are encouraged to select the option that best suits your needs. Both options are overseen by a transportation law attorney and will meet regulatory requirements.

Option 1 — Hands Off Approach
This option is ideal for new moving companies and for movers who already have a structure in place. Movers who already have their rates, packing price lists, and service offerings will benefit from this less expensive, hands-off approach to creating their tariff. Under this option, the moving company will place an order online to have their tariff created for them. Once the purchase has been made, the mover will receive a tariff questionnaire form within one (1) business day asking them to provide their rates and other relevant information about the way they operate the business. Once the tariff questionnaire form is completed and returned by email or fax, the tariff will be created. Each tariff is personally reviewed by a transportation attorney prior to completion. Once the tariff is completed, which normally takes 14 to 21 business days, the tariff will be mailed to the moving company along with instructions on how to publish and maintain it. Upon request, the tariff can also be emailed to the company. While the tariff is being created, email support is available to answer any questions the mover may have about the process.

Option 1 costs $895.00.

To purchase option one, please click on the following botton. You will be redirected to make your payment using Paypal’s secure servers. Once you make your payment, you will receive your tariff questionnaire within one (1) business day.

Option 2 — Hands On Approach
Option 2 is for those moving companies that may have additional questions or need a little extra assistance when creating their tariff. Option 2 includes everything included in Option 1, plus the following:

- Up to 2 hours of telephone support with a transportation attorney to discuss tariff issues;
- Further tariff customization according the needs of the moving company;
- Tariff turnaround time of 7 to 10 business days instead of 14 to 21 business days.

Option 2 costs $1595.00.

To purchase option two, please click on the following botton. You will be redirected to make your payment using Paypal’s secure servers. Once you make your payment, you will receive your tariff questionnaire within one (1) business day.

If you have any questions, please email info - @ - shipmygoods.com. Remove the dashes and spaces before sending the message. Thank you.

Publish a Custom Tariff

Posted by David Piotrowski

Interstate household goods moving companies must publish a tariff. Several articles on this blog touch upon this subject. Penalties for failing to publish a tariff can be both civil and criminal in nature. There are several benefits for publishing a custom tariff.

First, movers who publish a custom tariff have more freedom to tailor their rates and service offerings in such a way that will be most beneficial to their particular business. All moving companies are different, and just because charging based on weight works for one company doesn’t mean it will work for another. Publishing a custom tariff will allow the mover to elect to charge based on weight, cubic feet, or both.

Second, publishing a custom tariff will help shield the moving company from potential antitrust liability. In the beginning of 2008, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) ended antitrust immunity for ratemaking in the moving industry. This means moving companies may be subjected to liability if they continue to uniformly apply the 400N or other similar tariffs. Continuing the use such tariffs may subject moving companies to liability under the nation’s anti-trust laws.

Third, publishing a custom tariff allows movers to be more competitive. If a mover knows their competition is charging $3.22 per cubic foot, the mover may decide to charge $3.19 per cubic foot, or to provide five (5) free 1.5 cubic feet moving boxes on orders that meet certain monetary thresholds. Publishing a custom tariff allows movers to insert these types of competitive and promotional marketing methods.

Fourth, publishing a tariff is the law. All interstate household goods moving companies must publish a tariff.

For these reasons, and others, it is in the movers best interests to publish a custom tariff.

Need help publishing a custom tariff? Contact a transportation attorney today.

Movers Charging By Cubic Feet

Posted by David Piotrowski

Two of the most common ways movers like to charge is 1) by weight (price per pound) and 2) by cubic feet (calculated by the amount of volume the shipment takes up). Both options are legal in certain instances. Many moving companies and consumers, believe that cubic feet charges are illegal at worst, or misleading at best. So long as the mover is reputable and trustworthy, charges based on cubic feet are perfectly legal and reasonable in many cases.

In order for a mover to charge based on cubic feet, the following must apply:

1. The mover must have a provision in their interstate moving tariff that allows for charges based on cubic feet.
2. The written estimate that the moving company provides to the customer must be binding (if the estimate is a non-binding estimate, then the mover may not charge based on cubic feet).
3. The written estimate must state that the estimate is based on cubic feet.
4. The cubic feet charges should be based on the accurate volume of goods, based on a physical survey (unless a physical survey exception applies).

In sum, movers may charge their customers based on cubic feet so long as the movers tariff allows for it, the estimate is binding, the estimate states the the estimate is based on cubic feet, and the cubic feet charges are based on an accurate measurement of the goods.

Household Goods Moving Claims

Posted by David Piotrowski

The question is often asked how to file an interstate household goods moving claim and what is the process of doing so. Please follow this link to read the article on household goods moving claims. Please note this is a PDF file and it will open in a new window. The article explains how to file an interstate household goods moving claim, as well as the timelines involved for both the shipper and the carrier.

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