By Chris Noblit - I’m a professional mover...not a social worker. Please don’t threaten me, accuse me of taking advantage of you, tell me about how your husband/brother/aunt/uncle/friends/brother/sister cheated you, or tell me about your financial or medical troubles. Please don’t start crying. Please stop screaming. Please don’t share you life woes with me. Please don’t threaten me with physical or legal violence. Please keep ....

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I’ve got what I think is a very good idea that may be of great help those of us who participate, so please read on...

Here at my Long Island Moving Company I screen most of the inbound telephone service inquiries...these are the telephone call-ins that are not existing national accounts. These call-ins range from cod/private transferinquiries...warehouse storageinquires...office & industrial moving inquiries...to machinery moving inquiries. ....

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How Investments in Technology Can Cut Costs in the Moving Industry

By Piet GauchatSpecial to DirectionCopyright American Moving & Storage Association

For most moving companies, technology is viewed as a peripheral expense; a luxury item distinct from the everyday challenge of getting crews dispatched and keeping the warehouse clean. There is so much involved in running a moving company, that owners often find themselves putting out daily fires rather than ....

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 [Published courtesy of the AMSA] 

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By Chris Noblit - Your highest weight estimate is your most accurate weight estimate! This statement fly’s in the face of the number one rule of purchasing: throw out the high estimate, throw out the low estimate, and go with the middle estimate. But if we dig a little deeper we will find out why this common rule of purchasing does not hold true for moving cost estimates, and here’s why...

All movers use one single set of industry standard measurements ....

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By Christopher Noblit

Overview - The Household Goods Descriptive InventoryIf any of your household goods are lost or damaged while in permanent storage, storage-in-transit, or during transportation, it is the customer’s responsibility to correctly document that such loss or damage occurred while the shipment was in the mover’s care and custody. This is accomplished with the "Household Goods Descriptive Inventory,” a document ....

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By Christopher Noblit

"SPLIT LIABILITY" - THE BAD NEWSWhen a local moving company/agent visits your home to provide you with a moving estimate, and you advise the agent’s representative that you are want to place you goods into storage, you need to understand (because it is most likely that you will not be told) that you are really dealing with two (2) separate moving companies. The local moving company/agent (acting as a representative of their van line) ....

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An Opinion By Christopher Noblit Abstract "The author suggests that most Internet-based household moving brokers add an additional (and unnecessary) layer to the household relocation. This additional layer reduces overall household relocation quality, reduces the efficiency of consumer/service provider communication, and reduces service provider profitability. As a result, it is inadvisable for van lines, van line agents, or independent ....

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Compiled by Christopher Noblit -- "Accidents Happen." But what most homeowners don’t realize is that if a worker is injured on their property, it is you -- the homeowner -- who can be held liable for all medical costs unless the employee is covered by workers compensation insurance. Hospital bills for serious accidents can be extraordinarily expensive and homeowner’s insurance policies normally exclude such injuries.

Here is a true story ....

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By Christopher Noblit

According to moving and relocation industry professionals there are 10 sure fire ways a consumer or business can determine if they will be satisfied with the company they select to handle their move to a new home or office. Here are the 10 ways you can spot a qualified mover that you can trust:

1) Avoid booking your move with a internet based moving broker, most of whom hand your move over to a different company, a company you have ....

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By Timothy D. Brady -- The fuel surcharge is an antiquated policy that is so far behind the times it’s really sad. The whole idea of the way it is administered goes back before deregulation of the trucking industry. anyone who thinks calculating the fuel surcharge on the last day of each month and then adjusting it on the 15th of the next month has got to have their head in the sand.

The actual beginning of the fuel surcharge goes all the ....

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By Archie White -- I won’t waste time with the rise, but here is what is leading the fall...Until about 10-12 years ago, a person only had 2 choices if they needed to move, hire a professional, or do it themselves with a Uhaul. Most people that used a Uhaul, only did it once, it’s no fun and not everybody can carry a triple dresser down the stairs and out to the truck and up the steep ramp. So professional movers prospered, there ....

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By Ed Wickman & Budd Cardone -- This rapidly approaching summer season is shaping up to be one that will test all of us in the international business even more than usual. Please take a few moments to read this and inform your sales and operations staff what is going on in the international side of our industry as this "perfect storm" forms.

At the time of this message, the U.S. dollar is at its weakest point in ....

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 [Article by Ed Wickman & Budd Cardone] 

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By Art Livermore - A great opportunity presents itself when a customer asks, "Why?" It should be reviewed as an open door for a sales person to present their case....obviously being prepared, having your ducks in a row, and so on and so on, is the key to winning the customer over.

Consider some of the following points; I’ll bullet them to keep it brief and they are but a few ideas of what you could present in such a case:

1) Prepare a ....

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Who would have thought such an ordinary creation would change the world?

The cargo container has done just that, transforming the global economy in ways comparable to the telephone and the jet plane by making the world a little smaller.

By ....

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 [www.HamptonRoads.com] 

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By Christopher Noblit

The "Graying of America" is something we have been hearing about for some time, but have we considered what the ramifications might be for the relocation industry? Socioeconomic realities currently in play in America may well portend doom and gloom for the industry in which we make our living.

America AgesThe numbers tell the story: In 2011 the first of the “Baby Boomers” will reach the age of 65. Baby boomers ....

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 [A positive image campaign for movers] 

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The Smiths were avid antique collectors, traveling from on estate auction to the next in search of rare finds. Over the years, the couple amassed an impressive collection of furniture and paintings. When faced with moving the antiques from New York to California, they began contacting moving companies.A salesperson from the local moving agency came to visit, and the Smiths discussed their concerns regarding the handling of their antiques. The ....

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By Christopher Noblit -- Local and interstate tariffs provide for the purchase of Full Replacement Value loss or damage liability by the Shipper. Dependent on the Carrier, the minimum amount of Full Replacement valuation which can be purchased generally falls somewhere between $4.00 and $5.00 per pound. As an example: at a $4.50 per pound minimum, dictates that a10,000 pound shipment must be valued at a minimum of $45,000.00

In reality, (and in the event of ....

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By Christopher Noblit

As Internet based "Relocation Portals" and "Mover Directories" multiply, and as more and more consumers turn to the Internet to search for relocation services, moving company owners must decide which Websites to advertise on. Many moving company owners may not be aware of all the issues that surround this important decision. This article was created to help moving company owners understand a few of the issues ....

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Dear ReloRow Members, Fellow Movers, Vendors, and Industry Professionals:

I wrote the initial draft of this letter on a plane ride to Florida in January. On the trip back to New York I opened Sky Magazine and read an advertisement entitled "Great Steak Houses of North America". This advertisement was paid for by the Independent Retail Cattleman’s Association. It references "The Last of the Great Independents...The owner/operators who ....

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By Mike Dammer - Anyone CAN do our job.....when everything goes right. But what happens when something seriously goes wrong? Moe, Larry and Curly pull up at a residence in a rental truck and proceed to do a great job for the customer. Residence is prepped nicely so there is no property damage. Shemp has done a great job packing and the customer couldn’t have been happier. Everything is loaded by 4:00PM and the stooges leave Long Island for Florida. ....

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By Christopher Noblit - (Simple Theorem for Understanding Percentages of Increased Discounting) Mary has a Tariff. Mary’s Tariff says that Billy’s move will cost $1,000.00 But Mary’s Tariff takes a 3% general increase, so Billy’s move will now costs $1,030.00. Dick, Mary’s Sales Manager, wants to increase discounting 3% to offset the Tariff increase, Dick tells Mary "We’ll gain market share Mary!" "Don’t ....

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