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A moving company, also known as a removalist or van line, is a company that specializes in assisting individuals and businesses with relocating their goods from one location to another. Moving companies may offer additional or all-inclusive services for relocations, like packing, loading, moving, unloading, unpacking, and arranging of items to be shifted. Additional services may include cleaning services for houses, offices or warehousing facilities.
Overview
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2007, 40 million United States citizens had moved annually over the previous decade. Of these movers, 84.5% relocated within their own state, 12.5% moved to another state, and 2.3% moved to another country.
The U.S. Department of Defense is the largest household goods shipper in the world with the Personal Property Program accounting for 20% of all moves.
A 2020 OnePoll survey showed that 64% of participants consider their recent move to be one of the most stressful events they have ever encountered.
Pricing and services
United States and Canada
In the U.S. and Canada, the cost for long-distance moves is generally determined by several factors:
- Weight of the items to be moved
- Distance between the original and new location
- Speed of the move
- Timing of the move, including the specific time of year or month
Some movers also offer consolidated shipping, which reduces costs by transporting several clients' items in the same shipment.
United Kingdom and Australia
In the United Kingdom and Australia, the price is based on the volume of the items rather than their weight. Some movers may offer flat rate pricing.
DIY moving
The use of truck rental services, or simply borrowing similar hardware, is referred to as DIY moving. Individuals or families may rent a truck or trailer large enough to transport their household goods. They may also acquire moving equipment such as dollies, furniture pads, and cargo belts to facilitate the move and protect their belongings.
Packing and materials
The moving process also involves finding or buying materials such as boxes, paper, tape, and bubble wrap with which to pack boxable and/or protect fragile household goods and to consolidate the carrying and stacking on moving day. Self-service moving companies offer another viable option: the person moving buys space on one or more trailers or shipping containers. These containers are then driven by professionals to the new location.
See also
References
- Stellin, Susan (2007-07-29). "The Movers Are Here. Have You Done Your Homework?". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
- "American Moving & Storage Association -- Industry Fact Sheet" (PDF). American Moving & Storage Association. American Moving & Storage Association. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-07. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
- Gresik, Dylan; Shane III, Leo (2020-03-20). "Sudden halt on military moves due to coronavirus could cripple industry, officials warn". Military Times. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
- "Americans say moving is more stressful than divorce, having children, survey claims". foxnews.com. 2020-09-30. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
- "How much does an office move cost?". Dasumzugs. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
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