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We've assembled a list of common questions that are
asked by our clients and customers. We've organized them by service
category. Please select from one of the categories listed below.
Corporate
Moving • Commercial
Moving • Residential
Moving • Tariff 400-N
If you do not find an answer to your question, please
let us know by contacting us.
Q: What is the difference between a van line
and an agency?
A: Depending on the van line, an agent is an independently
owned and operated business, usually licensed to represent a specific
van line. A van line may be a single company or a cooperative of
agents operating nationally; or it may be a large national operation
with company stores. For example, Atlas is our van line, while ACE
World Wide is our agent. In our case, the agents own the van line,
managing all aspects of corporate moves.
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Q: Are all van lines and agent operations
designed similarly?
A: No, some van lines are agency-owned, while some
are publicly owned. Some van lines operate company stores while
others simply dispatch fleets nationally from one location. It is
virtually impossible to provide pack and load and self-haul in these
models on a large scale...too many miles, not enough trucks. It
is best to inquire with a specific van line as to what type of model
they operate within.
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Q: What is so unique about an agent that "hauls"
a lot of its own booked shipments?
A: Self-haul agents typically have better control
over the quality of the deliverable services since all service providers
work directly for the agent.
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Q: With recent van line consolidation, how
do you distinguish who is best qualified to serve my needs?
A: Your needs, company culture and the type of
business the van line specializes in are obviously important factors.
In determining the van line you need, ask for quality metrics, service
model success, driver satisfaction scores and who the van line's
clients are.
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Q: Are there advantages to having a third
party manage my moving services? Is there a cost associated with
this service?
A: The third party company will manage many of
the relocation details so that you won't have to attend to these
details. Whether hidden or direct, there is a cost for this detail
management.
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Q: Is there really a driver shortage? How
can I find out more about this potential trend?
A: Yes, there is a driver shortage in the trucking
industry. Atlas has verified there is a shortage of high profile,
professional drivers available to our industry. Like many labor
trends nationally, statistically there are fewer drivers available
and fewer coming into our industry. You can access the AMSA
website to learn more about this trend.
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Q: How does the cost of fuel effect the shipment
of household goods?
A: The D.O.T. publishes a weekly average fuel cost
that all carriers use as a basis to pass on a fuel surcharge to
the transportation customer.
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Q: Which van line annually moves the most
corporate familes?
A: Percentage-wise, Atlas Van Lines is recognized
as the country's most specialized mover.
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Q: If I provide a lump sum to my employee
for their move, are you capable of managing that nuance? Is there
an advantage to allowing you to manage this process?
A: Yes we can. The advantage can be realized in
cost. Typically a moving agent will manage this corporate event
as part of their service delivery program.
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Q: If I work with a third party, can you still
manage my household goods moving program?
A: Yes, 60% of corporate buyers (Atlas Corporate
Survey) still choose to direct their relocation management companies
on which mover to work with. This is to ensure cost containment
and move quality.
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Q: Will their be any one else's household
goods on the truck?
A: If you are moving cross country your goods will
be moved on a tractor trailer unit. We refer to these as 18-wheelers.
The average trailer length is 53 feet. This will accommodate approximately
30,000 lbs of household goods weight. To approximate what space
your goods will take up within the trailer multiply your home's
square footage by 7. Example, 1000 square feet = 7,000 pounds. Divide
30,000 by 7000. In this example you can see that your goods would
take up a little less than 1/4 of trailer space. Unless you live
in a 3000 square foot home or larger, your goods will be moved on
a truck with another customer. Therefor you should anticipate flexibility
in delivery dates based on this event.
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Q: Do I need to be present for my move?
A: You would be surprised how often this question
is asked. The best answer is YES! If you choose to have a receiving
and releasing party for your goods you are assigning your responsibility.
Should an item be left behind or end up missing during the move,
the responsibility lies with the party who is signing the paperwork.
If the documentation and accounting process is not performed correctly,
the liability is with your assigned representative.
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Q: Do all moving companies provide full service
office moves?
A: No. Typically all moving companies say “we
can do that” to prospective or even on-going customers; when
in fact, all movers have laborers, but not all movers have the trained
personnel or equipment resources necessary to properly service their
clients. We highly recommend that you ask them for references and
personnel certification in office moving services.
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Q: Is it more cost-effective for us to let
our furniture dealer / installer include our moving services as
part of their total services package or should we consider discussing
our physical relocation with a professional moving company?
A: The sound of a one-stop shop service package
can be attractive, but the typical furniture dealer or installer
is ill-equipped to handle the many challenges that a relocation
may entail. The primary challenge is having the proper equipment
to protect the buildings, elevators, and the padding necessary to
wrap all furniture and cabinets. This doesn’t take into consideration
computers and other electronics that requires specific equipment
for a safe transition. Finally, the experience of trained office
movers is an invaluable resource for the planning and execution
of the most expeditious and cost-effective relocation possible.
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Q: What should we expect when we request an
office moving estimate?
A: We believe the first thing is to see a bio or
resume of the company or companies that are providing you
an estimate, to ensure that they have the necessary experience needed
to accommodate your needs. The surveyor needs to thoroughly view
all areas being affected by the move, including doing a destination
site visit (prior to providing you with a proposal). The proposal
should be presented to you so that you can completely understand
its content and get answers to every question or concern. This
proposal should include a specific scope of work or services that
will be provided and a cost breakdown that will reflect all charges
applicable to your move.
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Q: What is the best way to move our filing
cabinets?
A: We typically suggest partially packing the contents
of lateral (wide) file cabinets prior to movement (leaving only
the bottom 2 drawers full or intact). The vertical file cabinets
are generally much more durable during a move and can be relocated
with the contents completely intact. Sometimes our customers request
or require that all cabinets be emptied prior to a move, in which
case we will provide employees boxes to pack or we will provide
the removal and re-placement services.
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Q: The computers are by far the most important
part of our move. Should we feel confident with the movers relocating
this equipment or should we rent a U-haul truck and have the employees
move all the electronics?
A: A certified office moving company is without
a doubt your best decision. They not only have the proper moving
equipment, but they know the best ways to prepare the equipment
for the transition. The first thing to be accomplished, upon the
technical personnel’s equipment readiness completion, is to
individually bubble wrap each component, including the bagging (zip-lock
type) of keyboards, mouse, cables, and power strips. Then each piece
will go onto a multi-shelved rolling cart which is then followed
by a shrink wrapping process which ensures equipment safety during
the transition from origin to destination.
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Q: Why are office moving surveyors reluctant
to guarantee their moving estimates?
A: Two reasons primarily.
1.) There are so many
uncontrollable nuances that affect the total completion time of
a relocation i.e., dock or accesses being shared by others, elevators
being shared by others (creating down time), elevator malfunction,
lack of readiness at origin and or destination (spaces incomplete
or employees not completely ready and unforeseen weather and or
traffic conditions).
2.) Office or commercial moving is a highly
competitive business and profit margins are extremely slim (there
is limited room for error).
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Q: Why is insurance additional on all office
moves?
A: Because the value of the contents of all moves
are different. Never should an assumed value be determined by a
moving company. The value of the contents should be declared by
the relocating company and then the moving company will provide
optional insurance or valuation coverage. This coverage is not mandatory,
it is provided as an option only and usually supersedes any basic
coverage that is provided by law (usually $ .30--.60 / lb. per article).
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Q: Our company has many offices nationwide,
what is the best way to service all of our locations?
A: We believe that if a moving company has the
nationwide services capabilities that you need you should let your
primary contact do all the work for you. Once you have established
where and what services are needed then your moving company should
do the following:
- Establish market pricing
- Interface directly with local contact(s) to plan, schedule, manage, and properly execute
all phases / components of your move
- The planning includes certificates of insurance for all building
management entities, employee pre-move meetings, carton deliveries,
and pre and post-move services that ensure successful completion
of your relocation
- Establishes your primary point of contact
throughout this and every transition nationwide
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Q: Who regulates the services provided during
a residential move?
A: Ordinarily the local BBB may regulate. If interstate
or intrastate, the van line and state intra authority agency can
assist with regulating activity of the moving company.
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Q: Does residential moving pricing differ
from corporate pricing?
A: Because of the many different players in our
industry, pricing can be all over the board. The key component is
to get a reputable firm who can educate you on pricing, services
and support offered … ensuring you receive "apples-to-apples”
pricing. The pricing program will also depend on the time of year
you are moving.
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Q: When moving locally, is a national van
line more expensive than a local
mover?
A: It varies from mover to mover, typically because
the national van line does not share in the revenue. Van line agents
can be just as competitive and sometimes safer to use because of
their affiliations.
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Q: Why doesn’t Atlas Van Lines more
aggressively advertise its residential moving services?
A: Atlas is a highly specialized moving van line.
Seventy-five percent of our business is corporate contract moving,
which is residential in nature. Atlas is a highly qualified residential
mover. Yet, because of our business model and specialization, we
choose not to advertise residential moving business.
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Q: Why did the HGCB Committee propose a new
approach to household goods carrier pricing?
A: Tariff 400-N answered several needs. It established
a more rational industry pricing mechanism; it made estimating and
pricing an interstate shipment easier for customers to understand;
and it made the estimating and pricing process simpler, less time
consuming, and less expensive for the mover.
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Q: How is Tariff 400-N easier to understand
and price?
A: As digital information, Tariff 400-N resides
on a PC, laptop computer, or networked computer system, including
the Internet. With just a few keystrokes, an estimate or bill can
be calculated instantly. For example, linehaul transportation rates
no longer require someone to calculate mileage from origin to destination—a
process that is time-consuming, especially if one or more points
are not key points, i.e., major cities. Tariff 400-N requires only
the weight of the shipment and the first three digits of the ZIP
or postal codes for the origin and destination to instantly determine
linehaul charges.
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Q: How are rates for accessorial (additional)
services determined?
A: To simplify pricing for the customer and carrier,
Tariff 400-N eliminates the need to separately charge for certain
frequently occurring accessorial services. Instead, the average
costs and revenue associated with these accessorials are incorporated
into a separate origin and destination service charge.
Specifically, rates associated with ATC (additional
transportation charges), e.g. elevators, stair carries, long carries,
piano/organ carries, appliance service, and import/export charges,
are incorporated into a service charge for origin or destination.
The mover and customer no longer discuss charges based upon counting
flights of stairs, measuring the distance from the truck to the
residence, or counting the number of elevators used. In addition,
the customer is not surprised by a charge at destination that was
unknown by the estimator at origin.
Of course, some accessorial services have been retained
because they are difficult to incorporate fairly into averaged rates.
These include charges related to storage-intransit (SIT), pickup
and delivery from IT, shuttle service, bulky articles, extra labor,
packing and unpacking. The application of these accessorial services
has been simplified as much as possible.
The chance for error has also been reduced, and the
estimating, billing and auditing problems associated with these
individual accessorials have been totally eliminated.
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Q: How are rates for accessorial (additional)
services determined?
A: To incorporate revenues from accessorial services
into the linehaul transportation rates as accurately as possible,
the cost adjustments are based on statistics derived from more than
800,000 actual shipments. Cost factors were developed for each of
more than 200 specific service areas. Cost factors were further
refined to include labor costs and expense data, various government
indices, labor costs and industry operating costs. Linehaul charges,
which are based on the three-digit ZIP codes of the origin and destination
service area, more accurately reflect the actual costs associated
with the move.
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Q: The elimination and incorporation of
complex accessorial items sound great from the customer’s
perspective, but what about from the business perspective of the
van operator or agent?
A: For the benefit of drivers and agents, revenues
from accessorial services were not eliminated. Rather, they were
accurately and fairly incorporated into the origin and destination
service charges. Additional factors were built in where service
areas represent a more substantial component of revenue, e.g. Chicago,
New York and Boston.
In situations where a driver receives all or a majority
of revenue from accessorial services, fair compensation is achieved
through the revenue distribution system. All van lines and carriers,
including Atlas, restructured their revenue distribution systems
to ensure that drivers and agents are fairly and adequately compensated
for the accessorial services rendered.
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Q: How is the driver compensated for services
performed under Tariff 400-N?
A: Driver compensation under Tariff 400-N is almost
exactly like the old method. To ensure adequate revenue to service
providers, revenues associated with direct pickup or delivery are
paid to the party performing the service—just as revenue was
distributed under Tariff 400-M. Similarly, linehaul distribution
is shared by the booker, hauler, and van line.
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Q: What about the most frequently used
accessorial services—containers and packing? The old tariff
pricing was somewhat complex. Does Tariff 400-N simplify it?
A: Yes. Under Tariff 400-N, full packing services
are priced on a per hundred weight (cwt) basis and includes the
cost of containers, material, and labor. Total charges are determined
by multiplying the per hundred pound rate times the shipment weight
(e.g. $21.00 cwt X 7,000 lbs = $1,470).
Tariff 400-N is much simpler than the old practice
of pricing the materials and labor required for each type of container
separately, then adding to determine total packing charges. The
newer tariff is easier for the mover to explain and easier for the
customer to understand.
Custom packed shipments are still being priced per
unit, but the labor and container charges have been combined for
simplicity. Customers must specify this packing choice in advance.
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Q: How does Tariff 400-N handle fuel surcharges?
A: The HGCB Committee published a new Item 16 in
all tariffs, simplifying the way fuel surcharges are assessed. The
surcharge percentage is based on the price announced by the DOE
the first Monday of each month. If the announced price justifies
a percentage change—up or down—the change becomes effective
the 15th of that month. This method is easy to understand and apply,
and it is included in Tariff 400-N.
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Q: Are there any changes in liability options
with Tariff 400-N?
A: The method for determining a mover’s liability
is dictated by the federal government. All of the liability provisions
have remained unchanged, including: $.60/pound/article; $1.25 times
the weight of the shipment, and full value protection.
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Q: How have customers reacted to Tariff
400-N?
A: Customers welcomed Tariff 400-N enthusiastically.
The private transferee (COD) customer has certainly benefited. This
customer is often already traumatized by moving and becomes even
more confused by the pricing, terminology and paperwork. The simpler,
less confusing process was a relief. Tariff 400-N has made it much
more difficult for unscrupulous movers to exploit customers through
confusing estimating and pricing methods.
Government customers—both DOD and GSA—have
adopted Tariff 400-N for their personal property procurement programs.
These agencies sought simplified pricing, and Tariff 400-N satisfies
their needs. As an example, the DOD had already used the per hundred
pound weight (cwt) basis on packing that the HGCB Committee developed
for the DOD’s re-engineering test pilot.
Corporate account customers have also embraced Tariff
400-N for the same primary reasons as other customers. For several
years, the expertise of corporate customers had been shifting from
the traffic department to human resources. Many were uncomfortable
with a “tariff,” and when they tried to comprehend its
terms and methods, they concluded there must be a “better,
simpler way.”
A simpler pricing mechanism has saved national account
customers time and expense associated with paperwork, billing, contracts,
RFP’s and auditing. These same types of cost savings were
also experienced by movers. The whole process was more efficient,
and less cumbersome.
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Q: Have movers offered the same discounts
under Tariff 400-N?
A: Yes. Tariff 400-N has restructured rates to
accurately reflect actual costs. The base rates were adjusted to
reflect 400-M rates as of 1/1/2001 plus cost changes through early
2002 as determined by two specific government indices.
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Q: One national account shipper suggested
that Tariff 400-N was just a scheme to obtain a rate increase. Is
this true?
A: Any time there is change, it is reasonable to
expect some initial resistance and confusion. The old method of
pricing had been in place since 1936 and, while it was simplified
in piecemeal fashion over the years, it did not keep pace with the
dramatic changes in the world that have affected our industry. For
some, just the idea of an electronic tariff was unsettling, not
to mention the rate restructuring. Once the national account shippers
had a chance to work with Tariff-400N, they favored it over the
old pricing approach for all the good reasons previously discussed.
If the industry needed a rate increase, it would
have proposed one just as it had in the past. The industry would
not have invested years of research and development and committed
future dollars to computer-related programming and training just
to obtain a rate increase. Tariff 400-N represents a more rational
approach to pricing, and this is why the industry has supported
it.
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Q: Is Tariff 400-N subject to periodic
general rate increases and restructures similar to the old 400-M
pricing mechanism?
A: Just as any other industry, ours will need a
way to establish pricing that reflects actual costs. Under Tariff
400-N, two specific government indices are used to justify future
rate increases and decreases. However, prevailing discounts will
not automatically increase. Tariff 400-N was designed to be a rational,
cost-based approach to pricing household goods carrier services—even
in the event of rate changes or restructuring.
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Q: When did Tariff 400-N become effective?
Was Tariff 400-M maintained for a period of time for transition
purposes?
A: Tariff 400-N became effective on January 1,
2002, and Tariff 400-M was discontinued at the same time. There
was no transition period. Existing current rate contracts referencing
Tariff 400-M automatically transitioned to 400-N. Frozen rate agreements
were not affected until contract expiration dates.
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