If you were researching interstate moving companies for your relocation, you might have heard of FMCSA. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is the agency that regulates interstate moving companies all over the nation. Of course, moving companies aren’t the only thing they’re overseeing. FMCSA, in general, oversees all commercial motor vehicles. Its goal is to reduce any types of traffic accidents, but also protect customers from potential fraud. So, if you’re looking for a professionally-assisted move, you will be able to look up a certain company on the website of this agency. Like every other institution, FMCSA updates its transportation of household goods regulations occasionally, and not so long ago, some major updates happened. If you’re interested in hearing about these updates, Verified Movers will be more than happy to show them throughout this article.
FMCSA is taking extra steps in order to battle fraudulent moving companies by forbidding blank documents
Even though this area has been regulated before, and any kind of document without the exact price was mostly forbidden, there were some exceptions. Now, there won’t be such exceptions besides one. The only incomplete documents that clients may be required to sign are those that are signed before shipping. However, these documents will have to have every expense listed, and the only thing that’s missing will be the expense that depends on the weight of the shipment. Other incomplete documents are forbidden. So, if for example, you’re moving from California to another state, know that Top Movers in Long Beach won’t require you to sign any incomplete documents. This is certainly a big step, which will help FMCSA battle fraudulent and dishonest moving companies.
Moving companies must prepare new estimates if the client wants to make changes to the shipment
When you’re moving with legitimate moving companies, you’ll always receive a free moving quote, which is great. It helps you prepare the budget, and understand what to expect cost-wise. Later on, you will receive a binding estimate. And, when you agree on everything, whether it’s a binding or non-binding estimate, you may want to make changes to your shipment. People tend to forget some things, and they want to add items to their shipments just before the moving day. Before, movers weren’t required to give you a brand-new estimate, but with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration updates to transportation of household goods regulations, now they are.
An invoice is needed to collect charges
The use of a freight bill was common after the shipment when the moving company was collecting charges. From now on, it’s not. The invoice will be needed. And, not only that, but the invoice will have to contain all the relevant information. Additionally, if the shipment wasn’t transported on a binding estimate, each service will have to be mentioned along with the rates by which the services were charged. Some states have had problems due to their own regulations that weren’t in compliance with the FMCSA. Oklahoma is one of those examples. While it’s nothing major, some companies had to wait for more than usual in order to become approved by FMCSA. So, if you’re from Oklahoma and you’re going on an interstate move. In that case, make sure to ask for Top Movers in Oklahoma City, just to be sure that you’re moving with licensed companies.
The Bill of Lading has to be more thorough and issued at least 3 days before the relocation
If you already had experience with professionally-assisted moves, you probably encountered the Bill of Lading. This document is an important part of the business transaction. It is issued by the carrier and has the most important information regarding the move. With the new updates to transportation of household goods regulations, the Bill of Lading will have to contain some additional pieces of information as well. For example, a physical address, and DOT number for all the companies involved in the transportation, along with a phone number, are all going to be needed. And, it will have to be delivered 3 days before the loading begins. So, if you’re, for example, moving from Oklahoma, know that Top Movers in Tulsa will provide you with a Bill of Lading 72 hours before the moving day.
Other FMCSA updates to transportation of household goods regulations worthy of mention
Usually, when federal agencies are updating their regulations, there are a ton of things. Some changes are simply minimal, and as such, they aren’t relative to the majority of people. We want to present you with the most important updates, so besides the ones we’ve already mentioned, there are a few more that you should know about. When you’re moving from one state to another, like from Michigan to Ohio or Illinois, you need to do everything in your power to choose one of the Top Movers in Detroit. Your safety is priority number one, and moving with licensed companies is the way to go.
So, the list below will show you the rest of the important updates you should know about before moving.
- Allowing the virtual surveys
- Requiring companies to conduct the virtual or in-person survey before giving an estimate
- “Ready to Move?” pamphlet has to be clearly visible on the company’s website
- Information regarding consumer protection has to be provided sooner
Always move with licensed companies!
We know that we have mentioned this a few times throughout this article. But, it is necessary in order to stress the importance of moving with licensed companies. Don’t jeopardize your safety by trusting unlicensed movers. Go to the FMCSA website and do a background check on a certain company. Otherwise, we hope this article on the updates to transportation of household goods regulations has been useful to you. It’s important to follow these updates to know if the company is doing everything by the book or not. We wish you a safe relocation!