Moving Industry Glossary: Words You Should Know When Moving

Basic Moving Words

1. Accessorial Services: These are extra things movers do besides just moving your stuff. They might help you pack your boxes, put your furniture back together, or set up your washing machine. Think of these as "add-on" services that make moving easier.

2. Agent: This is a local moving company that works with a big national moving company. It's like how some stores are part of a big chain. The local company follows the rules of the big company but knows your area well.

3. Bill of Lading (BOL): This is a very important paper that works like a receipt for your move. It lists what the movers are taking, where it's going, and how much it costs. Never let your stuff get loaded without getting this paper first!

4. Binding Estimate: This is a promise in writing about how much your move will cost. The price won't go up even if your stuff is heavier than the movers thought. It's like a price guarantee.

5. Carrier: This is just another name for the moving company that will take your things from your old home to your new home.

6. Certificate of Insurance: This is a paper that proves the moving company has insurance. It means if something goes wrong, their insurance will help pay for it.

7. Claim: If something gets broken or lost during your move, you file a claim. This is a way of asking the moving company to pay you back for what was damaged or lost.

8. COD (Cash On Delivery): This means you need to pay the movers before they will unload your things at your new home. They might want cash, a money order, or a cashier's check.

9. Confirmation Number: This is a special number the moving company gives you to keep track of your move. It's like the number you get when you order something online.

10. Consignee: This is the person who will get the stuff at the new home. Usually, this is you!

11. Consignor: This is the person who is sending the stuff. Usually, this is also you!

12. Contract: This is the agreement between you and the moving company. It includes all the paperwork like the bill of lading and explains what everyone has promised to do.

13. Cube Sheet: This is a form movers use to guess how much space your stuff will take up in the truck and how much it might weigh. It helps them figure out how much to charge you.

14. Cubic Foot: This is a way to measure the space your stuff takes up. It's a box that is 1 foot long, 1 foot wide, and 1 foot tall. The more cubic feet your stuff takes up, the more your move will cost.

15. Delivery Spread: This is the range of days when the movers might deliver your stuff. For example, they might say they'll deliver between Monday and Thursday.

16. Destination Agent: This is the local moving company that helps at your new home. They work with the main moving company and know the area where you're moving to.

17. DOT Number: This is a special number that moving companies need to have if they drive between different states. It shows they follow government rules. A real moving company should always have this number.

18. Estimate: This is the moving company's guess about how much your move will cost. They look at how much stuff you have and how far you're moving to figure this out.

19. Expedited Service: This is a special, faster moving service. If you pay extra, the movers promise to pick up and deliver your stuff on exact days you choose.

20. FMCSA: This stands for Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. It's the government group that makes rules for moving companies that drive between states. Good moving companies follow their rules.

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Weight and Measurement Words

21. Gross Weight: This is how much the moving truck weighs with all your stuff in it, plus the truck itself, the boxes, and even the people in the truck.

22. High-Value Article: This is something you own that's worth a lot of money (more than $100 per pound). Things like jewelry, artwork, or fancy electronics. You need to tell the movers about these things specially.

23. Household Goods (HHG): This means all the stuff in your house that will be moved. Your furniture, clothes, dishes, toys, and everything else you're taking with you.

24. Hundredweight (CWT): This is a unit of weight equal to 100 pounds. Moving companies often use this to figure out how much to charge you. If your stuff weighs 3,000 pounds, that's 30 CWT.

25. Inventory: This is a list of all the things the movers are taking. They should write down every box and piece of furniture. Always check this list to make sure everything you're sending is on it.

26. Net Weight: This is how much just your stuff weighs, not counting the truck or the boxes. The moving company uses this to figure out how much to charge you.

27. Order for Service: This is a paper that gives the moving company permission to move your things. It lists what services they'll do and when they'll do them.

28. Overflow: This happens when you have too much stuff to fit in one truck. The extra things need to go on another truck, which might arrive later.

29. PBO (Packed by Owner): This means you packed some boxes yourself instead of having the movers do it. The moving company usually won't pay if something breaks in a box you packed yourself.

30. Scale Ticket: This is a receipt that shows how much the moving truck weighs before and after your stuff is loaded. It helps prove how much your things really weigh.

31. Shuttle Service: Sometimes a big moving truck can't get to your house because the road is too narrow or there are low tree branches. A shuttle service uses a smaller truck to move your things from the big truck to your house.

32. Sticker Inventory System: This is when movers put numbered stickers on all your things and write down what each number is for. It helps make sure nothing gets lost.

33. Tare Weight: This is how much the empty moving truck weighs before any of your stuff is put in it.

34. Weight Ticket: This is an official paper that shows how much your shipment weighs. The moving company uses it to figure out the final price of your move.

Packing and Container Words

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35. Book Carton: This is a small, strong box made for heavy things like books. These boxes are small because books are heavy, and a big box of books would be too heavy to lift.

36. Bubble Wrap: This is plastic wrap with air bubbles in it. Movers wrap fragile things in it to keep them from breaking. It's fun to pop the bubbles, but try to wait until after the move!

37. Cargo: This is all the stuff being moved. Your furniture, boxes, and everything else going to your new home.

38. Carton: This is just another word for a box. Movers often call all boxes "cartons."

39. Crate: This is a special wooden box that movers build around really delicate or expensive things like glass tables or artwork. It gives extra protection.

40. Dish Pack: This is a special box with dividers inside made just for plates, glasses, and other breakable kitchen things. It gives extra protection so things don't break.

41. Dresser Drawer: This is the part of your dresser that pulls out where you keep your clothes. Sometimes movers will let you keep clothes in the drawers during the move instead of packing them in boxes.

42. External Container: This is a big storage box that sits outside your house. You or the movers fill it up, and then it gets taken to your new home or to a storage place.

43. Full-Service Packing: This means the movers pack everything in your house for you. They bring all the boxes and materials and do all the work. This costs extra but saves you a lot of time.

44. Furniture Blanket: This is a thick, heavy blanket that movers wrap around your furniture to protect it from scratches and dents during the move.

45. Furniture Pads: These are thick covers used to protect your furniture from getting scratched or dirty during the move. Movers wrap these around tables, chairs, and other furniture.

46. Mattress Bag: This is a big plastic bag that goes around your mattress to keep it clean and dry during the move. It's like a giant sandwich bag for your bed!

47. Mirror Carton: This is a flat, special box made for moving mirrors, framed pictures, or other flat, fragile things. It helps keep them from breaking.

48. Partial Packing: This is when movers pack some of your things, but you pack the rest yourself. For example, you might pack your clothes and books, but have the movers pack your kitchen dishes.

49. Picture Box: This is a flat box made for framed pictures, mirrors, or other flat things that might break. It's similar to a mirror carton.

50. Portable Storage Container: This is a big box, like a small room, that gets dropped off at your house. You fill it up, and then the company picks it up and takes it to your new home or to storage.

51. Stretch Wrap: This is like plastic food wrap, but stronger. Movers use it to protect furniture and to keep drawers closed during the move.

52. Vaults: These are big wooden or metal containers used to store your things in a warehouse. Your stuff gets put in a vault, and the vault gets stored with other people's vaults.

53. Wardrobe Box: This is a tall box with a metal bar across the top. You can hang clothes on hangers inside it, just like in your closet. It keeps your clothes from getting wrinkled.

Logistics and Transportation Words

54. Accessorial Charges: These are extra fees for special services beyond just moving your stuff from one place to another. Things like packing, unpacking, or moving a piano cost extra.

55. Auto Transport: This is a service where the moving company moves your car along with your household things. Instead of driving your car to your new home, it goes on a special truck.

56. Balloon Freight: These are big but light things that take up a lot of space in the truck but don't weigh much. Things like lamp shades, plastic playground equipment, or artificial plants.

57. Bulky Article: This is something large that needs special handling, like a piano, pool table, hot tub, or big exercise equipment. Movers usually charge extra for these things.

58. Consolidation: This is when the moving company puts your things on a truck with other people's things to save money. This usually means your delivery will take longer.

59. Delivery Window: This is the range of days when your things might be delivered to your new home. For a long-distance move, this might be several days or even a week.

60. Demurrage: These are charges you have to pay if there are delays that aren't the mover's fault. For example, if you aren't ready to accept delivery when the movers arrive.

61. Destination Services: These are things the movers do at your new home, like unpacking boxes or putting furniture together.

62. Diversion: This is when you change where your things are going after they're already on the truck. This usually costs extra money.

63. Exclusive Use: This is a service where your things are the only items on the moving truck. You pay for the whole truck even if your stuff doesn't fill it. This means faster delivery but costs more.

64. Flight Charge: This is an extra fee for carrying your things up or down stairs. The more flights of stairs, the more it costs.

65. Fuel Surcharge: This is an extra fee that moving companies add to cover the cost of gas. When gas prices go up, this charge goes up too.

66. In-Transit Storage: This is when your things need to be stored somewhere for a while during the move, before they get to your new home.

67. Line Haul Charges: This is the basic cost of transportation based on how much your stuff weighs and how far it's going. It's the main part of your moving cost.

68. Long Carry: This is when movers have to carry your things a long way from the truck to your house. If the truck can't park close to your house, you might have to pay this extra fee.

69. Military Move: This is a move for someone in the military. These moves follow special rules and the government often pays for them.

70. Origin Agent: This is the local moving company that helps at your old home. They work with the main moving company and know your area well.

71. Origin Services: These are things the movers do at your old home, like packing or taking apart furniture.

72. Peak Season: This is the busiest time for moving, usually summer months when kids are out of school. Moving costs more during peak season because so many people are moving.

73. Pickup Spread: This is the range of days when the movers might come to get your things. For example, they might say they'll come between Monday and Wednesday.

74. Piggyback Service: This is when the moving truck itself gets put on a train for part of the journey. The truck drives to a train station, goes on the train, and then drives again at the other end.

75. Rocket Service: This is a super-fast moving service. Your things get delivered very quickly, but it costs a lot more money.

76. Seasonal Rates: These are higher prices that moving companies charge during busy times of the year, usually summer. You'll pay more to move in July than in January.

77. Self-Move: This is when you rent a truck and do all the moving yourself instead of hiring movers. It's cheaper but means a lot more work for you.

78. Shuttle Fee: This is the charge for using a smaller truck to get your things from the big moving truck to your house when the big truck can't get close enough.

79. Split Pickup/Delivery: This is when the movers pick up or drop off your things at more than one place. For example, they might pick up some things from your house and some from a storage unit.

80. Storage-in-Transit (SIT): This is when your things need to be stored temporarily during your move. Maybe your new house isn't ready yet, but you had to leave your old one.

81. Straight Move: This is when your things go directly from your old home to your new home without being stored anywhere in between.

82. Tariff: This is the complete list of all the moving company's rates and charges. It's like a big menu of prices. The company has to follow these prices by law.

83. Third-Party Services: These are services done by companies other than your moving company. For example, if a special company has to come take apart your pool table.

84. Transportation Charges: These are the costs for actually moving your things from one place to another. It doesn't include extra services like packing.

Insurance and Liability Words

85. Actual Cash Value: This is what your things are worth right now, not what you paid for them. For example, a 5-year-old TV is worth less than a new one.

86. Arbitration: This is a way to solve disagreements without going to court. If you and the moving company can't agree about a claim, a neutral person can help decide what's fair.

87. Basic Carrier Liability: This is the minimum protection movers must give you for free. It only pays 60 cents per pound per item if something breaks. That means a 10-pound TV would only get $6 even if it's worth much more!

88. Declared Value: This is the total value of all your things as you tell it to the movers. It's important to be honest about this for insurance reasons.

89. Deductible: This is the amount of money you have to pay before insurance starts paying. For example, if you have a $250 deductible and $1,000 in damages, you pay $250 and insurance pays $750.

90. Depreciated Value: This is how much something is worth after it gets older. Things lose value as they age, like a car or furniture. A 10-year-old couch is worth less than when it was new.

91. Exclusions: These are things that moving insurance won't cover, no matter what. Common exclusions are money, jewelry, or things you packed yourself.

92. Full Replacement Value Protection: This is the best insurance for your move. If something breaks, the movers have to fix it, replace it with the same item, or give you enough money to replace it yourself.

93. Full-Value Protection: This is good insurance that makes the movers fix or replace anything they damage. It costs extra but protects your things much better than basic coverage.

94. Limited Liability: This means the moving company only has to pay a small amount if your things get damaged or lost. Unless you pay for better protection, movers usually have very limited liability.

95. Negligence: This means someone didn't take proper care and that caused damage. If movers are negligent (like dropping a box marked "Fragile"), they are responsible for the damage.

96. Released Value: This is the basic, minimum protection for your things during a move. It only pays 60 cents per pound per article if something breaks. It's included in your moving cost but doesn't provide much protection.

97. Replacement Value: This is the cost to buy a new item of similar kind and quality to replace something that was damaged or lost. For example, if your 3-year-old microwave breaks, replacement value would pay for a new, similar microwave.

98. Third-Party Insurance: This is insurance you buy from a company that isn't your moving company. Some people buy this for extra protection during their move.

99. Valuation: This is how much your shipment is worth and what level of protection you choose for your things during the move. Basic valuation is 60 cents per pound, but you can pay for better protection.

100. Waiver: This is a paper you sign that gives up certain rights. For example, you might sign a waiver saying you won't hold the movers responsible for damage to things you packed yourself.

Special Moving Words

101. ATA: This stands for American Trucking Association. They check and approve professional moving companies. If a mover is ATA certified, they've met certain quality standards.

102. AMSA: This stands for American Moving and Storage Association. It's a group that many moving companies belong to. They have rules members must follow to protect customers.

103. Crating and Uncrating: This is the process of building a special wooden box around delicate items for the move, and then taking the box apart at the new home. This gives extra protection for very fragile or valuable things.

104. Debris Removal: This is a service where movers take away all the empty boxes, packing paper, and other trash after they unpack your things at your new home.

105. Facilities Access: This refers to any problems with getting into or out of a building during a move. For example, if an elevator is too small or a doorway is too narrow.

106. Guaranteed Price: This is a promise that your moving cost won't go up, even if your things weigh more or you need more services than expected. It gives you peace of mind about the final cost.

107. Hoisting: This is when movers have to use special equipment to lift things through windows or over balconies because they won't fit through doors. This often happens with big couches or pianos.

108. ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission): This was a government group that used to make rules for moving companies that drive between states. Now the FMCSA does this job.

109. Liftgate: This is a platform on the back of some trucks that moves up and down. It helps movers load heavy things when there isn't a loading dock.

110. Long-Term Storage: This is when your things stay in a storage facility for more than 90 days. This might happen if your new home isn't ready yet or if you're moving abroad.

111. PODS (Portable On Demand Storage): This is a brand name for containers that get dropped off at your house. You fill them up, and then the company moves them to your new home or to storage.

112. Pro Number: This is a tracking number for your shipment, like the tracking number for a package. You can use it to check where your things are during the move.

113. ProMover: This is a special certification that good moving companies can earn. It shows they follow high standards and treat customers fairly.

114. Recurring Shipments: These are regular moves of the same items between the same places. For example, a company might move display booths to different trade shows.

115. Reweigh: This is when the moving company weighs your shipment again to make sure they got the right weight the first time. You can ask for a reweigh if you think they made a mistake.

116. Rigging: This is using special equipment and techniques to move extremely heavy or awkward items like pianos, safes, or large machinery. It usually costs extra.

117. Space Reservation: This is when you pay to reserve a certain amount of space on a moving truck. It guarantees there will be room for all your things.

118. Survey: This is when a mover comes to your home before the move to look at all your things. They use this visit to estimate how much your move will cost.

119. White Glove Service: This is the fanciest, most careful moving service. Movers wear white gloves to keep everything clean, and they provide extra services like unpacking, arranging furniture, and removing all packing materials.

120. Zip Code Surcharge: This is an extra fee for moves to certain zip codes. Places that are hard to get to or in very expensive areas might have this extra charge.