Moving long distances can be a bit scary for some people, especially if you don't know how the process works when you hire professional long-distance movers. Let's calm some of those nerves by learning more about what all goes on.
So, you've found your moving company, you've done your survey, prepped your home for the movers, and made a game plan for everything you're going to do during your move. but what really happens with all of your belongings along the way? How do you know you'll receive everything at the new home potentially hundreds of miles away? Behind the scenes, it's actually pretty easy to keep track of it all when it's done right.
Making Inventories
When the movers are packing your home for a long-distance move, they'll make a packing inventory. As they pack boxes, they will write what room it's from and a brief description of what's inside. At some point, this box will also receive a colored, numbered sticker. That sticker correlates with a number on the inventory sheet. The type of box and contents are listed on that line of the inventory sheet.
Some items might be extra fragile and valuable (like some electronics). Items like this can be put on a separate high-value inventory". These items will have their serial number written on the outside of the box as well as on the inventory sheet.
When the driver is there to load your goods onto the truck, he will also place an inventory sticker on every item that isn't in a box and notate the condition of each item on the inventory next to the corresponding sticker number.
All of these inventories are signed by you and the crew leader, acknowledging that everything on the list, is what the moving company is transporting for you. All of these inventories come in handy throughout your entire move process.
Now your home is all loaded up and the house is empty. What happens to it next?
Transit (and sometimes temporary storage)
Quite often, the driver who loaded your goods onto a trailer will be the same driver who hauls it all across the country and delivers it to your new home.
However, there are loads of reasons your shipment may end up coming off the truck you saw it load into.
Maybe your home didn't have access for an 18-wheeler so a smaller, shuttle truck was needed to bring your goods to the trailer off-site somewhere. Maybe you won't have access to your new home before the driver makes it to your new city, then he'll drop it in warehouse storage and continue on with his deliveries and once you're ready, it will be delivered out of storage. Maybe you're going outside typical trucking lanes or even overseas and your goods need to be crated to go where tractor-trailers don't go.
These are just some of the common reasons why a shipment might need to be transferred or put into temporary storage.
Since transfers like this are common, there is a lot of redundancy to ensure none of your items get lost or mixed up with another shipper's goods.
If your shipment is transferred, those inventories are used. Every item gets checked off as it's loaded off the truck and then checked off again as it goes onto the next truck to ensure nothing is missed.
Now you're in your new city and your new house is ready to become your new home. Call up your movers and arrange your
Delivery
When the movers show up to deliver your goods, they will have those inventories with them (you will also have a carbon copy from when it was all loaded). As your goods are brought into your home, each sticker number will be called out to be checked off on the inventory sheets.
If there are boxes with high-value items inside, they will be opened up so each item can be individually accounted for.
Every piece of furniture will be placed where you want it, with boxes placed in their appropriate rooms.
If you opt for unpacking services, every box will get unloaded and all the debris (packing paper, empty boxes, shrink wrap) will go back onto the truck so you don't have to deal with it.
Now that you know and understand the process, you can rest easy knowing that all your goods will make it safely from point A to point B.