The Move Process

With North American Van Lines, you have an entire team to support you throughout your household moving experience. Our training emphasizes a personalized approach, respect, care and attention to detail. Every employee is committed to doing whatever it takes to make your move right.

An Overview of Your Household Move:

Preparation

Your Relocation Consultant is responsible for assessing your moving needs, explaining all your moving service options, and accurately estimating your costs. Your home will be fully surveyed for items that will be moved, and the Relocation Consultant will alert you to items that are not allowed transportation or have special requirements.

Packing and Loading

Your North American Driver and Packer do more than just drive the moving truck and fill in the moving boxes. Drivers and Packers are professional movers in charge of all aspects of physically moving your belongings.

This includes:

• Using protective coverings to protect your home and items
• Preparing a detailed inventory of items to be moved
• Labeling all moving boxes and each piece of furniture with coded stickers to account for every one
• Loading your properly packed and inventoried moving boxes and items into the moving truck
• Providing a Bill of Lading (a shipping contract) authorizing transport of your possessions
• Finally, safely delivering your belongings to your new home

If you cannot be present at the time of loading, you'll need to arrange for a responsible person to act as your agent in signing both the bill of lading and the inventory list.

Inventory/Paperwork

Your Driver will prepare a detailed Inventory & Condition Report of the items you are moving. In addition to tagging every individual carton or piece of furniture with numbered and color-coded labels, the professional movers will record each item and a description of any existing damage on the inventory form. You should accompany the Driver as they prepare the inventory, pointing out any special concerns or handling considerations along the way.

You'll be asked to sign the inventory, as your acknowledgment that the pieces indicated were loaded and as verification of their condition prior to moving. Then, the Driver will sign the form as well and present you with a copy. Keep this inventory with you for use at your new home.

The Driver also will ask you to sign a bill of lading. This is the contract by which you authorize the van line to transport your possessions and agree to pay for those moving services. The Bill of Lading serves to confirm the moving services performed, pickup and delivery schedules, and the valuation and protection plan that you've selected.

Delivery of Your Possessions

It's extremely important for you to contact your move coordinator as soon as you arrive in your new hometown so that final moving arrangements can be made. The Driver will contact you a minimum of 24 hours prior to the expected arrival time of the moving truck to confirm delivery arrangements.

When your shipment arrives, you can help expedite the unloading process by having a room-by-room floor plan in mind. Let the Driver and professional movers know where you want moving boxes and other items placed as they're unloaded and brought into your home.

The Driver and crew of professional movers will reassemble any items they disassembled at origin. You should check items off the Customer Check-Off Sheet as they're brought in, noting their condition. If an item appears to have been damaged while moving or is missing, make a note on the inventory including the Driver's copies and notify your Move Coordinator.

Payment

Unless approved billing or credit arrangements have been made in advance, the Driver is required by law to collect payment for your household move before your shipment can be unloaded. If your shipment is placed in storage, charges up to that point are due at that time. Payment must be made in cash or by certified or cashier's check, travelers' checks or money order payable to North American Van Lines. Many agents also accept credit cards. Personal checks cannot be accepted. A copy of the Bill of Lading signed by the Driver will be your receipt.

Unpacking

If you have requested and paid for unpacking with your moving services, your Move Coordinator will arrange to unpack moving boxes at the time of delivery and will remove used packing materials and moving supplies. Should you choose to unpack your cartons yourself, you'll be responsible for disposing of empty moving boxes, moving supplies and other used materials.