How to Calculate a Local Move

The first and most exclusive factor in determining your local moving cost is the actual weight of your shipment.  Cubic feet are equally important and in many types of long distance, and international moves especially important.  The relationship between cubic feet and actual weight of a shipment is perhaps a subject of much debate in the moving and storage business, but generally speaking the weight of your shipment for a local move is roughly calculated based on seven pounds per estimated cubic foot of your total shipment. 

In order to estimate the weight of your shipment we must first know the cubic feet.  Not rocket science really, just old fashioned moving technology.  In order to measure the cubic feet and determine the weight of the shipment a detailed inventory must first be taken.  An estimator typically has a table of measurements or ‘cube sheet’ which he or she will check off items from as they walk through your home and count.

 The estimate you receive from a qualified 
on-site professional moving consultant is 
generally the most accurate and 
best way to measure your shipment.

The Table of Measurements is nearly universal and each type of item in your home is pre-designated a standard number.  For instance a kitchen or dining chair is normally counted as 5 cubic feet, a dining table 30, a washer or dryer 25… Notice how Professional Moving Boxes all have their cubic feet printed on them. 

Many movers today have database backed websites and hand held computers with user friendly inventory forms which calculate the cubic feet and weight for you right there.  It takes a lot of practice and a few bumps along the road for a good estimator to become a good estimator, and the wiz-kid with the tech-mate doesn’t always do as well as the veteran with a clipboard.

One thing you must know as a novice inventory taker is you have to be extra careful not to undercount.  Padding your own estimate (especially if you haven’t packed the boxes yet) can be helpful in these situations.  The average undercount we have seen of unpacked boxes by a shipper is typically around 30 - 50%.  A good estimator will take this into account when they provide a telephone or email quote based on your self-inventory and encourage you to update them once you are all packed.

Why take your own inventory?  Why not?  If you are looking to pay for a service you really need to know what you are paying for and what it is or should be costing you.  Always do your best to over-estimate and over-budget if you can, and with any luck have a budget friendly moving day.  If you are on a tight budget especially, do as much of the work as you can, and like many local moving clients just have the movers move mostly just the big stuff if you are able.  Most folks weighing this option verses renting a U-haul and doing the whole thing themselves find this a budget and back friendly venture.  Partial moves go fast, and when all the ‘chowder’ is out of the way and packed nicely in boxes, the movers should be smiling.  

 

Now let’s do some counting -  where do we start? 

Let’s make this as simple as possible and start with a blank piece of paper.  First, we count the rooms up in the house.  We include the garage or basement, the patio, shed and front porch.  Let’s say our house is 1400 sq. ft and we have a living room, kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms, patio, an office and garage.  Okay, we have 8 rooms to count.  Now we take the blank piece of paper and section it off into 8 squares.  We look up, over, around, under, and behind, and we picture every little thing that will fit into a box.  Imagine a box the size of 20” television set or go down to Uhaul and buy a bundle of 3.0 cft. (medium boxes) and get a better visual.  Do your best to mentally fill each box with all the loose items which must be packed…books, knick knacks, dishes, towels, linen, pillows; everything that is not furniture.  Oh yes, and please don’t pack the books in the 3 cubes, they should only go in 1.5 cubic foot (book cartons) or equivalent. More on packing tips here.

One room at a time count every box and every furniture item until each of the 8 squares on your paper is full of inventory then check it and double check it.  Don’t forget to add some boxes to your count just for good measure, if you’re not sure, just double whatever you think it is. You can always subtract later after you are all packed up. 

Now that we have our list of items to move let’s go back to the computer and plug them into the moving calculator.  When we are finished we find a total of 73 assorted furniture items and around 60 boxes - give or take 15 or 20.  We end up with these calculations:

Total Cubic Feet		1210
Total Weight (lbs)		8470
Total # Pieces		133

So what does weight and cubic feet have to do with a local move that is charged exclusively by the hour in most cases? 

Knowing the weight of the shipment is the best way to start to judge the amount of time the move will require. Sometimes more importantly how many trucks or trips you will need.  For instance, we know that the typical high cube 24’ bobtail truck will hold up to 10,000 lbs. of household goods.  10,000 lbs. can be a stretch for most shipments and in many cases it is difficult to get 9,000 lbs. safely loaded into your typical 24’ truck.  Although, ‘Superhuman’ feats in the moving business do happen every day – you should never count on them.

"They just kept packing the truck….
and it never seemed to fill up!  Amazing! 
I have never seen anything like it before in my life!”

I can’t remember how many times I have heard these words or something to their effect after a grinding morning of wondering myself if it would all fit.  Every mover has a story that sounds something just like this.  “Hero for the day” maybe… or more often the joke on the truck was always, “Man of the Minute.”

Now that we know what the weight of the shipment is we have something to work with to estimate time.   For this example we are going to use a normal access location at both origin and destination.  We are moving from San Jose up to Marin today so we really have to take our time and make sure it all fits. Everything must be wrapped and stacked perfectly and our truck will be full when we are done. 

Estimating can be a bit like driving in the sense we have to pay attention to the miles per hour, or in this case, pounds per hour.  In my experience throughout the years, I find that a good local moving team with normal access will move an average of 1,000 pounds per hour per man each way from the house to the truck and from the truck back to the house.  We know that loading a FULLY packed truck will often slow this process down by as much as 50% however, the un-loading is most always faster in normal conditions; so it is our law of averages.   

For the sake of using round numbers we are going with 8,500 lbs. Your shipment is average stuff, not ultra luxury, but still needs to be protected properly.  I say this because we aren’t adding any extra time for extra fine and bulky ‘Danville furniture’ that takes a little more effort to guarantee no damage along the way.  In addition all of your furniture items are pretty straight forward without extensive dis-assembly or re-assembly to be done. Normal dis-assembly / re-assembly like removing bed frames from headboards, mirrors from dressers, and hutch-tops are all considered normal.

We have normal access at both locations, meaning there are not more than a flight of stairs at either location, or a walk (long carry) of more than 75’ at either location, and not including any elevator access.  Oh yes, and lets not forget weather permitting or if I failed to consider any other unforeseen and time costly contingencies.

Here is our calculation for the 3 man crew loading and unloading time only:

8500 lbs. x 2 = 17,000 divided by 3,000 lbs per hour = 5.67 hrs. 

Remember: this is a best case scenario as far as access, assembly requirements, and you certainly must be packed and ready to go when the movers show up to your door.

When it comes to driving time, think about 

how slow your grandmother drove 

just before she couldn’t drive anymore at all.   

The loaded moving van may not always arrive as fast as Grandma.  

When moving companies charge double drive time, it’s not double what you take to drive, but what it takes the loaded truck to drive from the old place to the new.  With a loaded truck especially, the movers have to be sure to avoid all the pot-holes and maintain a safe and reasonable speed to ensure the safety of your shipment, the movers on the truck, and the public as well.  Some movers have chosen to discard the "double drive time" method of calculating charges replaced by a flat set up fee + the actual time (Starting at your door) to complete the move.  I believe this to be the most straight-forward and honest way to provide local moving services, not to mention an easy to calculate bill.  Certainly there are many ways to peel a banana, but this way seems to be the best I’ve seen.

What if I have an elevator?  Stairs?  or Long carry?

These factors all decrease the amount of pounds per hour per man; some are measureable while others are not so easily measured.   For instance if you are moving into a large apartment building with a small elevator on a Saturday, you may find yourself in what is commonly referred to as “elevator heck” something much like the ‘parking lot’ on the bay bridge on Monday morning.  Situations like these and others make the local moving estimate a difficult if not impossible calculation, and unforeseen contingencies like non-exclusive use of the elevator should always be considered.    

This is probably why I think I have most likely chased off hundreds of customers over the years with the facts when they really just wanted to hear something less expensive, I suppose.  At the end of the day, as a salesperson I am happiest when the client’s costs fall within or below my ballpark quote. And perhaps, contrary to popular belief, most movers at least the ones I have known, actually live and breathe for those happy smiling faces and praise for a job well done.  Getting paid fairly always helps them too.

I hope this article was helpful for you, and wish you all the best in your upcoming moving adventures.  

Please know that a doing a self-inventory and pre-move inspection of your own access and packing needs is never advisable for shippers with full service needs and you should never ever count exclusively on a phone quote for a long-distance or international move.  

What I mean to say is you can never beat the experience of an onsite estimate done by a qualified moving professional.  The tips and techniques I have listed above are a partial list of the many variables that may be associated with your move and are meant for you to have a greater understanding of the process.  This is not an endorsement of any single estimator who does not provide on-site estimates, however, as I stated before, if you are able to assist with your own move and/or you are just looking for certain items of unwieldy nature to be moved and you have completely packed all of the boxes you want the movers to move; the likelihood of finding a discount mover over the phone or email who will provide you a great service are highly probable and in many situations quite economical as well.

Best wishes, and happy packing,
Mike



E-book coming soon:  “The Anatomy of a Move”  
Secrets of the Moving & Storage industry revealed.

Mike T. Mover 

Independent Relocation Consultant
& Small Business Development Specialist

Copyright 2009 all rights reserved

THE ANATOMY OF A LOCAL MOVING ESTIMATE

A Comparison of Your 3 Best Options: 

                        Flat Rate vs. Flat Hourly Rate vs. DITY

Once again, the time has come to get your move on.  Along with all the many various, and sometimes menial tasks you have just been inundated with - you must soon figure out how you are going to get all of your stuff from the old place to the new one.  Like many folks in your shoes you may be debating on hiring a mover at the same time as weighing in the unlikely prospects of a DITY or do-it-yourself move.


After reading a few moving company horror stories or experiencing one or more of your own you may be concerned that an hourly move might reach beyond what you have budgeted. You look around, and you find variations of the two best types of local moving quotes: a Flat Rate quote and a Flat Hourly Rate quote.  After a measure of due dilligence you are still left undecided. Both of the two quotes you like best assure you of no hidden fees or difficult calculations.


Flat Rate estimators often have to be more detailed in the questions they ask. Because their phone surveys are usually more detail oriented they commonly have you walk through your house and meticulously list everything to be moved. Get ready for a long conversation and a little bit of work on your part.  Some may even have you walk around your house with a tape measure and pace the distance from the closest big truck parking to your door at both locations. This process can be exhausting and may take up to two hours or more for a large house move.

Flat Hourly Rate estimators will certainly depend on your ability to describe in detail the actual amount of things you have to move, how close they can park the Big Moving Truck to your door, the amount of outside stairs to your unit or inside flights of your home, etc.  If you are able to be fairly accurate with regards to all of the items you need moved as well as the truck access at origin and destination there is a really good chance that the experienced estimator can give you a quick and accurate, Flat Hourly quote. 

Without ever leaving their desk, the real pros can, and often do provide their potential Shipper an accurate quote which should include of all the variable additional costs should the scope of service change. 


Unfortunately, the devil is always in the details and when it comes to moving there certainly are more details and variables than most can imagine.  For the average person in this highly regulated environment of multiple tariff directives and multiple calculations, the details may sometimes seem overwhelming, deceptive and downright confusing.


             Moving Estimates can be
  a lot like golfing: 

 
“Most often times the pros will birdie yet there are still some times when...

  WE BOGEY!"

It is illegal in California and other states, for any moving company(Carrier) or it's representative to give an estimate to a potential client(Shipper) when the quote is represented as a Flat Rate or Binding Cost or Guaranteed Not-to-Exceed Price, or to even use the word ESTIMATE in their quick quote or “guesstimate” to you (the Shipper) without first transporting themselves to your location and physically looking at what you have to move.  

The biggest problem for the moving companies with this requirement is that small local moves that are typically 1,000 - 5,000 lbs. (Studio, 1, and 2 bedroom apartments), generally don't generate enough revenue to support the costs of providing an on-site estimate.  

With Flat Hourly Rate Movers, the bigger 3 - 5 bedroom moves may also be quoted quickly and within a reasonable ballpark over the telephone if you are self-packing and/or moving many of your own boxes. In order to receive a reasonably accurate quick quote you must first know your actual box count within 20-30 of the actual boxes to be accurate. Make sure you supply an accurate basic furniture inventory to your estimator (tape measure typically not required), and if you have normal access at all your from and to locations, a good estimator asking the right questions over the phone should be able to get within a 15% average margin for error even on a bad day.  

No estimate is truly infallible and even the best estimators have REALLY BAD DAYS.

The largest of moving companies and some of the small one’s can afford to hire salespeople/estimators to answer their phones and/or email. These folks typically sit at a computer and add values to database fields while chatting you up, and taking your moving information. When they are done with the data entry the software totals everything up for them, and in many cases does most of the work for them. Many of these salespeople/estimators are very good at what they do and hundreds of thousands of tons of household goods are moved every year successfully and accurately for Shippers who depend on them.

Many of the smaller moving companies may not have these resources.  The worst part of this is that one or more of the many critical elements which encompass the anatomy of your moving estimate are often times missed or left out for whatever reason.  And when a small time operator is trying to do customer service without admin or sales support things can get real ugly real fast. 

A combination of errors by estimators and misrepresentations by shippers on telephone/email quotes and even visual estimates/orders for service are the most common causes of contract disputes on moving day.   

Contract disputes can be just as common with visual pre-move surveys as they are with phone orders...

depending on the parties involved. 

Avoiding these critical pitfalls is the responsibility not only of the estimator, but also the moving crew.  It is the responsibility of the shipper to answer all questions honestly and provide full disclosure with regards to critical information, much of which is included in this article. 

This is true with all moves, however, if you have a good Flat Hourly Rate moving crew at an honest and competitive rate with no hidden fees, the list of mistakes that can be made by either the consumer or the estimator most often times will cost the consumer considerably less than the additional variable costs calculated by a Flat Rate mover in the very same scenario.  

At the end of the day you can end up paying way more than you budgeted with either a Flat Rate move or a Flat Hourly Rate Mover and for the most common reasons below:

1.   You (the Shipper) replied with an under-count of one or more of the many questions you were asked.

2.   The moving company representative didn’t ask all the right questions resulting in an under-count.

If a dispute occurs prior to the move, here is what typically happens: 

The driver or other company representative will have to explain the difference in the scope of service provided in the "quote" or visual estimate given by the estimator and the actual service requested on moving day.  It is the responsibility of the mover to inform the customer at this point, prior to loading the shipment.  The worst situation for everyone is where the communication between the shipper, the moving team, and the company representative fails which more often than not is presumably the fault of the moving team for not going over the paperwork properly and performing a complete walk-through and quote verification before beginning the service. 
          
          There are several               exceptions to this presumption- 
                              Some are listed below:

• Shipper adds items from the "not to be moved list" to the "to be moved list" after agreeing to the initial guaranteed price and scope of service.

• Details of the destination access are not disclosed or differ from the description in any way other than what is disclosed to the mover upon booking the order for service.

• Other additional services are ordered which require one or more change orders for service.

Invariably if the moving team or representative cannot solve the dispute; the first question for the referee, who is initially the owner or manager of the moving company, is often: “whose fault is this?" or "who is telling the truth?" or "which version of the truth is really the whole truth?” etc.

Regardless of the final resolution; in situations where we find ourselves at an impasse in negotiations, the moving company most often losses even if the consequences are as minimal as loosing the shipper's future and referral business. However, since the dawn of the information era, the educated consumer has rapidly been afforded more and more of an arsenal of defense. The consumer can ultimately cause severe damage to the business of the moving company, and may ultimately become a catalyst for destroying many hopes of new business online and in the real world. 

As moving companies become more aware of these facts you will certainly find that even many of the less reputable moving companies will be more likely to negotiate fairly with you.

Some of the most difficult experiences movers face today, focus around the inflexible system of new consumer protection laws as well as the internet (blogging, website production, and even on yelp) which opens wide Double Doors to dishonest or "professional shippers" and unscrupulous competitors to get away with so much more than ever before.

Although you may never read these stories. Dishonest people rip-off moving companies all the time.  Small time operators suffer tremendously over the mistakes of booking business with these types of individuals.

In addition to these age old pitfalls and many new regulations,  we also live in an era of much greater population and cultural diversity than any other time in history. With greater masses of different kinds of people we all too often seem to find communication breakdowns for a multitude of various moving situations. 

Communication breakdowns may originate from either side.  The emotional and financial stresses often compound, and make moving close to the top of the all time high stress situations you may ever yourself yourself in.  Imagine for a minute how many stressed out people your mover deals with every day.  Then add that to the environment of over-regulation and cost prohibitive growth that is outlined in 'The Anatomy of A California Local Move'. Got Maalox?

Thankfully, most folks we meet are good honest and friendly people.

If you want to know how to accurately count your costs for your move using some basic fundamental tools still used by pros today, contact me and I can help show you exactly how it is done.  

Thank you for reading my blog, and please remember this when it comes to YOUR MOVE: 

Be informed, and know what you are paying for. Only then may you truly judge the service you receive.  


E-book coming soon:  “The Anatomy of a Move”  
Secrets of the Moving & Storage industry revealed.

Mike T. Mover 

Independent Relocation Consultant
& Small Business Development Specialist

Copyright 2009 all rights reserved




        When it's your turn to move...

            Experience is the one factor

    you can't FULLY measure

                     Until moving day.

     And that may be TOO LATE for you!