Delivery of My Shipment

May my mover ask me to sign a delivery receipt purporting to release it from liability?

At the time of delivery, your mover will expect you to sign a receipt for your shipment. Normally, you will sign each page of your mover’s copy of the inventory. Your mover’s delivery receipt or shipping document must not contain any language purporting to release or discharge it or its agents from liability.

Your mover may include a statement about your receipt of your property in apparent good condition, except as noted on the shipping documents.

Do not sign the delivery receipt if it contains any language purporting to release or discharge your mover or its agents from liability. Strike out such language before signing, or refuse delivery if the driver or mover refuses to provide a proper delivery receipt.

What is the maximum collect-on-delivery amount my mover may demand I pay at the time of delivery?

On a binding estimate, the maximum amount is the exact estimate of the charges, plus the cost of any additional services that you requested after the contract was executed that were not included in the estimate, and any charges for impracticable operations, not to exceed 15 percent of all other charges due at delivery. Your mover must specify on the estimate, order for service, and bill of lading the form of payment acceptable to it (for example, a certified check).

On a non-binding estimate, the maximum amount is 110 percent of the approximate costs, plus the cost of any additional services that you requested after the contract was executed that were not included in the estimate, and any charges for impracticable operations, not to exceed 15 percent of all other charges due at delivery. Your mover must specify on the estimate, order for service, and bill of lading the form of payment acceptable to it (for example, cash).

If my shipment is transported on more than one vehicle, what charges may my mover collect at delivery?

Although all movers try to move each shipment on one truck, it becomes necessary at times to divide a shipment among two or more trucks. This frequently occurs when an automobile is included in the shipment and it is transported on a vehicle specially designed to transport automobiles. When this occurs, your transportation charges are the same as if the entire shipment moved on one truck.

If your shipment is divided for transportation on two or more trucks, the mover may require payment for each portion as it is delivered.

Your mover may delay the collection of all the charges until the entire shipment is delivered, at its discretion, not yours. When you order your move, you should ask the mover about its policies in this regard.

If my shipment is partially lost or destroyed, what charges may my mover collect at delivery?

Movers customarily make every effort to avoid losing, damaging, or destroying any of your items while your shipment is in their possession for transportation. However, despite the precautions taken, articles are sometimes lost or destroyed during the move.

In addition to any money you may recover from your mover to compensate for lost or destroyed articles, you may also recover the transportation charges represented by the portion of the shipment lost or destroyed. Your mover may only apply this paragraph to the transportation of household goods. Your mover may disregard this paragraph if loss or destruction was due to an act or omission by you. Your mover must require you to pay any specific valuation charge due.

If you pack a hazardous material (for example, gasoline, aerosol cans, motor oil) and your shipment is partially lost or destroyed by fire in storage or in the mover’s trailer, your mover may require you to pay for the full cost of transportation.

If your mover chooses, it may first collect its freight charges for the entire shipment. At the time your mover disposes of claims for loss, damage, or injury to the articles in your shipment, it must refund the portion of its freight charges corresponding to the portion of the lost or destroyed shipment (including any charges for accessorial or terminal services).

Your mover is forbidden from collecting, or requiring you to pay, any freight charges (including any charges for accessorial or terminal services) when your household goods shipment is totally lost or destroyed in transit, unless the loss or destruction was due to an act or omission by you.

How must my mover calculate the charges applicable to the shipment as delivered?

Your mover must multiply the percentage corresponding to the delivered shipment times the total charges applicable to the shipment tendered by you to obtain the total charges it must collect from you.

If your mover’s computed charges exceed the charges otherwise applicable to the shipment as delivered, the lesser of those charges must apply. This will apply only to the transportation of your household goods.

Your mover must require you to pay any specific valuation charge due.

Your mover may not refund the freight charges if the loss or destruction was due to an act or omission by you. For example, you fail to disclose to your mover that your shipment contains perishable live plants. Your mover may disregard its loss or destruction of your plants, because you failed to inform your mover you were transporting live plants.

Your mover must determine, at its own expense, the proportion of the shipment, based on actual or constructive weight, not lost or destroyed in transit.

Your rights are in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other rights you may have with respect to your shipment of household goods your mover lost or destroyed, or partially lost or destroyed, in transit. This applies whether or not you have exercised your rights provided above.