Freight Service
Freight Service is a popular option for people looking to save money on their move. The service is comprised of nothing more than shipping your goods from one place to another. The moving company won’t pack, load, unload or unpack any of your belongings. This represents both a significant savings and a significant amount of extra work for you!
There are two categories of overland freight service, Full Truckload (FTL) and Less Than Truckload (LTL). Can you guess what each represents?
A Full Truckload move means that an entire moving truck will be dedicated to your belongings. This is usually the option you’ll need if you’re packing and moving the content of a large family home. The way it works is that the moving company you hire will drop off a trailer at your house, usually 24 to 48 hours before the move and you get to fill it with everything you want to take with you. The company will then come to pick up the trailer and deliver it to your new location. Then you get to unload everything in another 24 to 48 hours so the company can retrieve their trailer. It’s a lot of work.
If you’re moving an apartment or smaller household, a better (and more environmentally sound!) option is a Less Than Truckload freight service, wherein your belongings will take up only a portion of a trailer. While this saves you money, it can take longer for your items to arrive, because there will be other stops made along the way. Very often moving companies charge a mandatory fee for help placing your items in the truck, as well as unloading. This is because when you’re dealing with the possessions of several people and families, things can get confusing and space is at a premium. Pay up, it’s worth it.
Other types of freight service are:
Air Freight and Sea Freight, which are pretty much what they sound like. If your
move is going to be overseas, you’re obviously stuck with one of these options.
An international move over an ocean is possibly the most expensive type of move
you can attempt – so saving money on the packing and labour can be desirable. That
being said, improper packing can have catastrophic effects on your belongings in
this situation, so unless you’re extremely confident in your packing abilities,
at least a consultation with a professional is a good idea!
A Note on Packing:
It’s going to be up to you to purchase all of your packing materials for a freight
move – you’re moving company can either sell them to you, or recommend to you where
you could get them. When packing boxes makes sure that they are clearly labelled
with your name and NEW address.
Insurance
Having insurance for a freight move is always a good idea as, you, as a non-professional
mover, are more likely to make mistakes in your packing that could lead to damage.
That’s just the way it is. Most companies that offer freight service have standard
insurance plans available, but a little extra never hurt anyone!
At the end of the day, freight service isn’t the right option for everyone, but can be a good way to save some money if you have the time and ability to pack and load your own belongings. Also (and we’ve been waiting to be able to say this for weeks) you might be dealing with a Bill of Lading – so make sure to read up on our posts about those!
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