You always have a choice how to spend your money – however, we don’t always consider with WHOM are we spending our money. What are our spending choices supporting? Does our money support things we believe in, or does it support business practices that are detrimental to our society?

I ask this question in all seriousness as related to the moving industry. As a moving company who takes pride in how we treat our employees, when a dollar is spent with us, fair labor practices are being supported. The moving industry is famous for paying workers (often not employees) “under the table.”

There are many economic and ethical reasons why this is problematic – however there is one in particular to consider. While yes, these workers are not paying taxes, and, yes, these workers are not receiving benefits, the point that is often overlooked is that if these workers get hurt on the job – moving pianos is brutal on one’s back – they are not covered by worker’s compensation. They are essentially left to fend for themselves because their medical treatment will not be covered, and they will be unable to work and unable to receive worker’s compensation.

In worst case scenarios, this can lead to a nasty cycle of poverty as many workers who are paid under the table are those who are not financially stable. So the next time you choose your mover, have them verify that they have employees (not workers or “lumpers”) who are covered by worker’s compensation. Their payroll company should be able to verify this.

While it’s an extra step, it means a lot to be responsible for the social impact of your money.

Put your money where your values are.

In these “tough” economic times, many folks who need to move believe their best bet to save money is to move themselves, instead of using a professional mover. However when you think of everything that goes into a move, you realize the true cost of moving yourself.

First, there’s renting a truck, renting a truck is always more than you think – especially once you add in the cost of insurance, fuel, and equipment. And then there’s a decent possibility (especially in the summer at the end of the month), that when you go to pick up your rental truck the day of the move they simply cannot find your reservation and do not have any trucks available (we have had many a client call us last minute in a panic because this happened to them.) You also have to hope that the truck is in good condition. Unfortunately several truck rental companies are known for their poor maintenance which, worse case scenario, can leave you stranded on the side of the highway – not a pretty picture.

Second, there’s the back breaking “labor” portion that you may try to do yourself, or where you will most likely try to enlist friends. Now if you try to do it yourself, may your friends bless you, because your back won’t – what’s the cost of regular visits to a good chiropractor, or worse back surgery? Nevermind the time and energy lost in pain. There’s a reason we have to train our crews on how to lift awkward heavy items. Now if you enlist friends, just remember, you owe them. BIG time. So all the hours they helped you, know that your turn and time will come to reciprocate. There’s no such thing as “Free” help – and no, the pizza and beer is not going to cut it.

Third, you break it, you pay for it. Literally. If there is damage to your belongings, there is no one to point a finger to except for you. No one will help you fix (or pay for) your scratched wood floors of the house you are moving out of, or perhaps worse, the house you are moving into (depending on your spouse’s wrath or forgiveness.) And you had better hope that great grandma’s china is still intact. Because one thing that TRUE trained professional movers know how to do – they know how to protect belongings and load belongings into a truck in such a way that there is minimal to no damage. This is a real deal skill that most lay people do not have. And, if the movers break it, and you’ve chosen valuation, then you’re golden (no spousal wrath – yeah!)

So next time you think “I’m going to move myself, it’s so much cheaper” – at minimum add the real cost of a (hopefully reliable) rental truck and equipment, add the cost of a back specialist (no, really), add the hours you need to give back to your friends, and add the cost to refinish the wood floors or replace the glass in your coffee table.

Now imagine, you have hired a TRUE professional mover, you have paid a bit more up front and you get to lay back, drink your favorite beverage and point to where you would like your belongings placed in your new home. This IS Peace of Mind, All in One Piece.

Dear Readers – this is a bit off the topic of moving – but important to share.

In my many years of running Exodus Moving & Storage, there have been several times when we have been asked to provide an “all-white” moving crew or “non-Mexican” movers. This has horrified me to my core. And we have told these customers that we cannot honor their request.

What I can honor is that every effort is made to provide my customers with a moving crew of gentlemen. Exodus’ movers are background checked, drugscreened, trained and legal. I can also say that they have passed the gut check of – “would I feel okay having this person in my home around my young daughter?”

We do require our movers to speak English. This is not only for communication with customers, but also for safety reasons – for example when two movers are moving a piano, they have to be able to communicate to one another.

I fear that in these “tough economic times” many businesses might let their ethics slide and bow to racist customer requests in order to get the job, and the income. You can rest assured that our ethics will not bow and that we are proud of our diverse team.

So you want to store your belongings – maybe you just have a few items or a whole household full, maybe you simply need to make some room in your home to stage it for selling or perhaps you have inherited items and haven’t decided where to put in your home. Sometimes students need a place just for the summer to store their “stuff.” Storage really runs the gammit. I know of one gentleman whose wife made him store his comic book collection because it was so enormous. Here are some of your options :

Self Storage: Self Storage is the buildings you see around town with many garages. Each garage is its own separate storage area. They usually have several different size options. The nice thing about self storage is that you can access your belongings as often as you want to. The disadvantage is that they are often not climate controlled and I have heard horror stories of mold and vermin infestation.

Pods: Pods are portable units/boxes that are brought to your home so that you can load your belongings into them. These have become a popular option for many as they provide additional on-site home storage meaning you don’t have to travel to access your belongings. This is perfect if you are remodeling your home or need short term home storage. This is not recommended for moving belongings simply because the mechanism used to drop and lift the Pod box is rather rough. Also the trucks that transport these Pods are a rough ride because they do not have the air ride that moving trucks have. I also would imagine that for most of us who live in towns and cities it would not be ideal to have a Pod in front of our home for a long period of time, simply because it would be an eye sore to our neighbors. These are also not climate controlled.

Climate Controlled Warehouse: Climate controlled warehouse storage is ideal for your most precious belongings – electronics, antiques, art, woods and leathers are all well protected in this environment because they do not go through the extremes of heat and cold. You don’t have to worry about vermin, mold, cracking, or stretching. Most belongings are kept in what’s called a Climate Controlled Vault which is essentially a large wooden box that can hold about a room’s worth of furniture. This type of storage is very secure as there is often an alarm system as well as additional types of security. The one disadvantage to climate controlled storage is that you cannot access your belongings frequently – well you can, but there is usually a fee associated with accessing your belongings as they have to use a forklift and labor to “pull” your vault, open it and return it. This is an excellent option if you are between homes, staging a home, building a home, headed for international travel or any instance where you will not need to access your items often. Exodus Moving & Storage provides this type of storage.

48’ Trailer, 20’ or 40’ Ocean Containers: These storage options are similar to Pods however they can be stored in front of your home or in the company’s “yard” (hence causing no stress to your neighbors!) 48’ Trailers are what you see hooked up to semis going down the road. On average they can usually fit a full 4-5 bedroom household – so they are advantageous for their size. They are also excellent because your belongings do not need to be handled twice during a move. Movers come and load your belongings into the trailer, which is then stored until you request delivery. This is also a “softer” option than the Pods for belongings in transit because the storage unit does not need to be dropped and lifted. The 20’ and 40’ Ocean containers are the metal boxes you see in shipping yards. These are excellent smaller options to the 48’ Trailer and also do not require double handling. The disadvantage to these options is that they are not climate controlled and they are not easily accessible. Exodus Moving & Storage provides these storage option as well.

Say What? Are they speaking a different language? How many times have you thought this while overhearing someone? Moving crews are no different, our move experts work to have clear and concise communication with our clientele, however they certainly have a language of their own when talking with each other.

When first coming into the moving industry, I thought, I could have used a “mover – pedia” to get me in the loop. Here is the short and dirty of “mover lingo” I have learned over time:
Van Line – a national, corporate moving company
Long Haul – a move going across state lines
Local Move – a move originating and ending within 100 miles
Back Haul – when a truck is coming back from making a delivery, the load back is a “back haul”
Piggy Back – putting two or more move loads on the same truck
Shipper – the customer moving goods
Lumper – sub contracted mover, not full time / payroll employee
Chowder – filler, the light and small items that can be used to fill open spaces in the truck
Can – a storage container that can be loaded on the back of a flat bed trailer to be moved, delivered, or loaded on site
Hump Strap – a large, extremely thick strap used by a mover to disperse an items weight through shoulders and body
Lift Gate – a truck that has a motored gate on the back that allows for lifting of extremely heavy items
High and Tight – packing a truck to the very top and tight for maximum capacity
Floating – loading the truck’s floor only with goods when plenty of space, quicker than packing high and tight.
Dolly (appliance) – a two wheeled dolly that is weight able for large / heavy appliances with a strap and kick back wheels that make for easier balancing.
Road Dog – the “co-pilot” on a long haul trip
Stretch Wrap – thick plastic wrap that is used to protect wood items before moving
Base – the large items that are loaded first in the truck and have things loaded on-top of them
Tractor – the cab / truck part of a semi truck
Bob Tail – the semi truck (or tractor) without a trailer attached
Valuation – “insurance” for the move
Tail Gate – a extra space that pulls out on the back of the trailer for added loading space on the exterior
4 Wheeler – a cart that has four-wheels (believe it or not) for pulling or pushing items rather than carrying
Commercial Bin – a large, square wood container on wheels
Crew Lead – typically the most experienced crew member that is the liaison for the customer to the crew, handles all waivers and payment upon delivery
Stick – small wood items (chairs, stools, etc.)
Tiers – how a professional mover loads a truck, one “tier” or “pile” at a time to keep the load square and tightly piled to eliminate damage
Estimate or Survey – an over the phone or on-site approximation of the time and costs associated with a given move
CP – Carrier (moving company) Packed
PBO – Pack By Owner (shipper)

Do you have insight into additional “Mover Lingo” for our “Mover – Pedia” Version 1.0? Submit here! What other industries have their own language? Funny Stories to share?