Professional Moving Services: 3 Tips on Weighing Your Belongings

Americans are almost always on the move. It's not unusual for most Americans to choose to relocate in order to get a change of scenery, to pursue higher education or better career opportunities and more. If you're looking to move, you should seek help from professional movers, as they can ensure that all household belongings are packed properly and will arrive at the destination safely and in one piece. Most professional moving services will charge you based on the total weight of the articles that are moved. On average, the weight range of a 4-bedroom house will range anywhere from 7,000 to 10,000 pounds. Here are 3 tips you should keep in mind for the move.

Opt for Origin Weighing Rather than Destination Weighing if Possible

Most professional moving services will offer you two options. You can either weigh the truck at the origin or the destination. Origin weighing basically involved weighing the moving truck at the origin before any of the items are loaded onto the truck. This is known as the tare weight. The truck is then weighed again once everything has been loaded onto it to determine what the is the gross weight of the vehicle. The gross weight subtracted by the tare weight will reveal the total weight of the article that are being moved. The other option is known as destination weighing and is basically the opposite process. The gross weight of the vehicle is measured first at the destination, and then the tare weight is determined once everything is unloaded.

In general, you should opt for origin weighing whenever possible. This will give you a good idea about what the total shipping charges for the move may be. This will also save you from the trouble of having to deal with large and unexpected bills.

Keep Track of the Number of Items Being Loaded and Packed

Keep track of what a reasonable weight may be. Make an effort to keep track of the amount of items, like packed boxes, that are being loaded onto the moving truck. You want to make the extra effort of making note whenever large and heavy furniture or kitchen appliances are being loaded onto the moving truck, as these large items can greatly inflate what the expected weight would have been. Keep in mind that items like refrigerators that were built after 1995 could weigh anywhere from 170 to 350 pounds. By keeping track of the items that are being packed and moved, you should already have a good idea what the expected weight should be.

Keeping track of the number of items that are being packed and loaded can also be beneficial for many other reasons. Keeping an inventory will allow you to easily determine if any items get lost during the shipping process.  

Don't Be Afraid to Request a Reweighing of the Shipment

If at any time you don't agree with the measurements that are provided to you by the professional moving company, don't hesitate to ask them to reweigh the shipment in front of you. Make sure that your bill of lading or order of service specifies that you won't be charged for the reweighing of your shipment. The contract should also specify the amount of times that you can request for the shipment to be reweighed.

It's important that you make sure that the weighing device has been properly calibrated prior to any weighing to ensure that there are no discrepancies in the accuracy of the measurements.

Make sure that you and the professional moving services agree on how the charges will be calculated based on the weight. Some moving companies are willing to offer you better deals if you are able to keep your shipment within a certain weight range. To learn more and receive more assistance, visit resources like http://www.bekins.com.


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