RELO Roundtable…a gathering place

Most reputable members the full-service household goods moving industry refer to those unscrupulous, fly-by-night motor carriers and move brokers who've developed a reputation for being here today and gone tomorrow simply and collectively as rogue operators. Now it appears that the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) has given them another name – "chameleon carriers". [...]

The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) have agreed to cooperate in providing enhanced protection and assistance for consumers who move their household goods. The agreement leverages the efforts of FMCSA, which regulates interstate household goods moves, and the FMC, which regulates overseas household goods [...]

Hey movers! In case you haven't noticed, there's an elephant in your front room. And that big pink pachyderm sitting on top of your industry interests is squishing the profitability out of your business. What's worse is that he's got a whole lot of relatives standing in line waiting to invade the same shrinking piece [...]

As part of an ongoing investigation, the staff at the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation recently invited representatives of the International Association of Movers (IAM) to join them to answer questions regarding their official inquiry.  IAM is a global association of movers and forwarders based in the shadows of Capitol Hill. The [...]

Bad guys beware!On January 10, 2012, the US Attorney's Office filed a fifty five (55) count indictment in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado against defendants Yaron “Roni” Levin, Liat “Lee” Levin, Francisco Guevara, John Allen Darby, Golden Hand Moving LLC, and Movers USA LLC. The plaintiff's charges allege that each [...]

On Monday, Sen. John D. (Jay) Rockefeller, D-W.Va, chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, announced that his Committee is conducting an investigation into the practice of moving companies holding household goods “hostage” to extract additional money from individuals and families mid-way through their moves. According the committee press release, “thousands [...]

Don't get too upset if you're an anxious customer waiting on a return call or text message from your long distance household goods driver or local moving crew and they don't respond immediately. In a joint rule just issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration [...]

On Friday, August 12, 2011, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued regulatory guidance to clarify the appropriate and intended use of blank or incomplete documents under 49 CFR 375.501(d) – Must I write up an order for service? Carriers may require shippers to sign incomplete, but not blank, documents so long as the [...]

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) just launched a newly designed website to help consumers protect themselves from fraudulent or unscrupulous interstate household goods moving companies. Different format; same content. The announcement comes two and a half months after the start of the relocation industry's traditional summer peak moving season. [...]

On Tuesday, June 13, 2011, J D Morrissette, testified before a House subcommittee hearing titled “Do Not Enter: How Proposed Hours of Service Trucking Rules are a Dead End for Small Businesses.” Morrissette is President of Interstate Van Lines, a mid-sized household goods carrier and military approved transportation service provider based in Springfield, Virginia. JD [...]