CARB (California Air Resources Board) was established, “to promote and protect public health, welfare and ecological resources through the effective and efficient reduction of air pollutants.” CARB enforces air quality rules and regulations. CARB regulations require a financial investment on the part of carriers and shippers alike: retrofitting trucks for compliance ranges from $10,000-$40,000 per unit. Trucks that are not compliant that enter California can experience delay and fines.
Crown’s fleets (local and interstate) are 100% compliant. We engage only CARB compliant trucks for all domestic and international goods hauling. We invest in our future and the future of California by purchasing the filtration systems on the market to reduce the diesel particulate matter impacting both our state and planet.
When budgeting for an impending move, there is more to consider than money when evaluating cost. You’ll want to understand the true financial, physical and mental investments before making your final decision. After all, if you underestimate the cost of your time, health and emotions, your move could cost you a whole lot more than originally expected.
Evaluate Your Financial Costs
1) Packing Supplies An investment in proper supplies will pay dividends when your belongings arrive at your new home. Sturdy boxes, packing paper, dollies, wraps and straps will ensure that items are secure when being loaded and delivered. Ask your local agent about the supplies they furnish and sell before buying supplies on your own. They may be able to estimate your needs more accurately.
2) Hired Help Friends and family are attractive options for those willing to stomach the inherent risks, but if you are looking for a little more peace of mind, professional movers can help the process go as smoothly as possible.
3) Professional Packing It is all too easy to underestimate the time, materials and effort required to pack and move your home, especially when all of your belongings are all stored neatly away in your closets and cabinets. Consider the following.
Do you have special household possessions? You may not want to risk packing and loading all of your belongings on your own – especially if they carry a higher value. You may want to seek the advice of a specialist before moving antiques, electronics and large furniture. It’s absolutely necessary to consider potential damage and breakage as you calculate the cost of packing and moving yourself.
Make a supply run. You’ll need to purchase boxes, blankets and bubble wrap when moving yourself. Proper packing demands professional materials including special boxes, wrapping paper, furniture padding and tape. And don’t underestimate your needs or you’ll be making multiple trips to the store to restock.
Can you drive large moving van? If you live in a moderately-sized home, you may need up to 1,600 cubic feet of moving space. This endeavor is more than many drivers can handle – especially if you are tasked with navigating narrow suburban streets and alleyways.
Your time is money. Don’t forget to calculate the cost of your time, especially if you are taking off work to pack, load and deliver your own belongings. If you opt to handle the entire move yourself, consider setting aside 2 or more days for both loading and delivery.
4) Transportation When planning a move, your choice of transportation is potentially the most cost contingent. When it comes to containers, trailers and trucks, your expense will likely scale with the level of your need. You’ll want to consider the timing, distance, volume and complexity of your move before contracting services or renting equipment.
5) Travel & Living Regardless of distance, the moving process tends to inflate travel and living expenses. In addition to potential lodging and air fare, incremental purchases like food, fuel and convenience items can add up unexpectedly, especially when you are doing most of the packing and moving yourself.
6) Distance Adds Up As a rule of thumb, the longer the distance, the more cost-effective professional movers tend to be. This is due to a number of factors.
One-way rental price may include additional fees. The price you pay may include fees to cover the cost of inventory maintenance and truck relocation when you return your moving truck to a location in a different city.
Mileage, fuel and insurance costs add up. Truck rentals may require that you pay these fees on top of the base price. This can end up being rather significant considering that some moving trucks only get between 6 -15 mpg.
Unexpected delays add to rental costs. Just when you think everything is going according to plan – something always tends to happen, right? If you fall victim to Murphy’s Law during a move, delays could cost you extra in rental fees.
Longer trips are a greater risk. Let’s face it, you may be able to pack like a pro, but can you drive like one? The longer you are on the road, the more you’ll face opportunities for damage and accidents. When you rent, these risks are placed squarely on you.
7) Real Estate Expenses For most of us, the moving experience comes coupled with at least one real estate transaction. Whether buying, selling or leasing, you’ll need to calculate the costs associated with your real estate to properly budget for your move. After all, contracts, estimates, titles and utilities can put a significant dent into your bottom line before you even start to pack.
8) Incidentals Every major move comes with incidentals. They are virtually unavoidable given the scale of the undertaking. Even the most careful shippers are susceptible to mishaps. No matter how well you plan, or how careful you are, it is inevitable, supplies will run low, pictures will break, bulbs will burn out and paint will be spilled. It’s best to budget a couple extra dollars for human error.
Evaluate Your Opportunity Costs
9) Missed Work Even when everything goes according to plan, a move can be a timely endeavor. The effort required to research, coordinate, pack, and move is significant. Consider contracting a couple extra hands or a full-service solution so that these tasks don’t translate into missed work. Just remember, vacation days have a monetary value too – so don’t waste them on anything less than a trip to the beach.
10) Personal Time As moving day approaches and critical tasks intensify, time can seem to escape you. Without professional help, you’ll likely be consumed by paperwork, appointments and last-minute packing; unable to negotiate a single moment for family time or rest. For these reasons, you may want to consider the cost of your free time when weighing a do-it-yourself solution.
11) Recovery Time You should carefully consider your ability to handle the physical demands of your move long before you start packing and loading. With a couple days of intense lifting, cleaning and traveling ahead of you, personal limits and recovery time should be at the forefront of your thought process.
Closed: Port Tampa Bay, St. Pete, Seaport Manatee, and Port of Key West Closed for inbound vessel traffic: Port of Ft. Pierce, Port of Pensacola and Port of Palm Beach Open while preparing for storm impacts: Port Everglades, Port Miami, Port Fernandina, JAXPORT, Port Canaveral, Port Panama City and Port St. Joe
Before the packing starts, take an inventory of your valuables so you that you know where they are and how they are packed and transported to your new home. There are some items we recommend you consider not including in your United shipment and, instead, that you keep with you or close to you during a move:
Address books
Car titles
Cash and credit cards
Cell phones
Checkbooks
Computer data files / backups
Family photos and videos
Financial documents
Insurance policies
Jewelry and furs
House and car keys
Laptop and tablet computers
Medical, dental and veterinarian records
Moving company forms and documents
New home documents
Personal documents
Prescription medicine
Professional files and research
School records
Packing Jewelry
If you have the original packaging for your jewelry, these may be the best option for moving your valuables.
Packing Financial and Legal Documents
Before you begin packing financial documents such as tax records, bank statements, stocks, bonds and deeds, consider downsizing your paperwork. Scan any documents you need a copy of but do not need the physical document, then shred the original. This will not only cut down on the number of personal boxes you need to transport in your personal vehicle on moving day, but also result in fewer things to keep track of.
Packing Medications & Prescriptions
Perhaps the most personal of all the items you will need to pack, your medications and prescriptions should be kept close to you during your move. If you pack a First Night Box, your medications should go in this box. If they are packed separately, be sure all lids are tightly closed and medications are individually wrapped and placed upright in the box.
CrownWMS is officially The Armstrong Company. Our commitment to exceptional moving services remains the same, but under a unified name. Learn more about why we changed our name here.
Please visit us at our new home at GoArmstrong.com to learn about our services or to submit a request for a quote. If you’re looking for more information about The Armstrong Company’s California partner, CrownWMS, find more information below:
Understand the Real Costs of Moving
