Question about Moving

[ASG]

Hi Everyone,

I will be moving out of state soon and I will be using Allied Van Lines to move my stuff. I have a ton of lead bullets, cases, and some ammunition probably 500 lbs worth. Does anyone have any experience using the above mentioned company when it comes to moving ammunition and stuff? I can't find a definitive answer, and the moving rep will not see me until Monday. Do you think they will move the ammo and bullets and brass without any question? Thank you.

ASG

 

[cloudcroft]

I don't think I would even tell them you have ammo...there might be some ex UPS drivers working for the company that would steal it.

I have read too many horror stories about even the major moving companies so check them out as best you can first. Who knows the background of the moving men who will be packing your stuff anyway? Did the company hire illegals or did it check out everyone and are they bonded in case something gets stolen?

Around here, lots of them are gangster types with shady pasts and police records.

I wouldn't worry about bullets and brass, but as for things like ammo, what they don't know is probably best for everyone in this situation. Just spread the ammo aound in several boxes YOU have already packed and sealed, or some lock boxes so they can't snoop into your stuff. I'd also be wary of moving men knowing what valuables I had, too. Too much of this stuff disappears and no one at the moving company knows anything about it. Yeah...right.

You might want to move this stuff yourself in your own vehicle to BE SURE it doesn't get "misplaced." If you let THEM pack/move it, take pics to PROVE you had it. Does the moving company offer insurance?

In short, I'd be discreet here and not tell them anything they really don't have to know.

Good luck,

-- John D.

 

[Langenator]

Bullets and brass, yes. Primers, powder, and loaded ammunition, no.

I'm in the military, and thus move every couple of years. I've never had movers who would handle anything that goes boom.

 

[theken206]

"Primers, powder, and loaded ammunition, no." yup, and I would not personally go with Allied but hey thats me. Wheaton IMHO but thats just me.

DO NOT mislable your stuff. I repeat DO NOT mislable you stuff. Other wise you will wont be able to file an insurance claim.

Yes most time drivers hire help from the agency and there alot of con's and bangers and the like that do moving and wharehouse work BUT a good driver from a good company {like wheaton isnt going to be wanting the help to be breaking or stealing your stuff, it doesnt help the ol driver rating ya know.

I say move anything you truley value yourself or have movers "cough wheaton cough" in your fam' and call in the occasional favor

 

[News Shooter]

Most movers are franchisees

So it really doesn't work to say that Mayflower is better or worse than
Allied. You'll have to do your research on the local firm.

Many of them hire daylaborers off the street to load and unload. That is where the problems arise.

Also, moving companies charge by weight so you might calculate how much
all those bullets are really going to cost when you arrive

 

[Big Calhoun]

Yes, I moved with them last year from NJ to Texas. You can safe a few bucks and pack your own stuff. They'll give the boxes a cursory inspection and ask what's in them for insurance purposes, you'll also have to sign a waiver that they're not liable for damages to items you packed yourself.

Make sure you ask for a bonded estimate.

 

[springmom]

Every van line is going to have a list of stuff they will not move. If ammo is on that list (and I'll bet it is) move it yourself, even if you have to get a U-Haul on the back of your car. Easier than the hassles you'd face if they found out it was there somehow.

Springmom

 

[Insectguy]

I just moved with Allied....

They would not move loaded ammo, but that was not an issue with me. I was limited by the amount of weight they would ship before they added a hefty fee per pound. So, I loaded all of my ammo (which was quite a bit), power tools, propane tanks, chemicals, gas cans, sprays, et.c and other heavy/valuable/pilferable items in my pickup and moved them myself.

Of course, even with the things they moved, we've had damages and missing materials. We're about to send in our claim, so we'll see how they are for compensation.

As for my rifles-- I took all the serial numbers on them, removed all the sights and scopes, and hand packed them in my safe (with their materials). When I was done, I added enough packaging to minimize moving. Then I closed the safe and spun the lock. The only way to get into it was to steal the safe or cut it open. Everything in the safe arrived safely.

 

[Smokey Joe]

DIY

When my uncle moved out the last of my grandfather's estate, he bought a used truck in which to haul it (in MA) and sold the truck when he got home to NM, for the same as he bought it. So the move cost him the gas to run the truck. That was, to me, an awfully clever thing to do.

If I had 500# of "stuff" to move, that I wasn't sure of trusting to someone else, I'd certainly consider this.

BTW, a photo record of exactly what the movers pack on the truck, as was suggested above, would seem like another very smart thing to do.

Another thing that is pretty standard for me with "hired help"--I jolly them up, encourage them, feed them lunch, keep them hydrated, tip them generously afterwards. It won't forestall thieves with no conscience, of course, but it can't hurt, and regularly produces XLNT effort out of the helpers.

 

[JamisJockey]

Most companies will tell you ammo is a no-no. Either move it yourself or don't tell them.

 

[fearless leader]

Around here, lots of them are gangster types with shady pasts and police records.

Cloud Croft makes a good point. A good friend of mine was working for a moving company in VA and he told me that he was the only one there that didn't have a crack habit. Cocaine use was rampant in that company, so he quit and went elseware. Most moving men don't really make enough to feed a crack or cocaine addiction lumping furniture. It makes me wonder where they got their money. That outfit sure didn't give 'em enough for it.

Can you not rent a pick-up or U-Haul and move it on your own?