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Why Long Distance Moving Companies Quote a Delivery Spread

When relocating with a long distance moving company, you’ll be given a range of pick-up and delivery dates. While we understand many people want an exact date for their moving plans, transportation laws and unforeseeable circumstances make it impossible to know the exact time a National Van Lines driver will arrive.

While this is true for any moving company, some may try and give you an exact date to get your business. However, they are bound by the same laws and unforeseeable circumstances as every other moving company. The following explains what those laws are and why professional moving companies are likely to quote you a delivery range as opposed to a delivery date.

Legal Driving Limits

All drivers and van lines must comply with the regulations of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrations, or FMCSA. These regulations limit the number of consecutive hours a driver can be on the road and how many total hours they can work each week. While it may technically be possible to drive across the country in a few days’ time, being on the road for 40 – 60 straight hours isn’t safe for the driver, other motorists on the road or your household goods.

While that may not seem like much of a scheduling hurdle, there are a lot of unpredictable elements on the road. All it takes is one minor accident during rush hour to slow traffic down. There is no way to predict such an event and no way to measure how long a driver may be stuck in traffic. A driver may drive five or 500 miles in a day, but the only thing that matters is how many hours he or she spent behind the wheel.

Additional Deliveries

The number of households that can fit into a moving van varies, depending on the size of the home and weight of the shipment. On average, the number of households per moving van is approximately four. Unless you have a particularly large home or pay extra for exclusive use of a van, your driver will likely have more than just your items to deliver.

Like driving limits, this may seem like something that should be easy to schedule, but there are still unexpected events that can arise. A car poorly parked in the road may block access to a van. An agent or driver may have a sudden emergency that throws an entire day of unloading off schedule. Knowing that the unpredictable can occur means we would be doing our customers a disservice by claiming an exact delivery date we can’t ultimately guarantee. We can, however, offer a delivery range of when we expect your shipment to arrive.

Weather Hazards

Nothing is quite as unpredictable and malicious as the wrath of Mother Nature, especially when driving across the country. Putting traffic aside, weather can make driving dangerous. Our drivers are experts at their craft and know how to navigate these conditions, but that often means driving slower, taking different routes or waiting for the weather to pass.

These three elements of a driver’s job are only some of the things we must consider when scheduling a move. We do all we can to fit your needs and timeline, but we also have to be sure we give you a delivery spread we can realistically achieve.

Do you still have questions about moving pickup and delivery dates? Call us today at 877-590-2810 to talk about the services we can provide for your long distance move.

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