What fees incurred while goods stay on a truck passed delivery time?

Sometimes things can happen during a move that may delay your shipment a few days beyond when you were expecting to receive your goods. Extenuating circumstances aside, moving companies are not permitted to charge you extra fees for holding your goods on the their truck or in a warehouse beyond the designated delivery date, and it is also illegal for moving companies to hold your goods hostage by demanding more money or extra fees or charges. 

Recently, on October 1, 2012, a law was passed by the president that enables the FMCSA, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the power to fine moving companies that hold goods hostage on their truck or charge extra fees for the delay of shipments that are of the moving company's fault. This means that if your shipment is delayed by the moving company, it is illegal for them to ask you to pay extra charges or fees before receiving your goods from them.

There are exceptions to this, however, which can come about if there are any aspects of the move that are delayed because of an error made on the customer's part. For example, many moving companies will charge extra for long carries, which refer to when movers have to carry boxes and heavy furniture a particularly long distance from the customer's home to the moving truck. Most companies will charge an extra fee for this kind of service, and if a customer fails to mention this when informing the company about the details they may be hit with some additional charges if the move takes longer than the time it is supposed to. 

In addition, if the customer lives in an apartment complex that either does not grant access to large moving trucks, or requires a special permit to enter the complex and this information is communicated to the movers, it can delay the move significantly, and the customer may be charged extra fees by the company.

To read more about the moving process, visit our moving guides page to browse our collection of helpful moving guides and videos.

Do you feel ripped off or cheated by your moving company? Feel free to visit our moving reviews page to let your voice be heard.