FMCSA to streamline household goods moving regulations

From Transport Topics. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced plans to update regulations for transportation of household goods to reduce costs for movers and mitigate the growing problem of fraud in consumer moves. If finalized, the proposed rule would incorporate some of the recommendations by a Department of Transportation Household Goods Consumer Protection…

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From Transport Topics.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced plans to update regulations for transportation of household goods to reduce costs for movers and mitigate the growing problem of fraud in consumer moves.

If finalized, the proposed rule would incorporate some of the recommendations by a Department of Transportation Household Goods Consumer Protection Working Group that in 2017 offered solutions to better educate customers, and simplify and reduce paperwork for the more than 5,000 interstate household goods motor carriers and brokers.

“These recommendations, when implemented, would offer streamlined documentation requirements and provide opportunity for increased efficiency for the transportation of household goods for individual shippers by interstate household goods motor carriers and household goods brokers, improve consumer education and protection for individual shippers in need of their services, and combat fraud,” FMCSA said in a Federal Register announcement on Aug. 10.

Added Katie McMichael, director of American Trucking Associations’ Moving & Storage Conference, “We’re thrilled that they’ve announced this proposed rule. The reason we like these recommendations is that not only do they help combat the rogue operator problem, but they streamline moving companies’ operations.”

FMCSA said it will accept public comments on the proposal through Oct. 12.

“Personally I’m very pleased to see [the FMCSA rule] moving, but I’m still evaluating it,” said Heather Paraino, senior corporate counsel at UniGroup Cos., a family of professional movers that also operates MoveRescue, a website that aims to educate, advocate for consumers, and assist them with complaints against any moving company or broker.

“Since MoveRescue was created in 2003, we’ve taken tens of thousands of calls and helped as many consumer complaints,” Paraino told Transport Topics. “We get a variety of complaints, anywhere from delays and claims for loss or damage, or other disputes related to charges. But the complaints we take the most seriously are those related to what’s known as holding the shipment hostage.”

See the complete article online at Transport Topics.

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