Moving truck late? Your rights when a mover misses pickup or delivery

Long-distance moves almost never come with a single exact delivery day. You usually get a window, and some slippage is normal. But federal rules do set out what an interstate mover owes you on timing: it has to deliver within the dates it agreed to, tell you promptly if it can't, and follow specific steps if it shows up early or puts your things in storage. Here's what those rules say, in plain terms.

The dates on your bill of lading are the promise

The pickup and delivery dates or windows written on your bill of lading are what count. The mover has to offer your shipment for delivery on the agreed date or within that window, unless you ask for or agree to a change. The rules call this "reasonable dispatch," which simply means moving your goods on the dates you and the mover agreed to and wrote down.

If you bought guaranteed service, the bill of lading should also list any penalty or per-day amount the mover owes you if it misses the guaranteed dates. Read that section before you sign. See what to check on the bill of lading.

One detail worth knowing: the federal definition says that if a mover deliberately holds back your shipment after you've offered to pay the binding estimate, or 110 percent of a non-binding estimate, it isn't providing reasonable dispatch. If that's happening to you, see what to do if a mover holds your goods hostage. A mover can still defend itself by pointing to force majeure, meaning events truly beyond its control.

The mover has to tell you about a delay

As soon as a mover realizes it can't pick up or deliver within the dates on the bill of lading, it has to notify you, at its own cost. The rules allow six ways: by phone, in person, by fax, by email, by overnight courier, or by certified mail with return receipt.

When it notifies you, the mover must:

• Give you the new dates or window it expects, taking your needs into account.
• Write down the date, time, and method of the notice, and the new dates it gave you.
• Keep those records in your shipment file for one year.
• Send you a copy of the notice by first-class mail or hand it to you, if you ask for one.

So ask. A written copy of the delay notice is useful if you later file a claim or complaint.

If the truck is ready early

If the mover could deliver more than 24 hours before the agreed date, it can ask you to accept early delivery. You don't have to say yes. If you don't agree, the mover may put your shipment in a warehouse near your destination on its own account and at its own expense. If it does that, it has to:

• Tell you right away the name and address of the warehouse.
• Stay responsible for your goods under the bill of lading.
• Pay the redelivery, handling, and storage charges until it makes final delivery.

The mover may limit that responsibility to the period up to the agreed delivery date, or the first day of the delivery window.

Storage-in-transit: watch for the conversion notice

Storage-in-transit means your goods are held in storage partway through the move, for example while you wait to close on a new home. When that storage period is about to run out, the shipment converts to permanent storage, and the mover's liability ends. Before that happens, the mover has to tell you in writing:

• The date your goods convert to permanent storage.
• That you have nine months after that date to file a claim for loss or damage that happened in transit or during storage-in-transit.
• That its liability is ending.
• That your things will then be under the warehouse's own rules and charges.

This notice has to arrive at least 10 days before the storage period expires, or one day before if the storage is shorter than 10 days. It must come by fax, email, overnight courier, or certified mail with return receipt. If the mover fails to give this notice, its liability keeps running until the end of the day after it actually notifies you. Once goods go into permanent storage, they have to be stored in your name with your contact information.

Delay can be part of a claim

Federal claim rules for interstate carriers cover loss, damage, injury, or delay. A claim has to be in writing, identify your shipment, say the mover is responsible, and ask for a specific or determinable dollar amount. A note scribbled on the delivery receipt doesn't count as a claim by itself. Movers can't give you less than 9 months to file a claim. The step-by-step process is in how to file a complaint or claim against a mover.

What to do when your delivery is late

1. Pull out your bill of lading and check the exact delivery dates or window you agreed to.
2. If the window has passed and nobody called, contact the mover and ask for the new dates in writing.
3. Ask for a copy of the mover's delay notice for your records.
4. If you bought guaranteed service, note the per-day amount on the bill of lading and keep track of the days.
5. Keep a simple log of every call, email, and promised date, plus any costs the delay caused you.
6. If your goods go into storage, find out where, and watch for the written conversion notice.
7. If the mover won't deliver until you pay more than the rules allow, follow the steps on our hostage goods page.