· by Michael Blair, Nashville's Mover
Every moving company keeps its own list of what it will not load, and most of it comes down to safety and liability. The federal part is simpler than people think: according to FMCSA’s Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move, federal law forbids shipping hazardous materials in your household goods without telling your mover. Finding a problem item on loading day means leaving it behind or making a trip you had not planned.
Which hazardous items will movers refuse?
Our crews will not load gas cans, propane tanks, paint, solvents, aerosols, pool chemicals, fertilizer, matches or charcoal, or anything else that could catch fire or leak inside a closed truck. That list is our policy, and yours to ask about with any mover. If something like that does go on undeclared and causes damage, the same FMCSA appendix lists it among the reasons a mover’s liability can be reduced.
Lawn equipment has to be drained first. The federal rule for shipping engines, 49 CFR 173.220, says the fuel tank must be drained and securely closed, though up to 500 mL (17 ounces) of residual fuel may stay in the tank and lines. We ask for the tank as dry as you can get it, and running a mower until it quits usually takes longer than people allow for.
Can movers take food, pets or plants?
We don’t load refrigerated or frozen food, open food containers or pets. Pets travel with you, always.
Plants are where Tennessee has a rule of its own. Much of the state is infested with imported fire ants, and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture’s fire ant quarantine page lists plants with roots and soil attached as regulated articles that need a certifying document to leave a quarantined area, with house plants kept indoors and not for sale exempt. Grass sod and baled hay or straw stored against the soil are on the same list. The state has run its quarantine rule since 1990, according to UT Institute of Agriculture’s fire ant quarantine page, and the state you are moving to may have rules of its own worth checking before you pot anything up.
- Fuel, propane, paint, solvents, aerosols
- Pool and lawn chemicals, fertilizer
- Ammunition and firearms — ask us before the day
- Food, pets, outdoor plants in garden soil
- Documents, jewelry, medication — these ride with you
Things you should keep with you regardless
Passports, deeds, birth certificates, medication, jewelry, laptops and anything you could not replace belong in your own car. We ask for that on every job. A gun safe or a cabinet is a separate conversation, covered in our post on moving a piano, a safe or a gun cabinet.
On an interstate move, anything worth more than $100 a pound counts as an article of extraordinary value under the FMCSA appendix, and the mover may limit its liability for it unless you list it on the shipping documents. Write those items down before a long-distance move, and take a photo of each one’s condition while you are at it. How the coverage itself pays out is in what moving coverage actually pays.
How early should problem items be dealt with?
Use up or give away chemicals and fuel in the weeks before, and run the mower dry well ahead of the last cut. Decide early what happens to the outdoor plants, because a certificate is not something to chase on the morning of the move.
Summer adds one more consideration. In a study published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, a closed car warmed by about 16°C in 30 minutes and 26°C in an hour, which is roughly 47°F. That was a passenger car in Georgia, not a truck box, but we work on the same principle: anything you would not leave in a parked car on a Nashville afternoon rides with you, and moving in a Middle Tennessee summer goes further into the heat. If you are unsure about something in the garage, ask us when you book a free written estimate.
Sources
- FMCSA, Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move (49 CFR Part 375, Appendix A) — Federal law forbids shipping hazardous materials without telling the mover; undeclared perishable, dangerous or hazardous materials can reduce liability; articles of extraordinary value over $100 a pound must be listed
- PHMSA, 49 CFR 173.220, Internal combustion engines and machinery (eCFR) — Fuel tank drained and securely closed; up to 500 mL (17 ounces) of residual fuel allowed
- Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Insects (imported fire ant quarantine) — Much of Tennessee infested; plants with roots and soil, sod and soil-stored hay regulated; indoor house plants exempt; certificate needed to leave a quarantined area
- UT Institute of Agriculture, Imported fire ant quarantine — Tennessee’s Imported Fire Ant Quarantine Rule established in 1990
- Grundstein, Dowd and Meentemeyer, Quantifying the Heat-Related Hazard for Children in Motor Vehicles, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (2010) — A closed car warms about 16°C in 30 minutes and 26°C in 60 minutes
FAQ
What Movers Will Not Put on the Truck — questions
Will movers take my houseplants?
Ask, because policies differ. Tennessee’s fire ant quarantine exempts house plants kept indoors and not for sale, but outdoor plants with soil around the roots can need a certificate to leave a quarantined area, and the state you are moving to may have its own rules. Carrying plants in your own car is the simplest answer, and the decision is easier made well before loading day.
Can movers take my lawnmower?
Usually yes, once the fuel is drained. The federal rule for shipping engines allows a small residual amount in a tank that is securely closed, but we ask for it as dry as you can get it. Run it empty in the days before rather than on loading morning. The same goes for string trimmers, chainsaws, generators and anything else with a fuel tank.
What should I keep with me rather than load?
Documents, medication, jewelry, laptops and anything irreplaceable. On an interstate move, anything worth more than $100 a pound that does go on the truck should be listed on the shipping documents, because federal rules let the mover limit its liability for unlisted items of extraordinary value. In summer, add anything that would not survive a few hours in a closed car.
What items are considered hazardous materials for movers?
On our crews’ list, it is anything that could catch fire or leak inside a closed truck: gas cans, propane tanks, paint, solvents, aerosols, pool chemicals, fertilizer, matches and charcoal. Shipping them in household goods without telling the mover is against federal law, and lawn equipment needs its fuel drained first.