Premier Van Lines International has been accredited with the Better Business Bureau since 2011 and we are very proud of our A+ rating.
Full Service and Self Load Options
There are two options when shipping your household goods. Self load moves and full service moves. Self load moves can be an option for those who don't mind packing and loading their own shipment and prepare it for trucking. You can self load when using cargos and steel containers. Self load option can not be allowed for lift van moves mainly because of liability issue. The lift van itself empty is 300 pounds and we don't want it falling on you. Full service means that the agent will pack, pad and wrap your shipment and load and crate into a lift van or load into a steel container.
Full-Service Move Timeline:
The first thing to do for a customer’s full-service move is to set up a pre-move survey, where a person from one of our local partner offices comes to your residence or storage unit and estimates the weight and cubic feet of their shipment. They then relay that information to our company, in order to either verify our quote or requote your shipment. Our company can also suggest downsizing tips if the revised quote exceeds your budget. The customer then selects a moving date, which usually needs to be on a weekday. in most cases the customer is free to pack their own boxes, but packing is included in our quote to them. Also, for insurance purposes the boxes would need to be packed (or repacked) by the movers, in order to qualify the boxes for optional moving insurance. However, funiture can be optionally insured even if owner-packed boxes are not insured. Most moves only take a few hours to compete the pickup; larger shipments may take one day to pack and one day to load into the steel container. Soon afterwards, the customer is billed by our company, and after agreeing to pay the transportation invoice, the shipment is sent to their new destination. Depending on how far they are moving, this typically takes between 4-8 weeks for moves to and from Alask.
Self-Load Move Timeline:
The first thing to do when performing a self-load of your shipment is to determine what size of move you need. The smallest self-load is on wood pallets that are 48x40 inches (larger ones up to 72x48 inches can be used as well). We always recommend to cardboard crate the palletized shipment, in order to cut down on the chance of damage and virtually eliminate lost items. Most or all of the palletized shipment will be boxes or plastic bins (totes), but some smaller furniture can be loaded as well. If you plan on moving a lot of furniture, the next size up for a self-load is a 20x8x8 foot steel container, which should easily hold the contents of a two-bedroom apartment, condo, or home. 40’ containers are generally $1000-2000 more than 20’ containers, and can hold up to a 4-5 bedroom home’s worth of contents. Sometimes the shipment can be self-unloaded in order to save additional money; most of the time the shipment must be delivered by a local warehouse if the container is bound for another country. The transit time for pallets and steel containers is roughly the same as for a full-service move: 1-2 months for moves to/from Alaska.
Let's discuss what exactly how the pre-move estimate is used to calculate the estimated transportation costs of the shipment. Many customers think that the estimator who comes out to their residence or storage unit will immediately be able to give them a door to door price for their move. That's actually not the job of the estimator; their job is to simply mark down the furniture moving, mark down any boxes the customer has packed, and mark down how many boxes they think the customer will need. That's all they are there to do. They then send the information to our company, and with the estimated weight and cubic feet on the survey, our company then calculates the estimated door to door cost of the move for the customer. Again, the estimator does not estimate the cost of your move, they only estimate the weight and size of the shipment. They could guess on the door to door price, and they could also be very off in their guess. They often have no idea how a company like ours actually prices out the different transportation costs involved in the shipment (pickup, trucking, ocean, and delivery). They can however be asked about certain accessory charges, note the truck/container access to your residence or storage unit, note any large fragile items that may need custom crating, etc. The pre-move estimate is very important for a decent-sized move, but it is only a tool for helping to calculate multiple different transportation costs of the move, and those calculations are done in our office, not in the estimator's office.
Now that we have explained what a pre-move estimate is and is not, let's now explain how weight and cubic feet (size or volume) are related to each other. Most surveys first mark down how large a box or piece of furniture is, and assign a certain number of cubic feet to that item or group of items. The survey then usually will multiply that cubic foot number by seven to get the estimated weight. Based on experience, most moves average out to seven pounds per cubic foot. However, most furniture is only around four pounds per cubic foot, and boxes can often range from 10-30 pounds per cubic foot. So, if someone is moving mostly boxes or all boxes, their shipment's density (pounds per cubic foot) will tend to be significantly higher than someone who is moving a good mix of boxes and furniture. As you will read later, this will have an important effect on the transportation cost, especially if the shipment's cost is based 100% by weight.
For a custom quote and get your questions answered, do call us at 877.784.2111 or shoot an email to Neena at neena@premiervanlines.com and obtain all the information you need to streamline your move as smoothly as possible. Additionallly, you can text your quote request at 619.465.0518 as we respond to phone calls, emails and texts either that day or the very next day.
*** Premier Van Lines International is a member of the American Trucking Associations (ATA) - ATA is the largest and most comprehensive national trade association for the trucking industry.
Premier Van Lines International, San Diego Office
Premier Van Lines International is licensed, bonded & insured.
FMC #: 024223
US DOT #: 3662762
MC #: 01266993
FF (Freight Forwarder) #: 049742
CA Corporation #: C3849674
NVOCC (Non-Vessel Ocean Common Carrier) #: 019297NF
SCAC: PVLL; PV09
Domestic: Gray Casualty & Surety Company Surety/Trust #: GSC0602872
International: Hudson Insurance Company Bond #: SC400130
There are two options when shipping your household goods. Self load moves and full service moves. Self load moves can be an option for those who don't mind packing and loading their own shipment and prepare it for trucking. You can self load when using cargos and steel containers. Self load option can not be allowed for lift van moves mainly because of liability issue. The lift van itself empty is 300 pounds and we don't want it falling on you. Full service means that the agent will pack, pad and wrap your shipment and load and crate into a lift van or load into a steel container.
Full-Service Move Timeline:
The first thing to do for a customer’s full-service move is to set up a pre-move survey, where a person from one of our local partner offices comes to your residence or storage unit and estimates the weight and cubic feet of their shipment. They then relay that information to our company, in order to either verify our quote or requote your shipment. Our company can also suggest downsizing tips if the revised quote exceeds your budget. The customer then selects a moving date, which usually needs to be on a weekday. in most cases the customer is free to pack their own boxes, but packing is included in our quote to them. Also, for insurance purposes the boxes would need to be packed (or repacked) by the movers, in order to qualify the boxes for optional moving insurance. However, funiture can be optionally insured even if owner-packed boxes are not insured. Most moves only take a few hours to compete the pickup; larger shipments may take one day to pack and one day to load into the steel container. Soon afterwards, the customer is billed by our company, and after agreeing to pay the transportation invoice, the shipment is sent to their new destination. Depending on how far they are moving, this typically takes between 4-8 weeks for moves to and from Alask.
Self-Load Move Timeline:
The first thing to do when performing a self-load of your shipment is to determine what size of move you need. The smallest self-load is on wood pallets that are 48x40 inches (larger ones up to 72x48 inches can be used as well). We always recommend to cardboard crate the palletized shipment, in order to cut down on the chance of damage and virtually eliminate lost items. Most or all of the palletized shipment will be boxes or plastic bins (totes), but some smaller furniture can be loaded as well. If you plan on moving a lot of furniture, the next size up for a self-load is a 20x8x8 foot steel container, which should easily hold the contents of a two-bedroom apartment, condo, or home. 40’ containers are generally $1000-2000 more than 20’ containers, and can hold up to a 4-5 bedroom home’s worth of contents. Sometimes the shipment can be self-unloaded in order to save additional money; most of the time the shipment must be delivered by a local warehouse if the container is bound for another country. The transit time for pallets and steel containers is roughly the same as for a full-service move: 1-2 months for moves to/from Alaska.
Let's discuss what exactly how the pre-move estimate is used to calculate the estimated transportation costs of the shipment. Many customers think that the estimator who comes out to their residence or storage unit will immediately be able to give them a door to door price for their move. That's actually not the job of the estimator; their job is to simply mark down the furniture moving, mark down any boxes the customer has packed, and mark down how many boxes they think the customer will need. That's all they are there to do. They then send the information to our company, and with the estimated weight and cubic feet on the survey, our company then calculates the estimated door to door cost of the move for the customer. Again, the estimator does not estimate the cost of your move, they only estimate the weight and size of the shipment. They could guess on the door to door price, and they could also be very off in their guess. They often have no idea how a company like ours actually prices out the different transportation costs involved in the shipment (pickup, trucking, ocean, and delivery). They can however be asked about certain accessory charges, note the truck/container access to your residence or storage unit, note any large fragile items that may need custom crating, etc. The pre-move estimate is very important for a decent-sized move, but it is only a tool for helping to calculate multiple different transportation costs of the move, and those calculations are done in our office, not in the estimator's office.
Now that we have explained what a pre-move estimate is and is not, let's now explain how weight and cubic feet (size or volume) are related to each other. Most surveys first mark down how large a box or piece of furniture is, and assign a certain number of cubic feet to that item or group of items. The survey then usually will multiply that cubic foot number by seven to get the estimated weight. Based on experience, most moves average out to seven pounds per cubic foot. However, most furniture is only around four pounds per cubic foot, and boxes can often range from 10-30 pounds per cubic foot. So, if someone is moving mostly boxes or all boxes, their shipment's density (pounds per cubic foot) will tend to be significantly higher than someone who is moving a good mix of boxes and furniture. As you will read later, this will have an important effect on the transportation cost, especially if the shipment's cost is based 100% by weight.
For a custom quote and get your questions answered, do call us at 877.784.2111 or shoot an email to Neena at neena@premiervanlines.com and obtain all the information you need to streamline your move as smoothly as possible. Additionallly, you can text your quote request at 619.465.0518 as we respond to phone calls, emails and texts either that day or the very next day.
*** Premier Van Lines International is a member of the American Trucking Associations (ATA) - ATA is the largest and most comprehensive national trade association for the trucking industry.
*** Premier Van Lines International is reinstating our Pro-Mover Designation. "The ProMover is a certification program that gives consumers an easy way to separate reputable, professional movers from “rogue operators.” The ProMover certification takes the worry and the hassle out of moving by helping consumers identify professional movers who have agreed to abide by high standards and by providing information and assistance with everything from finding a mover, to getting an estimate and packing tips, to understanding valuation and insurance."
*** Premier Van Lines International is also member of the California Moving and Storage Association (CMSA). This is an association representing licensed and insured movers operating in California who abide by CMSA's code of ethics.
Premier Van Lines International, San Diego Office
Neena Dee, CEO
PO BOX 974
Spring Valley, Ca 91976
Toll Free: 877.784.2111
Office or Text: 619.465.0518
Office or Text: 619.465.0518
Premier Van Lines International, Corporate Office
Richard Jensen, CFO and Move Coordinator
Office/Text: 619.465.0518
Fax: 619.460.6489
Premier Van Lines International is licensed, bonded & insured.
FMC #: 024223
US DOT #: 3662762
MC #: 01266993
FF (Freight Forwarder) #: 049742
CA Corporation #: C3849674
NVOCC (Non-Vessel Ocean Common Carrier) #: 019297NF
SCAC: PVLL; PV09
Domestic: Gray Casualty & Surety Company Surety/Trust #: GSC0602872
International: Hudson Insurance Company Bond #: SC400130