In Oregon, Moving is heavily regulated by ODOT (Oregon department of transportation) specifically the household goods department. To be a licensed carrier in the state of Oregon, one must comply with several requirements that ODOT sets forth. To start the application process, a Portland Moving Company must have a business name filed with the corporation division, a business identification number, and results of a criminal background check on all owners. Thus, they will need cargo insurance of at least $10,000 to protect customer’s belongings. Additionally licensed Portland movers must pay ODOT 1% of their revenue annually by April 4th.
On an almost monthly basis ODOT will conduct “sting operations” on illegal Moving Companies throughout the Portland metro areas. They will call, pose as a customer and set up companies who are not authorized to transport household goods. Here is a link to a recent sting on moving companies Portland OR– http://www.katu.com/news/local/ODOT-busts-unlicensed-moving-companies-with-sting-operation-295962531.html
Most of these companies will advertise their services in the moving section on Craigslist. ODOT states that the reason for these sting operations is to protect consumers, and bring illegal companies into compliance. There’s no doubt, that we support ODOT’s action for cracking down on illegal Portland movers. After all, who wants a couple criminals showing up on their doorstep moving their goods, not knowing whether they are insured or not. Are all of these guy’s caught criminals? No, absolutely not. Let me go back and reiterate that ODOT’s main goal is to bring these companies in compliance, thus making them a legal moving company in the state of Oregon.
Here is our tariff that helps explain what we charge per hour, rules, and regulations. http://www.ormsa.com/ You might ask, what’s a tariff. Simple, it’s a set of regulatory rules that a Portland Mover must abide by in order to stay in compliance with the department of transportation. Can we provide discounts for seniors, service members, or individuals seeking to get out of a domestic abuse situation? Unfortunately the answer is no. We are not allowed to offer any discounts of any kind. A California based moving company will move a person who is in a domestic abuse situation for free of charge. This is something Northwest Movers would like to be apart of some day.
Onto the insurance aspect of legal moving companies. All insurance is the same for all Moving Companies across the country. The standard is $0.60 per pound. For example, lets say a 200 LB dresser was damaged beyond repair. The payout would be $0.60 * 200= $120 payout. If that dresser cost $600 dollars, you’re obviously out a good portion of your money. Most of the time, if your using a reputable Portland Moving Company, items are seldom destroyed. Does damage occur from time to time? Absolutely, although most of the time it is very minor. There is a second insurance option available, which is replacement cost protection plan. This varies from house to house, but generally ends up adding a few hundred dollars to your bill. We work with a local furniture repair company when items are damaged. We cannot take money, or time off of your bill at the end of the move (for damage). However after the move is complete we will send out a repair specialist to take care of the damage, no matter what the cost is.
Where should you start when searching for Portland local Movers? First and foremost make sure they are on the authorized movers list with ODOT. Second, check online review forms to see what other customers have to say. Yelp tends to be a reliable source for weeding out fake and competitor reviews. http://www.yelp.com/biz/northwest-movers-portland-25 Angie’s List also is a great source for feedback, although one must have a paid membership to access reviews. Google has stepped up their algorithm as well, and is also a good source for local feedback. https://plus.google.com/108029747045977558938/about?hl=en Of course there is the feedback by word of mouth from friends, family, and co-workers.
The most important aspect to take away from this article is that a licensed moving company does not set their rules, rates, or regulations. One of the largest conceptions about Portland Oregon Moving Companies is that they set their own rates etc. Everything that is ruled/ charged is being done so to obey state laws.
