Georgia Truck Accident Lawyers Blog

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has fined three moving companies, Lightning Van Lines, Inc. of San Leandro, California; Viking Moving and Storage, Inc. of Oakland, California and are Guardian Moving & Storage of Los Angeles, California, $25,000 each during an enforcement sweep that took place in March.

Our Atlanta truck accident lawyers applaud FMCSA efforts to remove unsafe moving trucks from our roadways. We know in 2009, Georgia had 1,750 fatal accidents, 133 involved large trucks.

Compliance reviews of 67 moving companies were conducted by 37 FMCSA and state investigators as part of the agencies Household Goods Strike Force. The Strike Force purpose is to protect the public from deceptive moving companies. High risk companies were targeted in Atlanta, Georgia; New Orleans, Louisiana; Miami, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona; Los Angeles and San Jose, California; and Las Vegas, Nevada.

"We are committed to protecting the public from unscrupulous movers that attempt to operate unsafely," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "We want these carriers to know that there are serious legal and financial consequences for evading federal regulations."

Investigators looked for regulatory violations including: not providing consumers with a mediation process, collecting fees higher than the original estimate and not giving customers their shipment.

"FMCSA is committed to raising the bar for safety and closing cases on rogue household goods movers," said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. "We will do this by keeping the focus on safety and on improving service to the American public, one safe and successful move at a time."

Avoid these mistakes when choosing a moving company:
-Getting estimates over the phone, movers need to see your belongings to give you an accurate estimate.

-Accepting the first estimate, you need several estimates for a fair comparison.

-Accepting the lowest estimate, a super low estimate should signal a red flag.

-Not asking about additional charges, always ask what will cost you extra.

-Choosing an uninsured or unlicensed company, moving companies have to be licensed and carry insurance.

-Not getting a written contract, your agreement must be in writing so you know exactly what you are paying for.

-Not disclosing issues to the movers, let them know your new apartment is on the 3rd floor with no elevator.

-Not understanding the insurance coverage the movers provide, it is wise to pay extra for coverage that will give you replacement value for damaged items.