Moving Survival Guide

Save $200 off your U-Pack Move!

What’s the catch?

You just have to prove that you are a master packer and get the highest score on our U-Pack-A-Cube game!

Oh, you’ve never played it? Well go give it a shot.

I know it sounds silly, but it really is rather addicting. And since it only takes 60 seconds, there is absolutely no commitment involved. My highest score so far is 210, and I was pretty proud of that until one of my coworkers posted a score of 225!  I obviously can’t win the prize, but it’s still entertaining.

If you are not moving, you could also opt for a $100 American Express gift card if you win. That is better than Cash!!! One tip though: don’t pack the cat…

Shipping Motorcycles and Other Outdoor Equipment

When we think about moving, most of us think about packing the things inside the house and oftentimes forget about the things we keep outside … and in the garage ... If you’ve got a lawnmower, weed eater, hedge trimmer, leaf blower or snow blower … make sure you plan on how you’re going to pack and load them.  If any of these items are gasoline powered, you’ll want to drain the fuel before you load them … otherwise, you run the risk of gas leaking onto your items or, at the very least, your stuff smelling like gas.  And don’t forget – it also makes your shipment flammable. For the safety of your items, other items that may be on the same trailer and ABF’s drivers and equipment, we require that the fuel be removed.

People often ask about shipping motorcycles, dirt bikes and ATVs … Not a problem with U-Pack!  Just remember to take care of draining the flammable fluids. Take a look at our shipping motorcycles page to learn more about the best way to safely ship your motorcycle!

Moving to Chicago or Moving From Chicago?

If you currently live in Chicago, you’re probably already aware that finding a place to park can be a nightmare. If you’re planning to move to Chicago, here’s a little hint: parking spaces in the Windy City are sparse.

Now imagine trying to find a spot for a moving truck! Definitely not an easy feat.

As you could probably guess, there are parking restrictions for both the ABF Trailer and the ReloCube within the city of Chicago. Because of parking restrictions, zip codes in Chicago with a prefix of 606 require a 2 hour “live load” or “live unload”.

What is a “live load/live unload”?
When ABF performs a live load/live unload, the driver parks the tractor and trailer in the space you’ve secured, and rather than disconnecting the tractor from the trailer, the driver stays with it while you load/unload.

Even though a live load is required, you’ll still need to check with the local authorities (police or city hall) about the requirements for parking a 28-foot commercial trailer in your area.

Why is parking ABF equipment a problem in Chicago?

Other than the obvious problem of few parking spaces, many areas in Chicago have extremely narrow roads that make it nearly impossible to maneuver our trailers. This is especially true when we try to deliver ReloCubes on a flatbed trailer. Since the flatbeds used to deliver the ReloCubes are 40 feet long, door service within the city with this equipment is limited to areas where we can maneuver without a problem.

Parking Solution
If you’re moving into or out of an area in Chicago where parking is an issue, a great solution is a terminal load or unload. To make it more convenient, we have several service centers in the Chicagoland area to choose from. And, you can save money when you load or unload at the local service center.

If you have additional questions about parking issues in your area, feel free to contact a U-Pack representative at 800-355-1696.

Did you know that Spanish is the second most common language spoken in the United States?

U-Pack has a new Spanish Website and Spanish speaking representatives to assist customers moving within the United States and into and out of Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico.

If you would like to receive a moving quote in Spanish, call 800-413-5182 or visit our Spanish website at moviendose.com. 

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¿Sabía que español es la segunda idioma más popular en los Estados Unidos?

U-Pack tiene un sitio nuevo en español y representantes para asistir clientes con mudanzas dentro de los Estados Unidos.  También hacemos mudanzas de y para Puerto Rico, Canadá y México. 

Si le gustaría recibir una cotización en español, llame a 800-413-5182 o visite el sitio a moviendose.com.

Verify Dates and Timing

Knowing the exact dates your move will take place (loading, transit, and unloading) is something that may not seem an important detail initially, but it could be!

Is the date the truck will arrive for loading a guaranteed date?
Check for wording on your contract that might indicate that it could be brought to you on a date other than the date you expect it to arrive.

How long will the truck be left at your house for loading?
You want plenty of time to complete your loading, but knowing it will be picked up in a timely manner once loading is complete is important as well.

Once the truck is in transit, are you able to track its progress?
Make sure there is information on the contract regarding how to track the shipment during transit.

When will the truck arrive at your new home?
Is the transit time estimated or guaranteed? If estimated, is a guaranteed transit time available – if so, what is the cost for a guarantee?  Is the transit time business days only, or are weekends/holidays included in the transit time? What day does the transit time begin?  

Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions to fully understand what you are signing up for.

You’ve probably noticed that the trucking industry has its own lingo…which can be like a foreign language to the Average Joe. Take a look at a few commonly used terms…you might be able to impress your friends on your next road trip:

Terminal – Fancy trucking term for “office” or “branch”
Commercial Freight – Brand new manufactured items (ex: computers, TV’s, exercise equipment). On a household goods move, we put commercial freight on the back portion of the PUP (see definition below) that is unused by the U-Pack customer. The good news is that we make sure it doesn’t include anything liquid or smelly so it doesn’t affect your goods.
Bulkhead – This is the divider wall you put in after your goods are in our trailer. Watch how a bulkhead is installed at upack.com.
Liveload – If you live in a metro area like Chicago, Boston or Seattle, you may not get the normal 3 business days to load. Due to parking restrictions, you usually have a 2-4 hour period where our ABF driver waits with the truck while you load.
Spot – Not a word used to describe a stain or blemish. This word is what truckers say when they have dropped off an empty trailer at your home for loading. For example: I just spotted a trailer at Mr. Johnson’s house.

PUP – It looks like this…

First things first, PUP is the industry’s nickname for a short tractor trailer…it’s not a flatbed trailer you hook to the back of your pickup and drive yourself. It is similar to the back part of the 18-wheel trucks you’re familiar with seeing on the road - except it’s about half as long – 28 ft. as compared to 53 ft. I’m not sure why it’s called a PUP, so if you find out, let me know…

Andale!!! Thinking about retirement? Has the cost of living gotten too high? Want to trade the rat race for an afternoon siesta? You may want to consider one of U-Pack’s newest services: Moving to Mexico!

In the past few years, U-Pack has seen a growing demand for moves to Mexico and Moves from Mexico. U-Pack is currently the only “You Pack, We Drive” moving option into Mexico. We have been moving customers in and out of 17 of the 31 Mexican States since January 2007.

U-Pack representatives can provide a moving quote either into or out of our Mexico service area (see map below). To make the border crossing process run smoothly, we provide contact information for border brokers that have been used successfully by other customers (although you are free to hire a broker of your preference). The most important part of choosing a customs broker is feeling comfortable with them and confident that they will assist you with providing complete and correct paperwork during your international move.

I am looking forward to helping even more customers have successful moves to Mexico this year as the U-Pack Mexico service expands in 2008.

Adios!

Bashas' Supermarkets 200

FRIDAY NIGHT – UNDER THE LIGHTS!
Friday night brought hot temperatures and even hotter action as the Nationwide series headed to the one-mile superspeedway in Phoenix for the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200. Team ABF Racing headed into this weekend with a lot of anticipation. Jason Leffler, pilot of the #38 Camry, has been strong at this track in the Nationwide series, and has won on it in several other racing series. 18-year-old James Buescher made his Nationwide Series debut in Phoenix in the #32 car.

Qualifying WOAHS!!!
Both James and Jason had solid cars in practice, but neither burnt up the speed charts. James had to go out pretty early for qualifying, so a pole run for the rookie looked unlikely due to the less favorable track conditions than were present toward the end of the session. He qualified on the provisional pole though, besting the half-dozen drivers that went out before him. He ended up starting in the 17th position. Not a bad entry in to racing’s #2 series.

Leffler had a later draw, and with one pole already at the track, he hoped to make a very strong showing. His first lap was conservative, placing him in the 21st starting spot. Unfortunately, during the second lap, the rear of the #38 Toyota took its own line around the track, and Jason went for a spin. Thankfully, he was able to work the wheel and the throttle enough to keep the car off of both the outside and the inside wall.

GREEN FLAG!
When the green flag fell, it seemed that each car was on a different agenda. Jason, disappointed with his qualifying effort, worked to move to the front of the field as quickly as possible. He was inside the top 10 before lap 50. James had to make sure that he kept his car clean, but still stayed in contention for a good finish. At the 50 lap mark he moved back slightly to the 20th position. Hey, to finish first, you must first finish.

Strategy
When the third caution of the race came out on lap 63 for debris on the track, Crew Chief Paul Wolfe decided to keep the #38 out on the track in order to pick up track position. This moved Jason up to 2nd from 9th. Trent Owens brought the #32 in for new tires and adjustments, which sent James back out in the 20th position.

Hindsight is 20/20
It appears that the play for track position didn’t help the #38. By the time everyone was back on the same pit sequence, Jason was back in the 11th position, but James had moved up a bit to 18th. Then, as the laps wound down, Jason saw a hard fought top ten finish slip away. With just 10 laps to go, he brought out the race’s 8th caution with a flat tire-induced spin. He brought the #38 home to a solid, but disappointing 14th. James, just a few weeks removed from his 18th birthday, was able to finish inside the top 20 with an 18th place finish. We just may see a new winner in the Braun Racing Stable very soon.

Up Next
Next up for the Nationwide series will be a trip down south. Way South. They will spend Sunday, April 20th in Mexico, as they try their hand at road-racing for the first time this season in the Corona Mexico 200 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Brian Vickers will be in the ABF U-Pack car next on May 24, at Lowes Motor Speedway.

(Photos Courtesy of TheHotLap.com)

Show me your numbers….

When you start searching for a reputable moving service, you'll notice that many websites like movingscam.com and safersys.org, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's website, suggest checking up on the company’s “numbers”.  The “numbers” these sites are referring to are Bond, Department of Transportation (DOT), and Motor Carrier (MC) numbers.  Other numbers of interest include the length of time in business, accurate phone numbers and the size of the company.  The company you are considering should not have a problem readily providing these numbers.  So do not hesitate to ask and check. 

ABF U-Pack’s numbers:
DOT # – 082866
Bond # - 209 703 060
MC # - 299107342

For example, when searching ABF U-Pack’s numbers on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s website, you will see that ABF is classified and regulated as an interstate motor carrier.  This means that ABF is able to carry many types of freight.  Since U-Pack is part of ABF, considerable cost savings can be passed along to you by combining commercial freight on the portion of the trailer you do not fill with your own household items.  The other freight will be items with a final destination of department stores, other businesses, etc.  But you don’t have to worry because there will never be any dangerous items placed on the same trailer as your bedroom furniture!

Does anyone know a “Don’t Rain” dance?

For the fourth time in seven races, rain made an unwelcome appearance. As a result, qualifying was cancelled so teams had only one practice session before the race. The starting lineup was once again set by points, so even though Team ABF Racing was fast during practice, with Brian Vickers posting a top five time, he and the #32 Camry started 19th and Jason Leffler in the #8 car started 14th.

RACEDAY!

Thankfully, the weather on Saturday was good, and so was Team ABF Racing. Jason Leffler held the #38 in the top 20 throughout the race, and Brian Vickers moved the #32 Seymour / ABF U-Pack entry into the top 10 by lap 75. Things looked good for a solid finish for both teams.

On lap 91, the second caution of the race fell for debris on the track. While Vickers had a solid stop and re-started 9th, Leffler missed his pit! This caused him to have to restart as nearly the last car on the lead lap. He kept moving forward though, and never fell off of the lead lap.

With 83 laps to go, Vickers had the U-Pack machine in the 4th position, and was looking for more. He had to wait a bit though, as he was unable to move into the top three until a lap 161 restart. Leffler moved up to 7th.

Decisions, Decisions

When the final caution fell with 11 laps to go, the Crew Chiefs on pit road were left with a tough decision. The end of the race was near, but the cars had been on track under green for almost 30 laps. Should they come down for tires, or stay on the track and try to hold their position until the end? While some of the leaders stayed out, many others came in for either two or four new tires. Trent Owens called for four tires on the #32, as did Paul Wolfe, who replaced Stewart Cooper atop the #38 pit-box beginning this week. This shuffled the drivers back to 8th and 9th for the restart with only seven laps to go. When the checkers fell, Vickers had the Seymour / ABF car in 6th, and Leffler held onto 9th. All in all, a great run for both drivers and the Braun Racing team.

Up Next

Next up for the Nationwide series will be a Friday Night Fight on the one-mile Phoenix International Raceway this weekend. Brian Vickers will be in the ABF U-Pack car next on May 24, at Lowes Motor Speedway.

(Photos Courtesy of TheHotLap.com)