The process of moving for most parts is quite simple. Pack up your stuff in some boxes, call over some strong friends with pickup trucks and provide them beer and pizza. I thought it was going to be even simpler for us! The shipping company would drop a sea container in the driveway, I would pack it full of our stuff over a week or two, then they’d pick it up and deliver it to my home in Australia. Simple eh? I won’t need strong friends or trucks, but would likely still enjoy the beer and pizza.
Unfortunately, in our case it was a bit different. For starters, the shipping containers are rented for every hour it’s away from the shipping yard… $100 bucks in fact. So there goes my 2 weeks of leisure packing! The boxes have to be a certain type – no banana boxes from Zehrs. All of the contents must be accounted for and documented… and lastly, when the sea container gets to Australia, it’s unloaded, inspected in quarantine and then shipped to my new address by truck. Alright, we need a new plan. Hire someone!
How do you pick an international transport company / broker? Well, this process involves a finely dressed salesman that visits your home to tally your belongings and measure any large items. They pretty much all offer the same sales pitch including their banner of awards, broad range of esteemed associations they belong to and a reputation for being the best mover in the world. They can’t all be the best, can they? The selection process is simple. Pick the guy that you can speak with candidly and accepted the offer of a cold beer over discussion. This is a guy you can call when there’s a real problem and will likely help you in consideration of your honesty and breaking bread/yeast together.
Preparation for moving was easy because we’re not packing anything, the movers will. Moving is broken up into 2 days. First day is all packing, second day is the remainder of packing and then loading the sea container.
Moving day one: Two guys arrived promptly at 8am to assess the contents and come up with a plan. Oh, and when they arrive at your front door, one of them actually roles out a red carpet into your entrance way! I don’t impress easy, but was appreciative of the gesture. There was no time to spare, off they went packing boxes on day one.
So, remember the salesman in the suit, that offers world class moving? The moving guys are not dressed to impress but are polite professionals. Keep in mind these guys are now responsible for touching every artifact in your home and packing them with care. They will be in your home for 2 days, have no vested interest in your stuff and you will likely never see them again! Doesn’t seem like a meaningful relationship. There’s only one strategy to guarantee a successful experience; smooshing! A large range of cold beverages and subway lunch for all! Day one went really well with many boxes packed and itemized.
The only thing I did pack myself was my motorcycle. There are specific crating guidelines to follow such as the types of wood for framing and plywood grades. So, building something out of wood, who you gonna call? That’s right, Schoonz. This finely constructed box will protect my motorcycle from any natural disaster! Of course, we overkilled the construction a bit, but for good intentions. With the bike, extra contents and the crate itself, it was likely 1000lbs. The crate now needs to be lifted 5’ in the air to get into the sea container. How will they do this? The suit ensured me this wouldn’t be a problem as they have a hydraulic tailgate on a truck. The crate would be rolled using a pump jack on to the hydraulic tailgate and then transferred to the sea container. Perfect!
Moving day two: Final possessions are being packed, a third guy showed up to help and the shipping container is scheduled for a noon arrival. As with every well-planned strategy, there’s always a hiccup! The shipping container is going to be 3hrs late! This doesn’t seem like a big deal, but the moving guys we have live outside of the area. This means that one of them will miss a special dinner being prepared by his youngest daughter for his birthday. With rising frustration, this could equate to hasty world class service!
While waiting for the container, I asked about preparing the bike crate for when the sea container arrives. Well, here’s problem numero deux. They didn’t bring the pump cart and the hydraulic tailgate on the truck was broken. So, what’s the plan? The best option they had was to get carts under the crate and then push it up a ramp to the truck. So that’s going to happen, right? Well, let’s give it a go! I certainly wasn’t concerned with crate considering the Fort Knox construction. With brute force, four of us lifted the crate and got the rollers under it. The crate rolled okay, but the wheels were too small to get up over the lip of the ramp. Next plan? Blank stares… Luckily, we have a tow truck company at the end of Willoughby. I suggested calling a flatbed truck, pulling the crate up the flatbed using a winch vs. pushing it and then transferring the crate from the flatbed into the truck on a level plane. With all in agreement, that’s what they did.
The sea container finally arrived! The problems aren’t over yet! The driver was not comfortable backing up a 40’ container into the driveway in consideration of the narrow road and deep ditches on Willoughby. This would mean that all of our boxes would have to be carried to the road. With rising frustration, the clock ticking and a lack of energy, there wasn’t much professionalism left with the moving guys as they expressed themselves to the late truck driver. After a short argument, the driver rammed the trailer into our driveway with rage. Then the work really started! In less than 2hrs, all of our boxes were carried on the backs of these three movers into the sea container. Very impressive. The motorcycle was transferred from their truck to the sea container with ease and the doors were shut and locked!
As we watched all of our possessions leave the driveway, the final step in the process is to review the inventory bill of landing and sign your life away. I was willing to do this, but there was a clerical error! All of our goods were being shipped to Austria! What? The hills are alive in Austria, but that’s not where we’re going. “No problem” says the moving guy as he simply sratched out Austria and wrote in Australia. Done.