Man-with-a-van -type trasport rules and liability?

September 5, 2007 5:40 AM

I'm thinking about offering a small man-with-a-van -type moving service for a few moves in the short-term. I have a couple of feasibility/legalish questions about transport rules and liability.

I have large vehicle that's titled as an RV; if I start hauling cargo (even if it's not commercial cargo), does the classification of my vehicle change? What sort of registration and taxes would I be looking at? Do the rules change if I make moves across state lines?

Have you used a small, independent mover? What kind of liability agreement was in place for your belongings? Official or handshake?

Links are appreciated.

posted by glibhamdreck to work & money (4 comments total)

Apart from the registration issues, which I can't comment on, your automobile insurer will definitely need to know that you are doing this.

As far as liability issues, I would try to get liability insurance rather than relying on a piece of paper. As a bonus, your insurers will be able to tell you what sort of agreement would actually be effective.

I have used a man-with-a-van and there were no forms or agreements whatsoever.
posted by grouse at 5:54 AM on September 5, 2007

I used a man with a van, and he had a handwritten, photocopied liability waiver that basically said 'If I trash your shit, you can't do nuthin'. He was cheap and I was going to be in the van with him the whole time, so I agreed. He was reasonably cheap, had the option (£20 extra) of him helping or not, and he was bang on time - all winning factors.

Another thing that made it for me was that his hourly fee was dirt cheap, but he had a minimum two hours. So we paid for two hours (£30) and did it in just over an hour and fifteen minutes. I was nice and relaxed because he had this two hour minimum thing in place, so it was all very pleasant.

Plus, he told jokes.
posted by Happy Dave at 6:37 AM on September 5, 2007

Depending on how serious you are, you could also explore filing as an LLC which may offer you some additional protection (on a personal level, so if you do get sued, you don't lose your house). It doesn't mean it's impossible for them to go after you personally, though. IANAL, BTW.

I noticed just yesterday how many posts on Craigslist are about movers and thought it could be a lucrative side-job!
posted by fogster at 7:15 AM on September 5, 2007

My sister hired this kind of mover, and I helped out. The deal was, the customer pays by the hour, and helps them as much as possible to get the job done fast/cheap. When something breaks, the movers give sympathy and talk about how unfortunate it is. Then they talk about how easy it will be to fix, and how it isn't really a big deal.

It is up to the customer to realize that, considering how much money they just saved, a broken ikea TV stand actually isn't a big deal. And then, everybody is happy.
At the time, it took me a little bit to figure this out.. With a little help from my sister - it was her stuff anyway, so why was I so worried - I was able to piece together the logic.

I expect that as the mover, you'll have to do some filtering of customers. You really don't want to be moving some guys $200,000 audio video system, or someone's appraised million dollar antique collection. Those customers don't want you either, but for some I guess you'll have to point that out. For example, if they ask you how much liability coverage you offer, you can refer them to a more appropriate business. Of course how you present your operation should take care of most filtering automatically - like, do a proper job of not looking Professional.
posted by Chuckles at 11:23 PM on September 5, 2007