The U.S. Moving Industry – Challenges, Analysis and Predictions

The state of the professional household goods moving and storage industry remains unsettled as a few crucial disruptions prevail the market.

The American Moving and Storage Association reports that there has been a decline in each of the three major categories of moves: COD (cash on delivery) – 0.1%; Corporate moves – 2.0 %; Military moves – 8.5%.

Although the sales of new homes have increased by 36% and the sales of existing homes have increased by 12% from 2012 to 2015, there hasn’t been any compelling increase in the number of shipments since before the housing crisis hit.

Apparently, more Americans are moving into new homes or from one home to another, but the number who are hiring a professional mover is not increasing at the same rate. It turns out that people are choosing a less than full service move from a non-traditional moving company. To stand out, professional movers need to fight the mentality of household goods being considered a general commodity.

What is good for the Economy is not good for movers

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the US economy is expected to continue growing steadily. The price of diesel fuels is about half of what it was just two years ago. It’s down to about $2 per gallon. The U.S. unemployment rate is back below 5% (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

However, the good news for the overall economy pose a challenge for movers who are already struggling to find labor. AMSA’S CEO Scott Michael reports that finding good labor is at the top of movers’ problems. As there are too many other businesses out there who are hiring labor, it’s difficult to find people who are willing to do the back-breaking work of being a mover. “Long distance driver” seems to be a less attractive position in today’s job market. To be sustainable, movers need to find a way to increase their revenues so that they can afford to pay their workers higher compensations.

Millennials as a game changer

Millennials are tech-savvy, some say even tech-dependent, demanding, and like to be in control of what they are doing. And, they are currently being the largest group in the marketplace. It is critical for professional movers to understand that generation and reshape the way they do business.

Millennials have grown up with digital devices. To reach that group, moving companies need to adopt technology that enables the millennial customers to opt for what kind of service they want and give them more control on each step of their moving process. Utilizing virtual estimates and employing paperless policy are integral to business administration. A functional and user-friendly mobile app that allows customers to get all the essential information about their move when they want it and how they want it is a key element in fulfilling clients’ needs.

David Arpin, CEO of Arpin Van Lines says that working out a delivery window won’t be an option for most of the millennials. They want to arrange precise time for pickup and delivery and they would be willing to pay more for that specialized service.

To successfully target and work with millennial customers (and all customers at all), professional movers should seriously consider the idea of hiring younger people and empowering them to look for creative solutions, says Jeff Palmer, President of Palmer Moving & Storage. Think outside the box.

The Government

Some good news for the industry are coming with the signing of FAST Act which will provide funding for major construction projects to repair and expand our roads, bridges, and railroads. That highway bill is a long-term commitment to a safer and more efficient transportation infrastructure.

Specific provisions that made it into the FAST Act with AMSA’s support include a study of ways to reduce the paperwork burden that consumers face on a household goods move, removing the CSA scores from public view and also making it harder for the FMCSA to issue new rules that will disturb the moving industry. Another critical area AMSA is working on concerns the Hours-Of-Service rules.

The ELD mandate that comes into effect in December 2017 will be a real challenge for some small moving companies. Without a doubt, the electronic logging devices will reduce paperwork, save movers time and enable them to be more efficient in planning and executing their moving jobs. However, the needed investment to implement the ELDs can be very disruptive for companies with limited budgets.

Trump as a President of the USA

In one of his statements, Donald Trump said: “The H-1B program is neither high-skilled nor immigration: these are temporary foreign workers, imported from abroad, for the explicit purpose of substituting for American workers at lower pay. I remain totally committed to eliminating rampant, widespread H-1B abuse and ending outrageous practices such as those that occurred at Disney in Florida when Americans were forced to train their foreign replacements. I will end forever the use of the H-1B as a cheap labor program, and institute an absolute requirement to hire American workers first for every visa and immigration program. No exceptions.”

The U.S. moving industry is already ‘suffocating’ as younger Americans are choosing other professions over the position of a truck driver. That has already been an issue for the last several years. And since so many moving companies depend on immigrants during the busy summer season, here comes the inevitable question : If H-1B program is terminated, are professional movers prepared to evolve?