Each year, almost 40,000 Australians relocate across the country. Moving is stressful enough without the extra pressure created by transporting your precious goods to another state. According to realestate.com - moving interstate by road is generally considered one of the easiest, most convenient and more affordable ways to move. If you are working with a budget this will be your more ideal choice, plus - you can save more money by sharing a truck or container with other movers who you can find on Truckit.net.
Following these steps will help to reduce the stress of moving interstate. The first step is to section off weeks leading up to your moving day, 6-8 weeks away, 2-4 weeks away, 1 week away, and then on the day.
6-8 Weeks Before Moving Day
Set a moving budget
Moving interstate can be financially straining so be more prepared by creating a reasonable and achievable budget that fits within your means. Make sure you factor in removalists, packing materials, removalists cleaners & insurance to name a few.
Book your movers
Truckit makes it easy to find quotes that are best suited to you. Using Truckit.net, you can simply create a free listing, receive competitive quotes, compare and choose a provider, and from there - manage, receive & rate!
Organise booking insurance
Truckit does not directly protect Customers/Buyers against damages to their items, however Truckit does partner with NTI to protect Customers/Buyers against damages for most items. Alternatively, your transport provider may have their own warranty or insurance process which you can utilise at your own due diligence.
2-4 Weeks Before Moving Day
Book a removalist cleaner
When you’re in the height of packing and getting ready to move, people tend to mentally check out and leave things as they are as it can be viewed as a daunting task. Hiring a removalist cleaner can take that burden from you so you can focus on more important aspects of the move. Professional cleaners also use more industrial strength materials, leaving your house cleaner than if you cleaned it yourself, and they will remember to clean the forgotten aspects like sliding door/window tracks and the stove range hood!
Organise your new address
To minimise the risk of lost bills or other important documents, don’t forget to change your address. This may sound like a no-brainer, you change it for your utilities, license, work, and bank, but have you remembered to change your address on your ATO or MyGov account? You may not use these features often, but more often than not it is at the times you think you don’t need these services, you end up needing them. Another commonly forgotten address change is your toll badge which is especially important if you are driving long-haul to your new state. A safeguard for forgetting to change your address for important instances is leaving a forwarding address so everything is redirected to your new location.
Declutter & sell, donate or discard unwanted items
Us humans are notorious for collecting clutter so you should surely have items hiding throughout your house that you definitely don’t need or use. During decluttering, be ruthless and go full Marie Kondo - does it give you joy? When was the last time you saw or used this item? This process not only saves you on packaging and moving costs, but you can also gain some extra income to assist in the move! We recently released a blog post on Moving: Can you do it sustainably? Which you can check out for more helpful tips for the decluttering process.
Sort out packing supplies
Now that you have culled all unnecessary items, there should be a smaller amount to pack, and therefore it should be easier to organise what packing materials are needed like boxes, bubble wrap, tape & paper. If you are wanting to cut costs in this process, it would be ideal to reach out to friends or family asking if they have any reusable packing materials to share, or for a more sustainable option, you can utilise blankets, sheets and towels you already own to wrap more fragile items. To maximise packing space, using materials like towels, blankets or older clothing items will save you from using excess packing materials you don’t necessarily need.
Create an inventory
Having an inventory is important, especially if you have a large space. This allows you to tick off items at your new location to be sure that everything made it safely and nothing is missing. If items have gone missing, having an inventory checklist makes it easier to identify what needs to be found. The easiest way to do this is whilst you are packing. Have lists of what is in each box, and make sure those boxes are clearly labelled. When you are finished packing items, keep them all in one space to ensure you don’t double up your inventory!
1 Week Before Moving Day
Create a plan for moving day
Creating a moving plan can allow you to have total control of the day, henceforth freeing your mind of any extra stress. An example of a moving day checklist will be provided further below for what to do on the day you move!
Confirm your removalists and the removalist cleaners
Make sure your removalists and removalist cleaners are still aware of your need for them, and that they have the correct dates, addresses & times. This will help plan out your moving day, whilst also assuring that they will show up on the day and that your booking hasn’t been missed.
Packing
Packing in advance will allow for a smooth moving day. You can hire removalists with a full packing service, however if you choose to pack yourself, follow these tips below:
Pantry & fridge
At this point in time you should have already begun to reduce the food and drink that lives in your fridge and pantry. Make note of what items you have left, and how you can potentially use them before moving day. If you can’t use any of the items before moving day and do not want to take them with you, you can give them to friends or family, donate to the Foodbank if long life, or dispose of them accordingly.
Moving Day!
Now that moving day is upon you, it is time to put that moving day checklist to action!
We hope these tips help you in your next interstate move!
To help you move more sustainably, check our blog post: Moving: Can you do it sustainably?
Helping build trust between users of the marketplaces is always on the mind of the Truckit team when we are planning and prioritising features. Increased trust means reduced friction which leads to better outcomes for both sides of the marketplace.
To help build trust, Truckit Providers can now add a short Profile Video to help show off your business. The video will be displayed on your profile page to help potential customers find out about your business before accepting a quote. If a picture says a thousand words, then imagine what a profile video can do!
Truckit Provider Funkool was a part of the pilot of the Profile Video feature.
It's fast, easy and you can do it on your phone.
Got a feature idea or feedback? Get in touch at support@truckit.net, we're always open to new ideas.
To all our transport Providers,
TruckIt is sincerely grateful for the hardwork of all our Provider's during the recent COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown. Throughout this period, TruckIt has seen a significant increase in customer enquiries and demand, which has only been exceeded by the effort and attitude from all of our Providers.
To say thanks, TruckIt is giving away 3 x $150 Super Retail Gift Cards to Provider's who are willing to share their feedback and TruckIt success stories with us.
Winners will be chosen from the Providers who complete our survey and may be featured on our website or other upcoming marketing materials. You will be kept anonymous or identified on a first name basis only.
As of 11:59pm Sunday 5th April 2020 Western Australia has now closed its borders to everybody except exempted travellers.
Exempt traveller means a person who falls into one or more of the following categories and complies with any specified terms or conditions:
(g)Transport, freight and logistics: any person (other than an airline or maritime crew member) who in the course of the person's duties is responsible for the provision of transport or freight and logistics services into or out of Western Australia for only as long as is reasonable required to perform those duties.
IMPORTANT: All exempted travellers (including transport, freight and logistics workers) must submit a 'Request for Approval as an Exempt Traveller' and carry the associated paperwork.
"The Australian Government’s new JobKeeper payments will support trucking businesses – including up to 28,900 owner drivers – that experience substantial falls in turnover" Australian Trucking Association Chair Geoff Crouch said today.
The Australian Trucking Association and its member associations collectively represent the businesses and people of the Australian trucking industry. Together, the ATA and its members are committed to safety, professionalism and viability.
“Trucking businesses in the grocery, fuel and home delivery sectors are working flat out, but others face months of reduced work or, in some cases, financial devastation,” Mr Crouch said.
“JobKeeper payments will be a lifeline for many businesses in our industry and their employees.
“It will be a lifeline for hard pressed owner drivers who face months of little work, because the companies they support have closed down.
“In our discussions with the Government, the ATA argued strongly that owner drivers needed to be supported.
“We thank the Government for taking action and providing this support.
“We also thank the Government for developing an Australian program tailored to the way we do things in Australia, and not just copying overseas programs,” he said.
Read more about the JobKeeper payment here
Who is exempt from the requirement to enter quarantine for 14 days?
Who is a Transport, freight or logistics worker?
We encourage all our Providers who will be transporting freight into Queensland to apply for the border pass in order to speed up processing at the border.
Here are some short points about the assistance available to trucking businesses as a result of the economic stimulus announced in response to the Coronavirus.
You can read the full list of government measures here, as well as statement from the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) in response to the economic package here.
Australia’s leading freight marketplace TruckIt.net has signed a major new partnership with specialist transport and logistics insurer NTI Ltd to provide TruckIt.net customers with an added layer of confidence when moving their goods.
The partnership will provide TruckIt.net users with the option to take out affordable, Single Transit Insurance for qualifying jobs booked through the platform.
The insurance cover provides Accidental Damage Cover on a range of commodities providing freight customers with an added layer of confidence when using the TruckIt.net marketplace.
Established by Queensland-born, Scottish rugby international Robert Russell, TruckIt.net is at the forefront of Australia’s rapidly-growing on-demand freight industry that is becoming an increasingly important part of the overall $100 billion a year freight industry.
The digital marketplace matches people wishing to freight large or harder to move items (cars, furniture, pallets etc) with transport operators that includes sole operators with one vehicle up to large multi-vehicle businesses.
TruckIt.net Founder and Managing Director Robert Russell said the partnership was the first of its kind in Australia and would further reinforce TruckIt’s industry leadership.
“Our customers have made it clear they want the additional confidence provided by insurance that covers their materials while on the road,” he said. “We listened and went about finding the best possible partner we could.”
“Our users will now have a seamless, fully-integrated option to insure their goods while in transit. They no longer need to go to a third party to get insurance or take the risk their goods may be damaged or lost while being moved. They can also disregard having to rely on a transport providers insurance policy or warranties”
“NTI has gone above and beyond to ensure our customers have access to the best insurance coverage at an affordable price and we look forward to growing the relationship in the future.”
NTI General Manager Direct, Alan Hasted said the company was proud to partner with TruckIt.net to launch its first foray into the road freight marketplace industry.
“TruckIt has spent many years building a solid platform and loyal following from both users and transport providers and we couldn’t want a more trusted partner as we expand our portfolio of goods in transit offerings.”
NTI is solely owned and underwritten by CGU Insurance and Vero Insurance. This combines the strong industry experience of NTI in managing transport and logistics insurance with the backing and strength of two of Australia’s largest insurers.
The TruckIt.net platform was the first of its kind in Australia. Customers simply list their item on TruckIt.net for free and receive competitive quotes from interested vehicle operators. The booking, transaction and delivery process is managed directly between the freight owner and the operator.
Since it was first established in 2012, TruckIt has taken nearly 500,000 listings with deliveries covering more than 50,000,000 kilometres. At any one time there is about $1.5 million worth of freight projects posted on the site and available for truckers to quote on.
The idea for the business had its origins in Mr Russell’s return home from international rugby career and moving goods around the world and the country to set-up a new home in Brisbane.
“At the time there were a few freight marketplaces in the UK but it was very difficult to organise freight in Australia,” he said. “Getting a car moved from one city to another or some furniture across town shouldn’t require dozens of phone calls.”
The site now has nearly 300,000 customers who have posted a listing on the site and more than 4,500 truckers ready to quote on individual jobs.
The freight industry is one of the fastest growing in Australia with the volume of freight carried expected to grow by over 35 per cent between 2018 and 2040, an increase of 270 billion tonnes (bringing the total volume to just over 1,000 billion tonne kilometres), according to Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE).
Mr Russell, who operates the business with a small team at his Toowong office, said the company was ready to compete hard to be the dominant player in the market.
“We think we were the first of our kind in the country and would like to think that gives us the experience to deliver a much better customer experience than the swag of newcomers who have joined the industry in recent times,” he said.
“We have recently overhauled the platform and are ramping up a significant marketing campaign to ensure we stay ahead of the pack.”
Click here to find out more about the TruckIt/NTI partnership and Single Transit Insurance.
Truckit.net is a vibrant marketplace, connecting freight owners with transport providers.
Set up a professional profile
Your Truckit profile will be the first place customers look when deciding which transport provider is best suited to handle their delivery. The best profiles will include a concise but clear statement outlining your history
Smile for the camera
It's amazing what difference a profile picture can make to
Communication is key
It seems an obvious point, but it can not be stressed enough. The nature of an online marketplace and the need for trust means communication is the and a lack of communication can be a barrier to success.
Most customers will understand a delay or two, but simply want to be told so beforehand, otherwise they can feel left out of the loop and worried about their goods.
Focus on the jobs that are right for you
Truckit.net provides extensive search filters on the Search for Jobs page which allow transport providers to narrow down available loads by area, state or along an existing route. You can then filter by freight category to make sure you are only viewing the jobs most relevant to you. This saves time and ultimately money in scrolling through irrelevant loads.
Build a base of positive feedback
Every completed job gives you the opportunity to receive feedback from the customer. This feedback will be displayed on your Truckit profile to help future customers see the good work that you do. This is why it is essential to treat every job with the same level of professionalism as the last.