Dedicated load or shared load
On a dedicated load your shipment is the only thing on the truck. It leaves when it is loaded and arrives when it gets there, which is the fastest option and the one people pick when they need furniture in place by a specific day.
On a shared load your shipment travels with others heading the same direction. It costs less and it comes with a delivery window rather than a delivery date, because the truck has other stops. Which one makes sense depends on how firm your arrival date is and how much you are shipping.
The inventory is the paperwork that matters
Every item that goes on the truck gets tagged and written down, including the condition it was in when it was loaded. At delivery someone reads the list back as pieces come off. That is how you know nothing was left on a dock, and it is the document any claim would be built from, so take the few minutes to look it over at pickup instead of signing it blind.
Planning the delivery end
The destination usually needs more planning than the origin. A tractor-trailer cannot get down every street, and some communities and buildings have their own rules about truck size, delivery hours and certificates of insurance. Tell your coordinator what the new address is like: driveway, street width, HOA, elevator, walk distance. If a big truck cannot reach the door, the shipment gets shuttled in a smaller one, and that is far better handled a week ahead than on the morning of.
Pack a first-night bag and keep it in your car: bedding, towels, chargers, medications, a few days of clothes, and anything the kids or the dog will need. On a long haul the furniture and the family rarely arrive at the same hour.
What cannot go on the truck
Federal rules keep certain things off an interstate load no matter how carefully they are packed: propane tanks, gasoline, paint thinner, aerosols, fireworks, ammunition, and anything else flammable or corrosive. Plants and perishable food do not survive the trip either. Drain the gas and oil out of mowers and generators before load day, or plan to leave them behind.
