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Let's Get Moving!
How to Handle it Like a Pro!
by Mette Beecroft
Yes, the transfer season is almost here. For employees and family members, moving is often a time of mixed emotions--excitement about going to a new post, sadness about leaving an established existence, and nervousness about getting everything done without becoming utterly exhausted.
While employees and family members are confronted with the complications of a big international move, the Transportation Division is gearing up to handle the summer case load. For Transportation, just as for you, this is a time of enormous pressure. During the summer months the workload of each moving counselor quadruples--yet each client still receives individual attention since requirements and posts vary. Moving Counselors understand that their clients are under considerable stress, and they are aware that the moving experience plays an important role in a person's adjustment to post.
Transportation is responsible for a multitude of details, but there are also a number of steps you can take to maximize chances for a successful move. As a veteran Foreign Service spouse who is now assigned to Transportation, I would suggest the following:
Read "It's Your Move."This 68-page booklet will give you a better understanding of the entire moving process. It is available in Transportation, Room 1244, Main State (202-647-4140). At overseas posts, the CLO should have copies.
Give your move top priority.In spite of time constraints, at some point your move needs top priority. A big move is demanding, both physically and psychologically. It requires your attention if only because it is an investment in your future. If you plan well, you can avoid many frustrations. For example, if you are moving to a tropical post, take some winter clothes as well: you may need them at your next post or for home leave or R & R. Obtaining information, planning, organizing, and coordinating do pay off.
Start the moving process at least four weeks in advance. In the summer, allow six weeks. The European Bureau (EUR) covers the most territory and the counselors handling EUR traffic are the busiest of all. Get to them as soon as you can.
Try not to change a scheduled moving date.At times, changes are necessary. However, changing a date is not as simple as altering a notation on a schedule. There is a domino effect, because lift van construction/loading, as well as the truck, packing crew and moving inspectors all must be rescheduled. Don't forget that in the summer busy season, you are trying to move just when everyone else is moving as well. When Transportation has multiple packers, everyone is competing for a limited number of packout dates. You may not be able to get a new date and may lose the old one as well.
Stay in close touch with the Counselor.
The work of the ten Moving Counselors is divided up according to geographic bureau with each Counselor specializing in arranging moves for a specific bureau. The work is also divided up according to inbound and outbound goods. One Counselor arranges moves for retirees. Be sure to obtain the Counselor's full name and direct telephone number. Always get back to the same counselor. Similarly, the same employee or family member should always contact the designated Counselor. This reduces the chances for misunderstanding and ultimately saves time because it is unnecessary to repeat all information.
Schedule your packout and ALL changes through your Counselor. Changes have a cumulative effect. If changes are not put into the computer system to advise the packer, inspectors, etc., problems will result: the packers may not show up; they may show up at the wrong time; or there may be no inspector. If you are going to a "consumables" post, inform your Counselor of the details so that Transportation can arrange for pickup and packing of goods. Once the arrangements are made, get the shipment number for each shipment from the Counselor. The Counselor then uses this number to call up information from the computer on the status of your shipment(s).
When the employee is expecting an inbound shipment, it is equally important to stay in touch. Sometimes, inbound goods arrive and Transportation has no way of contacting the individual. If goods remain unclaimed for more than 90 days, storage charges begin to accrue at the expense of the employee. For automobiles (POVs), storage is not available as a benefit and storage charges begin to accrue immediately.
Organize your move.
Movers often arrive at a packout only to find that items are insufficiently organized--which practically guarantees that something is going to end up in the wrong place. Moving to a new post usually involves at least four categories of packing: UAB (air freight); HHE (household effects--everything else you are sending); storage; and personal baggage. You might also want to consider what you will discard or give away, both to make your job easier and to save the U.S. Government money. Months before you move, you can begin organizing by putting the colored labels provided by Transportation on all items to indicate how items are to be handled. Or you can devise your own system with colored dots, e.g., blue for UAB, green for HHE, etc. Then when packout really starts, goods can be put together quickly according to their designation. No matter how tired you are, organizing can be done automatically since the planning has already been done.
Part of good organization involves allowing more time than you think you will need. Then, if unanticipated problems occur, there is time to make adjustments.
To further facilitate your move, you might want to station someone on each floor of your house to supervise packing. If you encounter unsolvable difficulties, call one of the Transportation Managers. Their names and numbers appear in the brochure provided with the "It's Your Move" booklet.
Keep good records.Three types of records are important: personal inventories, moving company documents, and shipping documents.
Make personal inventories of the items in HHE, air freight, storage, and even your personal luggage. If you do sustain a loss, you can be much more specific about your claim. In the case of stored goods, especially if you remain overseas for a number of years, inventories help you to keep straight what you have where.
Keep moving company documents. If you remain overseas for an extended period, this may require keeping them for a number of years. As far as the moving company is concerned, the storage inventory is your only proof that the stored goods are yours. And the inventory of HHE is your only means of assuring that all goods are delivered at your new post. Furthermore, these inventories are also required if you need to file an insurance claim.
Shipping documents are also important. Your new post will need the Airway Bill of Lading (AWB) number to track your air freight. When your UAB is first picked up, it will not yet have an AWB. The packing company will receive this information later from the freight forwarder who takes the UAB from the packing company to the airport. It may be necessary to contact the packing company several times to get the AWB number.
For your HHE, two documents are involved: the Government Bill of Lading (GBL) and the Ocean Bill of Lading (OBL). These documents will help your new post track the progress of your HHE. The GBL is prepared by the Dispatch Agent A (Department of State facilities located in New York, Baltimore, Miami and Seattle) and issued to the freight forwarder who takes the HHE from the packing company to dockside. The OBL secures space on the ship.
Develop realistic expectations. Waiting for UAB and HHE to reach post can be difficult, but much frustration can be avoided if expectations are realistic. UAB usually leaves the U.S. promptly, and initial flight time is brief. Transportation has less control, however, over the time it takes for UAB to be transferred to a connecting flight. Less predictable still are customs procedures at the new post. If you UAB has not arrived within 15 days, follow up with your GSO.
With HHE, the lift vans may reach port promptly, but may need to wait for an American-flag ship. You should stay in touch with your Counselor to find out what ship will carry your HHE, what the voyage number is, and when it departs. As with UAB, customs clearance in the host country also plays a role in delivery time.
Take responsibility. Especially during peak moving season, the Counselors have many clients. They appreciate a call from you to confirm information or arrangements. Overseas, your own initiative often pays off, especially where movers are less skilled:
See that fragile items are well packed, with heavy items at the bottom of cartons.
Be sure that lift vans are made of new wood and that they are waterproof.
Make sure that lift vans are not over-loaded and that--similar to cartons--heavy items are on the bottom.
If an address has been put on the lift vans, be sure that it is correct and legible. The person who wrote it may not speak English. Indicating the lift van number and the total number of lift vans (1/5, 2/5, etc.) helps keep the shipment together.
If you have any questions, no matter how small, you are welcome to contact one of the Transportation Managers at 202-647-4140 or 1-800-424-2947. They will do their best to answer your questions directly or refer you to the appropriate source of information.
Mette Beecroft is a co-chair of the AAFSW FORUM and a Program Analyst for the Division of Transportation at the State Department.