Space is major concern when you’re moving. Fitting your whole life into a truck is a daunting task. If you are moving interstate or internationally, sometimes an overflow shipment can occur. However, with the right planning and communication, your move can still go smoothly if an overflow happens.
What is an Overflow Shipment? 
An overflow shipment occurs when there is not enough room on the truck to fit all of your belongings. This means a second truck will have to be brought in to ship the remaining inventory.
For an interstate move, if a driver realizes that everything won’t fit, he will call in a second truck to load the remainder. This truck will bring your belongings to temporary warehouse storage until it can be loaded onto a truck heading to your destination. This is to ensure that all of your belongings will still be packed and removed from your old home on time on load day, and does not cause delays in clearing your origin home.
What Causes an Overflow Shipment?
An overflow shipment can have multiple causes.
The primary cause of overflow shipments generally occurs when either you or one of the other homeowners on the same shipment exceed the space estimate determined by your moving company.
Some people like to get a head start on their new home before they’ve arrived, but do not realize the effect of taking up extra space. Try to avoid buying items in advance that you will have to transport to your new home. Or, you may decide to bring items that you originally planned on tossing or selling. It can be tempting to add to the amount of items you are shipping, but we recommend avoiding adding to your inventory once your estimation is complete. If you decide to move additional items above what was originally discussed with your estimator, give the moving a company a call to let them know in case they need to adjust the planning for your shipment.
The second most common cause of overflow shipments is inefficient packing. Even with an accurate volume estimation, if your belongings are poorly packed, you will have more boxes than needed. Ensure that you pack smart–too much in one box can be as much of a problem as too little. For more information on packing, head over to our Move Planning Center, watch our How to Pack Video Series, or consider Hiring Packing Services.
I Need an Overflow Shipment, What Now?
An overflow shipment is rare, but sometimes unavoidable. The moving team will work with you to minimize the hassle. Ensure that the items you really need–beds, clothes, kitchen utensils–are in the first truck. Everything you pack will still arrive at your door, but make sure the important stuff arrives first. A professional moving company will stay in contact with you about your send shipment and work with you to make the process as easy as possible. Clear communication is the key to making sure that all of your belongings end up where they need to be.
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