Overflow
Definition
When your belongings do not fit on the assigned truck. The remaining items must be loaded on a second truck or left behind. Can cause delivery delays and additional charges.
Overflow occurs when the moving truck runs out of space before all your items are loaded. This is one of the most stressful moving day scenarios.
Causes: the mover underestimated the shipment size, the customer added items not in the original estimate, the truck is shared with other customers and the space allocation was insufficient, or the loading crew is inexperienced and packs inefficiently.
Consequences: overflow items must go on a different truck, which may arrive days or weeks after the primary shipment. You may be charged additional transport costs. You have to decide on moving day which items go and which wait. Items on different trucks increase the risk of loss.
Prevention: get an accurate in-home estimate that covers every room and storage area. Ask the mover what truck size they plan to use and whether space is shared. If using a van line, ask whether your shipment gets dedicated space or shared space on a larger truck.
If overflow happens: insist that the mover document which items are on which truck. Get a timeline for the overflow delivery in writing. Confirm that your valuation coverage applies to all items regardless of which truck they are on. Consider having the crew reorganize and repack the truck to fit more items before accepting an overflow.