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HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR REMOVAL COMPANY

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Approaching the moment to move house, you will find a good number of removal companies in your area. But how to choose the right one? What are the essential characteristics that a removal company must have?

Once you are ready to move house, get more quotes for different removal companies, normally you should request a quote from at least 3/4 companies to compare prices and services offered.

First of all, never trust moving companies that do not need to carry out an inspection. This step is, in fact, the moment when the person in charge of the company considers the various factors that are crucial to define the cost of the service. This is the reason why at Zeus Traslochi s.r.l.s. we always carry out an inspection to assess exactly what must be moved and to better assess the problems that may exist at the starting point and at the arrival.

Without an inspection you risk finding yourself in the ambiguous situation in which the company, on the day of the move, will not be fully prepared for the work to be done. Obviously, this condition does not matter if your move is small, for example a bed, a washing machine and 20 boxes.

This is in fact the moment in which you will be able to know the removal company and evaluate their professionalism, expertise and experience. The range of companies available is very wide, from small businesses to large companies with many vehicles, employees, warehouses, etc.

What are the key points that the removal company must guarantee?

Regardless of its size, a professional removal company will have to ensure some details which are partly mandatory by law, partly indispensable for the success of the move.

The first of these is undoubtedly the registration on the register of removal companies which is mandatory for all companies engaged in road freight transport.

Do not forget that customers are responsible for the removal service, and if the removal company is stopped without it, your vehicle is seized, and your things confiscated.

The second guarantee that a serious removal company should provide is adequate insurance coverage. By law, all companies that transport goods must necessarily have vector insurance coverage. This is a policy that compensates by kilo transported which is certainly not enough for the removal operations. It is therefore assumed that the removal company benefits from an additional insurance policy. This is the reason that allowsZeus Traslochi s.r.l.s. to offer an “all risks” insurance cover.

A fundamental aspect is the quote, which must be written and clearly show all the services included in the final price and indicate the costs for additional services. In addition to this our quote will have a detailed list of pieces of furniture and objects to be moved.

The staff is an essential aspect in the choice of the company, make sure that the removal company has regularly employed operators. Beware of companies that use on-call staff: moving is a delicate service and, for this reason, experts are important.

Finally, the price. It is not always true that a high cost service will be good, and a low-cost service will be poor. Perhaps, with equal guarantees, services offered and professionalism the costs will be fairly in line. In general, be wary of too low or too expensive quotes.

Make the right choice and have a nice moving!

Get your free quote, click HERE.

FUEL SAVING TIPS YOU SHOULD KNOW

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The most recent estimates show that the average incidence of the cost of transport and more specifically of fuel, is high. It is therefore clear that the issue of “refuelling” is an absolute priority for taxes in the road haulage sector.
In this regard, the Research Centre on Logistics (C-Log) of the Cattaneo University, LIUC of Castellana, has undertaken a research project entitled OSCAR “Osservatorio sulle strategie di rifornimento del carburante da parte delle imprese dell’autotrasporto”( “Observatory in Refuelling Strategies for Road Transport Companies), with the objective to support companies in the sector in evaluating the most convenient alternatives for fuelling.
Over 250 trucking companies, with over 6,000 vehicles for a total of 540 million km / year, replied to an on-line survey prepared by the researchers.

Refuelling Tanks
It was found that more than 50% of the participants adopts a model of refuelling by tank (71% is a mobile tank, less than 9,000 litres, while the remaining 29% is a large and in-ground tank).
Although the tank is considered an advantageous solution, we should consider that there are charges connected to the management of a tank: from maintenance (about 69% of the surveyed perform at least one maintenance activity over two years) to surveillance, from control supply to administrative burdens. The risks associated with the danger of diesel fuel, such as the dispersion of the substance in the environment, or the risk of theft, should not be ignored.

Comparing the Costs
The refuelling costs of the 18 companies analysed by the study were valued using the full cost method (TCO: Total Cost of Ownership) which includes the annual cost equivalent, the investment for the tank, the costs of maintenance and safety, the opportunity costs related to the occupation of space in the forecourt, the administrative costs (relations with suppliers, keeping the register oils, invoice verification) and costs related to refuelling, including extra-travel and financial charges.
From the application of the cost model, there seems to be a link between the cost of managing the tank and the number of litres supplied per year. It is therefore clear that the refuelling strategy with an internal tank significantly penalizes small and medium-sized transport and haulage companies, with an additional extra cost compared to the fuel purchase cost of around 4 cents of Euro per litre. On the other hand, the maintenance costs due to the high complexity of the plants (large tanks) and the continuous refuelling of hundreds of vehicles a day are on the large companies. Concluding, according to the results of this research it will be possible for companies of road haulage and removals of different nature and size, to compare their costs with respect to those of the sample, objectively evaluating the best solution among the different refuelling strategies.

 

Zeus Traslochi s.r.l.s. is oriented to lower the refuelling costs of its fleet of vehicles in order to maintain quality service but at the same time lower the prices for the service.