Those seeking to move a piano within the United States should be aware
of how household goods are shipped via "van lines".  This subject has
been broached numerous times without the underlying truth being
revealed.

What I am about to discuss is the movement of a single piano which is
not part of a complete household shipment.  My comments are general in
nature and may not always apply.  Let's consider, as an example, the
shipment of a Chickering Ampico 5'4" grand which is picked up in one
state and delivered in another state.

This piano weighs about 750 pounds.  All "van lines" will charge the
minimum weight which will be 1,000 pounds.   The piano will be part of
a consolidated shipment.  The particulars of the consolidation will
vary.

One option will be that the local agent will pick up the piano in a
local truck and then store the piano in a warehouse until it can be
consolidated with a long-haul shipment.  The other option is for the
piano to be picked up directly by the long-haul van that is
consolidating shipments.  In the first option, the piano is loaded
twice into a truck before it begins its journey.

The long-haul portion of the move is scheduled by the "van" network.
There are many variables here, and the exact routing and timing cannot
be predicted; the piano may even be transferred en route to a second
long-haul van.  Once at the destination city, the piano may be
warehoused again or delivered directly from the long-haul van.

Special equipment such as the piano skid boards are the responsibility
of the long-haul van driver.  Since the long-haul driver may have not
known of the piano shipment when he left his home base, he may not have
any equipment for grand piano shipment.  If the van driver doesn't have
the equipment, he can rent it from the local agent or choose to move
the piano with no skid board.  If the piano is warehoused at the
destination city, the equipment belonging to the long-haul driver will
be retrieved and the piano transferred to local equipment, or stored
without any equipment.

Most long-haul vans have a crew of two people.  If a third person is
required to move a piano, the van driver must hire that person,
locally.  There is a local labor pool for this.  Those persons usually
have no training and may be "temps".  The cost of the third person will
reduce the van driver's profit on the deal.  That is why drivers often
seek volunteer help from the owner.  Some long-haul van drivers have
never moved a grand piano.  Most long-haul drivers have never moved a
reproducing piano.  Most labor pool persons have never moved a
reproducing piano.

It should be obvious by now that moving a fragile piano by household
van companies is very risky business.  The experience level can be low
to non-existent.  Various transfers of the instrument can add to the
risk of damage or loss of loose parts such as leg screws, pedal lyre
supports, and benches.

It costs the driver more to have appropriate help and equipment, and
by eliminating those expenses, the driver gets more profit.

A customer might be able to avoid some of the risks by demanding single
van service.  Close supervision of the loading and unloading is a must.
Aggressive demands that certain procedures be followed might prevent
some damage.  The customer must be a moving expert to give the correct
direction. If the move is not going well, demand that qualified help be
used before damage occurs.  Demands for expert help will be met by very
strong opposition from the driver.

If a van service is used, the customer should expect that the Ampico
drawer and/or stack will be damaged.  The chance that the loose items
will be lost is about 50 percent.  As a customer, never assume that the
moving "experts" know what they are doing.  They don't most of the
time.

My remarks are based on personal experience and my investigation of
the moving van industry.  Extremely high profits are made possible by
clever scheduling and consolidation techniques.  Missed pick up and
delivery times are common.  A driver's schedule is under constant
revision as last minute and en route consolidations are scheduled by
the network.

There just aren't any guaranteed experts at moving reproducing pianos
within the Long Haul Van industry.  If you use them, expect some
losses.  Also expect numerous schedule changes.

The risk of loss is greatly reduced by using dedicated special piano
movers.

Bob Taylor