Moving Day in Macon: Complete Checklist

This checklist runs from the first hour at the old home to the first night at the new one: the paperwork to read before you sign, how loading and delivery work, what you can be charged at the door, and what to do if something arrives damaged or missing. In Macon, the season adds one more line. The 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Macon Middle Georgia Regional Airport station, published by the National Centers for Environmental Information in its normals file, average 24.7 days of 90°F or more in July, 22.0 in August and 18.2 in June, so a summer moving day is planned around heat as much as around boxes.

Before the Crew Arrives

Confirm the crew’s arrival time and the truck’s size, and check that a truck can park close to the door at both addresses.
Walk every room, closet and cabinet once more; anything still loose gets boxed or set aside to ride with you.
Set aside the bag that travels with you: medicines, phone chargers, documents, a change of clothes, bedding for the first night, and the small kitchen box.
Put water where everyone can reach it, and keep children and pets in one closed room or with a sitter.
Clear a straight path from each room to the door and protect floors where the lease or sale requires it.
In an apartment or condo building, confirm the elevator reservation, the loading area and the hours the building allows moves, at both ends.
Check the forecast for storms and lightning the night before and again in the morning, and agree with the crew on what happens if loading has to pause.

Paperwork at the Start

For a move inside Georgia by a licensed mover, the Georgia Department of Public Safety’s moving guide calls the bill of lading “your contract with the mover” and says movers “are required to issue you a bill of lading, so don’t hire a mover who doesn’t use one.”

Read the bill of lading, especially the part on the carrier’s liability, and do not sign until you understand and agree with it; keep your copy.
Go through the inventory with the crew and check that it is legible and that any notes about condition appear on the mover’s copy as well as yours.
Confirm the delivery address, the delivery window and a phone number for the driver.
Do not sign a waiver. The department’s household goods rules, in Rule 570-38-3-.13, say: “No household goods carrier shall issue or require a customer to sign a waiver or release of liability form of any kind.”

Working in the Heat

Load the heaviest items in the coolest hours, and schedule breaks in shade or air conditioning. Know the warning signs the National Weather Service lists on its heat illness page, because the crew, your helpers and you are all working outdoors.

Heat exhaustion: “Heavy sweating; weakness or tiredness; cool, pale, clammy skin; fast, weak pulse; muscle cramps; dizziness, nausea or vomiting; headache; fainting.” The Weather Service’s first aid is to move the person somewhere cooler, preferably air-conditioned, loosen clothing, apply cool wet cloths and offer sips of water, and to seek medical attention immediately if the person vomits or symptoms worsen or last longer than an hour.
Heat stroke: “Throbbing headache; confusion; slurred speech; nausea; dizziness; body temperature above 103°F; hot, red, dry or damp skin; rapid and strong pulse; fainting; loss of consciousness.” The instruction is to “Call 911 or get the victim to a hospital immediately”, move the person to a cooler place and cool them with cloths or a bath, and “Do NOT give fluids.”

Note the word “damp” in the heat stroke list: a person who is still sweating can still have heat stroke. The two first-aid instructions differ on water, which is why it matters to tell them apart.

Loading

With a professional crew, let the crew follow its own loading plan and tell it which boxes you need first.
If you are loading a rental truck yourself, put heavy furniture in first against the front wall, heavy boxes low and lighter boxes on top, and tie the load down so it cannot shift.
Anything you need first at the new home goes on last: the cleaning kit, tools for reassembling beds, the boxes for the bedrooms and bathroom.
Keep electronics, candles, photographs and medicines out of the truck and in the air-conditioned car if there is room.

Leaving the Old Home

Check every closet, cabinet, shelf, the attic and the garage.
Empty the refrigerator, take out the trash, and set the thermostat as the landlord or buyer asked.
Photograph each room’s condition if a deposit or closing depends on it.
Hand over or leave the keys, garage remotes and access cards where you agreed.

Arriving in Macon

Turn on the air conditioning first, then walk the house before anything comes in: look for leaks, damage or anything the previous occupant left.
Confirm that power and water are on in every room you will use tonight.
Tell the crew which room is which, and post the room names on the doors if boxes are labeled by room.
Be there at the agreed delivery time; the state’s guide lists it among the things to remember.

Paying at Delivery

For a move within Georgia, the department’s estimate rule sets what a mover can demand at delivery. On a non-binding estimate, the mover must deliver “Upon said customer’s payment of no more than 110% of the estimated charges in the non-binding estimate” and must defer any balance above that for 30 days after delivery. On a binding estimate, it must perform the services “at rates not to exceed the amounts provided in that estimate”. Have the agreed payment method ready, and do not pay more at the door than those rules allow.

If you are not ready when the crew is, the clock can run against you: the department’s Rule 570-38-3-.07 lets a mover charge waiting time when its crew is on site “but unable to provide such services unless the inability to provide scheduled services is the fault of the carrier or its personnel.”

Signing for the Delivery

Check the condition of your belongings before you sign the delivery receipt, as the Department of Public Safety advises. Note any visible damage on the receipt itself.
Count the numbered boxes against your list before the crew leaves, and note any missing box on the receipt.
Photograph damaged items and packaging before you unpack further, and keep the bill of lading, inventory and receipt together.

If Something Is Damaged or Missing

For a move within Georgia, the department’s claims rule gives you 90 days: a claim for loss, damage or overcharge must be submitted to the carrier “in writing (print or electronic) no more than 90 days after delivery”. If nothing is delivered, the 90 days run from the scheduled delivery date, or from a later date the mover gives you. The carrier must complete the claim “within 90 days of the filing of the claim with the carrier to the extent feasible”; if it cannot, it must explain the delay and still complete the claim within a reasonable time. Let the carrier inspect the damage; the rules say a customer who does not give “a reasonable opportunity to inspect” may not be entitled to full compensation. Damage to the house itself, such as walls, floors or doors, can be claimed too. For an interstate move, federal rules give you nine months to file in writing, as covered in choosing a moving company in Macon.

The First Night

Assemble the beds and make them up before anything else.
Set out the bathroom basics and the small kitchen box.
Plug in phones and confirm the cooling is holding the house at a comfortable temperature.
Break down empty boxes. Household trash goes to the curb bagged, under Macon-Bibb’s household garbage rules, so keep packing waste out of the cart unless it is bagged.

Do Not Skip These

On a hot day, do not let the schedule crowd out the breaks. Schedule rest and water for everyone before the first box moves, and treat the heat stroke signs as an emergency: call 911 and do not give fluids. On any day, the steps that are hard to undo are signatures: do not sign the bill of lading before you understand the liability terms, and do not sign the delivery receipt before you have checked your belongings.