AUTOMATED TARIFF FOR HOUSEHOLD GOODS MOVEMENTS UNDER DEVELOPMENT

AUTOMATED TARIFF FOR HOUSEHOLD GOODS MOVEMENTS UNDER DEVELOPMENT    The Household Goods Carriers’ Bureau Committee of the American Moving & Storage Association wants to automate the way the moving industry manages its transport tariffs.
   The new automated program, Tariff 2001, will replace the industry’s current tariff, Tariff 400-M, which is in a manual format.
   “The current Tariff 400-M is too complex,” said Joe Harrison, president of the Alexandria, Va.-based American Moving & Storage Association. “There are estimating problems, too many billing errors and auditing problems associated with the current tariff. In addition, there is customer confusion concerning the price complexity of the current system.”
   Tariff 2001, which is scheduled for roll out in the fall of next year, will be completely electronic. “It can reside on a laptop computer, personal computer or network. It also will be available on the Internet at some time in the future,” Harrison said.
   With minimal data, an estimate or actual billing can be generated quickly. The user will only require the first three digits of the postal zip code for the origin and destination of the shipment, as well as the shipment weight, to determine the applicable line-haul charges.
   Harrison said the rates are based on “industry-average carrier costs.” The line-haul rates will reflect geographic cost factors in addition to certain accessorial charges for services that are currently billed separately. For example, the line-haul rates will include the cost associated with providing stair carries, long carriers and use of elevators.
   The U.S. Military Traffic Management Command, a large mover of household goods, plans to use Tariff 2000 in its operations. “I hope we in MTMC have sense enough that if it is good enough for commercial shippers it should be good enough for us,” said Maj. Gen. Kenneth L. Privratsky, commander of MTMC. “We don’t have to create a separate system.”