What the Law says: Mover’s Liability in Chicago
Accidents happen and we more often they are really inevitable. Whether it is sheer accidental or done in purpose, your local mover in Illinois is still responsible and legally liable for the damage incurred or even loss of your properties or goods on the course of transporting any of your items, as stipulated in the bill of lading issued by your moving company.
There are different levels of liability depending on the value of the goods transported and according to the Surface Transportation Board’s Released Rates Order, there are two different levels— the Full Value Protection (FVP) and the Released Value of 60 Cents Per Pound Per Article.
Your shipment will be transported under your mover’s Full value protection, unless you waive full-value protection in writing and agree to the other option .
If any article is lost, destroyed, or damaged while in your mover’s custody, your mover will, at its option,
1) repair the article to restore it to the same condition as when it was received by your mover, or finance such repairs;
2) replace the article with an article of like kind; or 3) pay you for the cost of a replacement article at the current market replacement value, regardless of the age of the lost or damaged article.
Your mover from Illinois will charge you for this level of protection, and the exact cost for full-value protection may vary by mover and may be further subject to various deductible levels of liability that may reduce your cost.
FVP can be pricey and recommended for those with very expensive valuables or a lot of items. This is why we have the second option for Illinois’ movers. Providing minimal protection, this no-cost option assumes liability for no more than 60 cents per pound, per article.
In addition to these options, some local movers from Chicago may also offer to sell, or procure for you, separate liability insurance from a third-party insurance company when you release your shipment for transportation at the minimum released value. This is not covered by Federal law, but optional insurance is regulated under State law.
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