Moving Associations

Why Book an Associated Mover?

It’s only natural that you might be wondering what exactly is a moving association and why they seem to be so important. To answer this, it’s first important that we establish the distinction between a moving association, federation and group:

• Moving associations are non-profit organizations composed by moving companies.
• Moving federations are groups of moving associations.
• Moving groups are for-profit organizations set up by the moving companies for the moving companies. All these organizations have one main aim, that being improving the moving industry as a whole.

Now, why exactly is it important that the mover you choose is an associated mover? The short answer to this is the fact that these movers offer an extra layer of protection to the consumer. Moving associations more often that not have strict entry requirements, which helps guarantee that the services of their respective members are of high quality.

This of course doesn’t mean that moving companies that aren’t part of particular moving associations are not good. But, booking an associated mover does give you the reassurance that you will be protected and that the service you will be of high quality.

American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA)

The American Moving and Storage Association, established in 1936, is a non-profit trade association with approximately 4,000 active members consisting of van lines, agents, independent movers, forwarders, industry suppliers and others. Member companies include local, national and international firms which offer a wide variety of services, including:

• Moving and storage services for businesses and households;
• Transportation and crating for sensitive freight (e.g.: fine art, electronics, etc.);
• Records storage and management;
• Specialized services (e.g.: climate-controlled storage).

AMSA carefully screens its members before accepting them into the organization, and awards a ProMover certification to those passed additional levels of screening and completed a Signatory Agreement affirming that they will uphold the organization’s Code of Ethics.

International Association of Movers (IAM)

The International Association of Movers, established in 1962, is one of the largest global trade association in the moving and forwarding industry. IAM currently has more than 2,000 active members which provide moving, forwarding, shipping, logistics, and other related services in over 170 countries.

In order to become an IAM member, the moving company must have a minimum of one year of experience and be recommended by at least two other members of the association.

IAM members commit themselves to carrying out ethical business practices and to follow the required laws and regulations. As well, IAM members must adhere to the global standards set by ISO.

FIDI Global Alliance

FIDI is a global alliance of international moving and relocation companies with members in over 100 different countries. FIDI members are accredited with the FAIM Quality label, as long as they meet the 200 quality requirements. Yes, you read that right!

In short, the association’s criteria covers:

• Focusing on end-to-end quality services;
• Meeting anti-bribery, anti-corruption and anti-trust requirements;
• Carrying out pre-employment screenings;
• Implementing data privacy protection management;
• Meeting the proper requirements and foundations for international moving.

These quality requirements are regularly audited by the independent third-party EY. So you can be rest assured that your move is guaranteed to be a high quality move.

We hope this article gave you an idea of what moving associations are and why it’s crucial that you book an associated mover! In case you’re interested in reading more about the moving process, we recommend that you check out the pages linked below. Good luck with your move! 🙂