Customer talking with mover next to truck with mask on

What you should know if you’re moving during the COVID-19 pandemic

Since it was designated that moving is an essential service we could provide to customers, we’ve worked hard to establish best practices and guidelines to safely move our customers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Times are still tough out there and safety is more important than ever as we do our part to stop the spread of COVID-19. Throughout the year, we’ve worked to develop sanitation and safety habits with our moving teams so our customers feel safe during their moves. This includes arming moving teams with hand sanitizer and disinfectants, social distancing, and keeping our movers and drivers educated on how to interact safely with customers.

We’ve compiled a few frequently asked questions about how TWO MEN AND A TRUCK operates within COVID-19 guidelines.

How is TWO MEN AND A TRUCK working to operate safely to stop the spread of COVID-19?

All franchises still in operation at this time are following guidelines that have been put in place by the federal and local governments, as well as the CDC. All locations are taking extra measures and precautions to adhere to the highest safety standards, including the regular sanitation of trucks and equipment, having movers and drivers use hand sanitizer throughout the move, and maintaining a strict social distancing with our team members and customers.

If I have an upcoming booked move, is it still happening?

If you have any questions or concerns about your upcoming move, please contact the location you’ve booked your move with to confirm whether your move is still on schedule. In most cases, if your move has been cancelled or needs to be postponed, a member of the team will reach out and discuss those options.

Can I cancel my move due to COVID-19 concerns?

You will need to reach out directly to the location you booked your move with to talk through canceling or rescheduling it to a later date.

To learn more about how we are handling the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit our website.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the first and largest franchised moving company in the United States. Let us help move you forward! For more helpful tips and information on moving services subscribe to our blog and like us on Facebook.

Moving during the COVID-19 pandemic

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With each passing day, more and more news comes forward about COVID-19 and just like everyone else, we’re navigating through it using the proper precautions and safety measures to keep our teams and customers safe.

According to guidelines released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the moving industry falls under their category of “essential business”, which means most of our more than 350 locations are still able to operate based on local and state requirements. With each franchise being independently owned and operated – and with certain areas of the country being hit harder than others – the decision to continue operations and serve customers is a case-by-case basis, and it’s up to the discretion of the location owner.

While there are differing definitions of “essential” held by the public, we are doing our best to ensure we are safely taking care of people and businesses who must move. Even during this health crisis, there are urgent moving needs, including people who need to move into a safe and healthy living environment, and businesses requiring essential items be transported.

Additionally, the health, safety, and peace-of-mind of our frontline team members including movers and drivers, is a priority. Letting the movers decide if they feel safe performing moves, arming move teams with hand sanitizer and disinfectant tactics, in addition to providing education on social distancing are all critical during this time.

For some of our locations who have chosen to halt moving services temporarily, they are still taking calls and booking moves to be completed at a safer time.

Take a look at these FAQs we’ve received since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak.

How is TWO MEN AND A TRUCK working to operate safely to stop the spread of COVID-19?

All franchises still in operation at this time are following guidelines that have been put in place by the federal and local governments, as well as the CDC. All locations are taking extra measures and precautions to adhere to the highest safety standards, including the regular sanitation of trucks and equipment, having movers and drivers use hand sanitizer throughout the move, and maintaining a strict social distancing with our team members and customers.

If I have a move, is it still happening?

If you have any questions or concerns about your upcoming move, please contact the location you’ve booked your move with to confirm whether your move is still on schedule. In most cases, if your move has been cancelled or needs to be postponed, a member of the team will reach out and discuss those options.

Can I cancel my move due to COVID-19 concerns?

You will need to reach out directly to the location you booked your move with to talk through canceling or rescheduling it to a later date.

 

Supporting our communities

This is a tough and uncertain time for everyone across the country, but there are also wonderful stories of heroism and compassion that have come from it all.

As with the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK value of giving back to the community, we’ve been able to use our resources and trucks to help give back to our communities and people who need it most.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® locations across different regions of the country have been recognized for the assistance they’ve provided to their communities:

Columbus, GA location assists with medical supply delivery

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK offering 30 days free storage for students

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Gainesville helps deliver pallets of food for Food4Kids

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Chattanooga uses trucks to deliver snackpacks to kids in need

Keeping you busy at home

Along with the work we’ve been doing for those out in our communities, we thought we’d offer a few ideas for entertainment at home that can keep all ages occupied.

Here are a few fun and easy DIY craft ideas we’ve come up with over the years that can be made from recycled materials you already have at home. We’ve compiled them all into one playlist, so go through and find the one that looks best to you!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZiZAPmIzGrEuC9nYFeAXSERNmAGxxLX3

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the first and largest franchised moving company in the United States. Let us help move you forward! For more helpful tips and information on moving services subscribe to our blog and like us on Facebook.

Home safety guide for new homeowners

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Few things are as exciting as becoming a new homeowner. After working hard to set up the home purchase, closing on the home, as well as going through a move and getting settled in, there’s a sense of responsibility that comes over you as you prepare to take care of your new place.

With that responsibility creates a new list of things you need to think about, and one of the most important areas to consider is home safety. This is a broad term, but it’s important to examine all areas of your home, develop safety precautions, and have emergency plans in place should anything go wrong.

This safety checklist is a good place to start!

Water and pipes

It’s a good idea to look around your home and find out where the water shut off is located. This will come in handy in the unfortunate situation where you would need to quickly shut it off, such as flooding or a broken pipe.

Be sure to go around the home and check for leakage, corrosion, and rust on pipes in your home so you can get a jump on the problem and fix it before anything serious happens.

Smoke alarms and detectors

Make sure each area of the home is equipped with smoke alarms, and most importantly, test them to ensure they work properly!

If they are not working, install new, fresh batteries that will last for a while. It’s a good idea to test smoke alarms every month or so to provide peace of mind that you’ll be alerted should a fire happen. For added safety, also consider purchasing a fire extinguisher for your home.

Another detector that should be checked into is a carbon monoxide alarm, which should be located on each level of your new home.

Electrical

The best rule to follow when it comes to all things electrical in your home is that if something doesn’t look right, it’s best to get it checked out and fixed. This could be anything from a cord or wire that is frayed or eroded, an outlet that is damaged, and so on. These issues could become potential fire hazards if something goes wrong. Feel all of the outlets in your home to see if they are warm, and if they are, have an electrician take a look.

Find the electrical box in your home and familiarize yourself with it, and also check to make sure nothing looks unusual. Figure out the best way to shut off the electricity in your home in case of emergency.

Home Protection System

Not so much a checklist item as it is something to consider, but a home protection alarm system might be worth looking into. Unfortunately, home burglaries happen, and installing a new alarm system on your home could be the difference in protecting your items.

It’s also important to make sure you have working locks and bolts on all doors around your home, and keep things such as cars, garage doors, sheds, and gates locked.

Emergency plan

It’s better to be safe than sorry, and the first step to following this rule is having an emergency evacuation plan for your home and your family. Talk it over and figure out what the best escape area is in each part of your home and make sure everyone is on the same page, with a designated meeting place for when everyone is outside.

Another important emergency plan to discuss is what to do in case of a weather emergency like a tornado.

Miscellaneous emergency checklist items

-Have a first-aid kit readily available in your home.

-Develop an emergency kit that can be easily accessible in case of an emergency. Use this comprehensive guide to building one from the American Red Cross.

-If there are senior citizens living at the home, consider the possibility of a medical alert system.

-Report anything that is broken, damaged, or not working when moving into your home so it can be fixed.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the first and largest franchised moving company in the United States. Let us help move you forward! For more helpful tips and information on moving services subscribe to our blog and like us on Facebook.

Summer months increase the risk of wildfire damage across the United States

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-by Erik Sargent

The summer months of the year mean bonfires, fireworks, and an increase in the use of various motor vehicles for people across the country as they enjoy the hot weather. However, with the increase in temperatures drying out certain areas, this can become an extremely hazardous time, and can lead to one of nature’s most destructive events – wildfires.

Each year, you can find a story somewhere in the country about a wildfire that has spread rapidly in a rural area, causing extensive damage to everything it its path. Forests, farm lands, and homes can all be burned up in an instant, putting people’s lives in areas of wildfires at serious risk.

At first thought, it might seem that wildfires are more prevalent in desert areas along the western region of the country, but they are actually a threat everywhere coast to coast. According to the Insurance Information Institute, the five states that experienced the most wildfires in 2016 were Texas, California, Georgia, North Carolina, and Alabama.

“Ironically, it’s somewhere around 70 percent of the wildfires occur east of the Mississippi River,” said Tom Welle, the manager of the Wildfire Division for the National Fire Protection Association in Denver, Colo. “They tend to be smaller, but that doesn’t mean they are less dangerous. The ones that hit he news are big, thousand acre fires in the West, and those happen regularly. In the East, we get a lot of wildfires, but because of the concentration of people, you can have a smaller wildfire that puts a lot more houses and people at risk.”

The National Fire Protection Agency is a nonprofit organization that has been around since 1896, with their primary mission being to eliminate death, injury, and property loss from fire, electrical, and other hazards. One of their main areas of focus is wildfires, and they look to provide people with the proper knowledge to avoid starting them, and remain safe when they happen.

“In the wildfire space, what we primarily do is work with residents through the state forestry organizations, teaching them how to make their homes more ignition resistance – we try to keep homes from burning down,” Welle said. “There’s a lot people can do to keep their houses from burning down in a wildfire. It’s stuff that they can do themselves.”

The problem of wildfire is an issue that continues to rise, and finding the right resources to stop them in an efficient way is a challenge for Welle and NFPA. According to Welle, 90 percent of homes that are effected by wildfires are completely destroyed, and each year, we are losing more civilians and firefighter lives to the fires.

What is causing these wildfires to start? A variety of factors come into play, but it’s generally humans who lead the way.

“Nationally, I think it’s in the 80th percentile range that are human-caused, and there are a variety of those causes,” Welle said. “A great many of them occur in the Southeast, because they tend to do a lot of burning. People burn their brush or their trash and don’t pay attention to the weather conditions, and the burn will get away from them.”

Other factors that play a big part in the start of wildfires are people lighting off fireworks, starting campfires, and arson. Often times its fires that are intentionally lit, but accidentally get away from people and become dangerous.

If you find yourself in a situation where you can see a potential wildfire developing, it’s important to act quickly and efficiently to ensure that the fire doesn’t spread out of control and become deadly. One instance of reacting quickly occurred in Albuquerque, N.M., where two movers from the international moving company TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® were able to stop a wildfire in a residential neighborhood.

Movers Sam Silsby and Elijah Salazar were completing a move on a hot evening on July 3, and noticed people at a nearby home in a commotion. The two saw a fire starting in the neighbor’s yard, and immediately called 911 before running over to help with the situation.

Wildfire

“The neighbor came running out of her house looking upset,” Silsby said. “She then said to us ‘there’s a fire in my backyard’. So we instantly sprang into action and thought of what to do.”

The two both had experiences in dealing with fire prior to this situation, and knew that time was critical if they were going to prevent the fire from growing.

“First, we tried using our fire extinguisher, but it wasn’t getting the job done,” Salazar said. “We then started covering it with dirt because smothering a fire will put it out. So, the plans we discussed were starting to work. We were just thinking that we need to get this fire out quickly or it could spread and cause serious damage.”

The quick thinking by the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® employees enabled them to put out the fire before firefighters arrived on the scene, and potentially saved the lives of residents in the area. Welle applauded their decision to use dirt to smother the fire, and also mentioned how important it was that they immediately called 911.

“The smartest thing to do is call 911 or whatever the local emergency number is and be able to give them a good location of where the fire is. That is the best thing people can do,” Welle said. “If you’re not a trained fire fighter and don’t have the appropriate equipment, we don’t want to see anybody get hurt trying to do the right thing.”

To learn more about preventative measures for wildfires as well as other helpful information about all types of fire, be sure to visit the National Fire Protection Association website and use the resources they have available.

Summer months bring the most risk for drivers on the road

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-Written by Erik Sargent

Summertime means spending time outside in the sun, doing everything from going to the beach, to swimming, grilling, and relaxing. It’s a wonderful time of year, but despite the nice weather and increased fun, one sad reality often goes under the radar – road safety.

While most people would assume that driving during the winter months with snow and bad weather would be the worst time, it’s actually the warm summer months that create the most hazardous driving conditions for the average person. This can be attributed to many factors, and it’s important to realize the risk of summertime driving.

“Summer is the most hazardous time of year for driving,” said Russ Rader, senior vice president of communications for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. “July and August are the deadliest months, with an average of 116 people killed on the roads every day during this time frame.”

Rader and the IIHS are a nonprofit highway safety research organization funded entirely by automobile insurance companies. Their goal is to do conduct research on driving habits, road conditions, and vehicle safety to assist in their mission of finding ways to reduce crashes and make the roads safer.

“Risks are the same all year round, but the problem with the summer months is there are a lot more vehicles on the road, and people driving more hazardous miles,” Rader said. “By that, I mean driving in the summer for vacations and recreations, sometimes on unfamiliar roads or driving on the weekends. This kind of driving is more dangerous than the daily commute to and from work.”

According to the nationally recognized insurance company ESURANCE, the factors that can increase the dangers of driving during the summertime include more teens being on the road, drivers congesting the roads with vacation trips, roadway construction, and more vehicles and motorcycles being on the roads.

Another unfortunate factor that comes into play with summer driving is the amount of people driving under the influence of alcohol.

The popular automotive site, Cars.com, conducted research in 2014 that showed there were 10,322 alcohol-impaired driving crashes in the summer of 2012, with one drunk-driving fatality occurring every 51 minutes. Similarly with nighttime driving, 35% of fatal nighttime crashes were related to alcohol.

Not getting behind the wheel drunk is just one of many steps that need to be taken by civilians in order to improve the safety of the roads in the summer.

“If everybody buckled up, if everybody obeyed traffic laws like speed limits, and if nobody got behind the wheel drunk, the summer of summer deaths in crashes would be substantially lower,” Rader said. “We see the same patterns over and over in the crashes that happen during the summer. They often involve speeding, drunk driving, and occupants not wearing their safety belts.”

With the increased number of commercial vehicles roaming the roads and highways in big cities, it’s important companies hire safe drivers and make sure they are doing their part to also keep the roadways safe for the public. One company that makes sure it not only finds the best drivers, but also awards them for it, is the international moving company TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®.

As it currently stands, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® has more than 2,800 trucks on the road throughout their system, with their coverage spanning across 350 plus locations in the United States alone. That’s a lot of miles covered, and it’s important to have the best drivers behind the wheel. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® makes sure to recognize the best drivers in the system with their Safe Driver Award, which is earned by the best drivers in the system.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® recognizes the responsibility drivers carry every time they get behind the wheel,” said TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Risk Management Support Team Lead Shawn Smith. “For that reason, we are pleased to reward those individuals who make it a priority to keep themselves and the public safe.”

Key areas of criteria the company looks for when handing out the award include no preventable accidents, no violations in personal or company vehicles, no driving under the influence convictions for three years, and no “How’s My Driving” complaints.

“The Safe Driver Award was developed to recognize and reward drivers throughout the system who have made a noticeable commitment to keeping themselves, their teammates, and the public safe every time they get behind the wheel,” Smith said.

With populations continuing to increase globally, the economy shifting upward, and the ever-changing landscape of technology, the risk of driving in the summer – and year round – will continue to be prevalent. While there’s way eliminate the risks of the road, you can prevent a lot of trouble by making smart choices.

Making sure you are healthy, making sure you are alert, using the proper safety precautions, and following the rules of the road are just a few things you can do to make sure you’re doing your part in keeping yourself and others safe while driving.

“It’s important to for people to recognize that while crashes during the summer tend to be the most hazardous, crashes happen relentlessly all year round,” Rader said. “People need to take precautions to make sure they are always safe on the road.”