What Can You Not Send with Out of State Movers?

Moving Companies Restricted Items: Moving Safety Instructions

Moving is an obscenely tricky process. Even if you’re keeping things local, packing up every last one of your belongings, putting them into boxes, and transporting them to a new home, which then requires you to unpack everything that you just put away, is stressful and strenuous.

It’s only made exponentially more taxing upon you and your family if you move to an entirely different state. Crossing state lines makes the moving process harder as you traverse a greater distance and get further away from the area you’ve come to call home and also brings with it several legal wrinkles and added complications. As soon as the moving truck has to cross state lines, things get infinitely more difficult.

Rocky Movers Arrive to Save the Day

Fortunately for you, that’s where our team comes into the equation. Our team of trained movers is made up exclusively of the very best movers in Denver, CO.

At Rocky Movers, our team is here to serve the Colorado community proudly and has done so for years, with decades of combined moving experience under our belts. Our home base of operations is in Denver, CO, but we are so much more than just another one of those Denver moving companies.

Our moving trucks constantly travel all over the country, as our team of movers specializes in local and long-distance moves. We are officially certified, cleared, and prepared to execute your long-distance move. All you need do is contact us today at 303-317-6896! We’d be delighted to set up an appointment with you today.

Restricted Items Movers Aren’t Able to Move

It is essential to know that even during a long-distance, cross-country move, there are items that even our movers cannot transport. Beyond just belief, a great many of these are legally mandated prohibitions.

While some other moving companies like to play coy and keep the cold, hard facts from you until the last moment, we want to maintain an honest, open, and authentic relationship with you.

We’re in the business of keeping things as easy and maintainable as possible for you. So in the name of honesty and your own peace of mind, here is a complete breakdown of exactly what state-to-state movers will not be able to move for you.

Hazardous Materials

Some of the items we will be unable to move for you are best disposed of in the first place. Upon moving, you may find that your household has accrued various hazardous items from your garage over the years.

Much like with garbage or unnecessary items, it’s a much safer and more efficient alternative to simply dispose of these hazardous items rather than search for a way to move them to your new house.

Hazardous materials are highly dangerous. Not only do we not believe it is safe for us to attempt to transport hazardous items, but we also don’t believe that it is safe for you to attempt to transport hazardous items unless you absolutely have to.

Instead, simply look around, locate your local neighborhood’s hazardous waste dump, and dispose of these hazardous items before moving.

Properly Disposing of Hazardous Materials

This way, you can properly dispose of these items prior to the move and remove them from the equation. Moving hazardous materials can be exceedingly dangerous, as bringing any kind of hazardous and/or flammable items inside of a closed, confined space that is also powered by gasoline is a recipe for disaster.

So while we apologize, our team cannot transport hazardous items during your move. It is both unethical and highly illegal for both local and interstate moving companies.

50 Items That Long-Distance Movers Won’t Load on Moving Vans

Why a Moving Company Won’t Move These Items

From the items listed above to other unmovable items such as loaded guns, paint thinners, scuba tanks, firearms and accessories, toxic substances, flammable gases, and more, certain items are incredibly difficult and dangerous for a moving company to attempt to transport.

Many of these items are like the hazardous materials mentioned above, which could potentially jeopardize the health and safety of both movers and yourself from the moment the movers arrive. But many of these blocked items are also just items movers should not be handling in the first place, on principle alone.

For as responsible, reliable, and efficient as our movers are, they have enough to focus on already during an interstate move without also being given your cell phone, photo albums, or personal documentation to look after as well.

They cannot and should not be held responsible for such crucial elements of a customer’s life, and it’s just a much healthier relationship all around if those lines remain uncrossed.

Safe Moving Guidelines

Will movers pack liquids?

See below for further clarification, but any loose items that are likely to spill and/or break during the long-distance moving experience should absolutely be one of the items that you personally pack in advance.

Keep in mind that there are several liquids that are not allowed, such as bleach or garden chemicals, flammables, or nail polish remover. Simply reference the comprehensive list above for clarification about which liquids are appropriate to prepare for the movers and which are not.

Will movers take things not in boxes?

Loose items make for not only a messier move but also a more hazardous and dangerous one. We want you and our movers to arrive at your new house safely and soundly and for everything to go as smoothly as possible. To that end, our movers will only accept loose items on the moving truck that are enclosed within the packing process.

What items will not be moved?

Legally speaking, Rocky Movers is prohibited from bringing hazardous substances. Keep in mind that any and all items you opt not to bring with you on your move should be safely disposed of in accordance with environmental and federal regulations.

Prohibited Items

Most movers will not move theses things for safety reasons. It should also be understood that security is an extremely important factor when moving objects. All moving companies will have a different version of a list of non-allowable items – an extensive list of non-transportable goods.

It is not only a matter of being cautious with moving companies but also involves professional moving companies following a legal code. As mentioned, interstate moving comes with its own wrinkles of added complications, and chief among these are legal jurisdictions.

As our team of movers traverse across state lines, we must adhere to the legal guidelines of each and every area and jurisdiction that we enter into and their own local laws.

Thus, we have to be very careful to ensure that no mistakes are being made and no lines are being fudged. These prohibited items are prohibited items for a reason: to keep you safe.

Personal Items & Valuables

When it comes to the matter of the safety of your own personal items that you hold most dear, our movers cannot accept responsibility or liability for this risk. This acts both as further protection for the professional movers and you.

When you are moving, so many different teams of people will be coming in and out of your house that it is always best for you to prioritize the transportation of your own personal items and valuables.

To transport high-value items is to accept the immense stakes and the chance that those very high-value items could get damaged or lost during the process.

With your happiness and satisfaction always in mind, we must inform you that professional movers cannot accept responsibility for moving your personal items and valuables.

Valuables and Documents

Whether it be family heirlooms, important documents, passports, official IDs, medications, medical records, keys, or even your cell phone, these highly valuable items are not able to be moved by Rocky Movers’ team. Items with such high value to you personally should be kept close to you and on your persona at all times during the move to ensure their safety.

Moving Tip: We always encourage our customers to contact and collaborate with their move coordinator to come up with a safe space in which valuables that cannot be carried on your person can be stored and kept close to you throughout the move.

Highly Personal Documents

Photo albums, professional files, checkbooks, stamp collections, birth certificates, family heirlooms, and really any important documents or irreplaceable items fall under this category and should be kept with you during the upcoming move. Sentimental items such as these are different from the types of items our team should be tasked with handling.

Sentimental items have a high value to you, but they are different from the kind of thing that our professional movers could look at and immediately discern as something of great importance. Only you know the true value of these items and how to best take care of them.

Keeping them out of extreme temperatures, such as low temperatures or even average high temperatures, is something that the owner would be more adept at handling, rather than the moving company, professional movers, or the move coordinator, all of whom are operating on the capabilities of the moving truck.

Items You Shouldn’t Pack on a Moving Truck

Just as with how heavily regulated airplane travel can be with what items you are and are not allowed to bring aboard, so too is interstate travel. From city to city or even county to county, the elements that different legislations feel could pose a risk if brought into contact with their plants or ecosystem change tremendously.

The government – on both a federal and local level – is very interested in ensuring that no hazardous materials or any items of dangerous intent are brought over into their territory by a moving company and their moving truck.

Thus, these prohibited items are highly sought after during vehicle inspections on a moving truck and could get the moving company and/or moving companies into serious legislative trouble if they are found to be onboard. Whether it be a set of loaded guns or flammable materials, these unwanted items can cause great hassle.

Professional Moving Companies Don’t Take Perishable Food Items

Perishable food items should be kept from a moving truck. Any and all materials given over to the Rocky Movers team will, inevitably, be subjected to extreme temperatures, so perishable food items will not be worth transporting in the first place.

The only food items which can both travel successfully and are on the clear legal list in terms of being moved by professional movers are items that are non-perishable food items and are either canned goods or sealed within a container such as a jar.

Moving Tip: A few weeks before your move, aim to dwindle down the amount of food in your fridge. This way, there is not an excess of food that you have to deal with upon moving.

Donate to Your Local Food Bank

Should you find yourself with the moving company at your front door preparing to begin your out of state move, with a fridge full of perishable food items that cannot feasibly make the journey, we strongly encourage you to donate the food to your local food bank.

Food that is sitting in your fridge could feed multiple, if not dozens, of hungry people today, so rather than attempt to transport it in vain, we encourage our customers to donate the food instead.

Local and Interstate Moving Restrictions for Food

Jarred items, canned items, and dry other items such as flour and spices are legally allowed to be transported by moving companies such as ourselves.

Moving House Plants and Landscaping Greenery

It might seem odd on the surface for the government to have extensive legislation concerning the interstate travel of house plants and landscaping greenery, but sure enough, they do. It is not allowed for our professional movers to take and transport any potted plants or indoor plants.

This is done to adhere to legislation from the State Plant Regulatory Official, who is deeply concerned about the dangers of interstate traveling and how intermingling plants from different areas could negatively impact the agriculture and farming of your would-be new residence.

These belongings are not seen as irreplaceable items, and it is thus encouraged for those moving to simply dispose of the plants and buy new ones upon their arrival. This is also done to actively discourage the necessity of any other extraneous materials such as garden chemicals, flammables, lighter fluid, clean gasoline cans, or other pests.

If you’re moving locally, you are well within your legal rights to attempt to transport the plants yourself, but you could still very easily run into issues with temperature, bugs, or other pests within your own vehicle.

Live Animals

It shouldn’t come as a great surprise that our team of professional movers will not be able to transport any living animals on board their moving truck. As with other non-allowable or restricted items such as car batteries, lighter fluid, gas, oil, or any kind of explosives, live animals would be highly dangerous and immoral to transport.

Your pets are not just any old unwanted items. They have immense value to you. Instead, view them as sentimental items. Just as you want to keep personal items like your phone and your wallet on your person at all times during the move, so too should you keep live animals near you.

No living creature is allowed to be transported any length of distance via the back of any moving van in a legal sense, and it’s also not ideal for the survival of any living creature. Instead, to transport these items, simply keep them with you and plan accordingly.

Preparing Your Things For the Movers

Preparing your belongings for the movers to arrive is one of the most vital steps of the move. From your initial contact with our moving coordinators to the moment that our Denver movers arrive at your doorstep, we will work in unison with you to plan and prepare accordingly, working to do everything we possibly can to legally and safely transport these items to your new residence.

However, it is immeasurably important that the packing is done prior to our arrival be structured and organized in such a way as to be conducive to the moving process itself.

This means knowing about the list of non-allowables, understanding what cleaning supplies can be packed, preparing and labeling boxes for your new home, etc. We always encourage our customers to begin packing belongings in advance, as it is always early enough to start packing.

Between all the planning and bubble wrap, there’s a lot to manage when packing for your new home. That’s why we are here to help you, to reduce the risk of any injuries or damages, and to assist with the packing of boxes on the truck.

Moving Tip: With our team, you will always have a move coordinator who serves as your primary point of reference with the team. If you have any questions regarding restricted items or how to transport best other items such as gas and oil, scuba tanks, food, and other items (if at all), don’t hesitate to call us at 303-317-6896!

Other Items That Can Be Moved But Need Preparation

Below are several items that the mover can move but that the customer should prepare in advance to keep the packing process safe and free of risk.

• Lawnmower
• Chainsaw 
• Weedwhacker (All devices involving gasoline or oil should be completely dry before moving.)
• Refrigerators (Must be cleaned at least 48 hours prior to the move.)

An Outlook For Moving Long Distance

If you have a certain item in question that you are still determining, with regards to whether or not movers will be able to transport this item for you, assume that they can only be proven otherwise.

So much of long-distance moving is regulated by the local laws and legislation of each city or county that you are passing through, to the point that if you have belongings that are making you question their safety or validity on any level. You should assume that those belongings are not allowed until you hear otherwise.

Moving Tip: You can always call our team at 303-317-6896, and we will happily tell you which belongings are safe for transport and which belongings or more questionable items should be discarded prior to the move.

In Conclusion

Moving long distance is tricky enough as it is. From packing to passing through so many city or county legislations to discerning which certain items cannot be transported (paint thinners, propane tanks, plants) and which can, to arriving at your new home and unpacking everything, it is hard work.

This is why you deserve a moving company that will fight for you and your happiness through thick and thin, helping you navigate the murky legal waters of what the moving truck can transport, what non-allowables can be moved to your car, and how to best service your new home.