7:00 am
Yard call at Kearny Mesa
The lead pulls the job packet, counts pads, dollies, wardrobe cartons and shrink wrap against the cube sheet, and checks tyre pressure and lift gate on the truck.
01You: Nothing. Sleep in twenty more minutes.
28 things, in order
The checklist, ticked off in your own browser
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Eight weeks out
Decide and book
Six weeks out
Thin out
Four weeks out
Supplies and paperwork
Two weeks out
Pack the edges
The last week
Tighten up
Move day
Hand it over
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What we cannot legally carry
Some things are not a policy. They are a federal rule.
Every household goods carrier in the United States works from the same non-allowables list. Crews are trained to stop and flag these at the walkthrough, which is much easier than discovering a propane cylinder in a carton at the transfer point.
01Flammable, corrosive or explosive
No moving company in the country may load these. It is a hazardous-materials rule, not a preference, and one aerosol can is enough to void the load.
- Propane and butane tanks, including the one on the grill
- Gasoline, kerosene, lamp oil and lighter fluid
- Aerosol cans, including sunscreen and spray paint
- Paint, varnish, stain and paint thinner
- Pool chlorine, acid and pesticide concentrate
- Charcoal, matches, sterno and fireworks
- Car batteries, scuba tanks and loaded firearms
- Ammonia, bleach and darkroom chemicals
02Perishable and living
These are refused because a trailer in July reaches 140 degrees and nothing survives it.
- Frozen and refrigerated food
- Open produce, dairy and meat
- Houseplants on any move over 150 miles
- Plants crossing the California border, which the CDFA restricts at inspection stations
- Pets, which travel with you and never in the truck
03Irreplaceable, carry these yourself
We will load them if you insist, but we will ask you twice not to, and no valuation tier makes you whole on a lost passport.
- Cash, chequebooks and gift cards
- Jewellery, watches and loose stones
- Passports, birth certificates, deeds and tax records
- Prescription medication and medical devices in daily use
- Laptops, phones, keys and chargers
- Photo albums, hard drives and anything with no copy
Where does it go instead? San Diego County runs household hazardous waste collection sites that take paint, solvent, pool chemicals and batteries at no charge to residents. Ring us and we will tell you which one is nearest to you and what their hours are.
Put this on your checklistMove day
7:00 am to 4:30 pm, written down before it happens
A local move is not eight hours of lifting. It is a sequence, and knowing the sequence is most of what stops the day feeling chaotic. This is the actual run sheet a Little Box crew works from.
Eight stops, scroll sideways
Book a date8:00 am
Arrival window opens
You get a call from the lead when the truck leaves the yard, with a real ETA rather than a four-hour window. Crews carry the same phone number all day.
02You: Have parking held and the elevator booked if your building needs it.
8:20 am
Walkthrough and floor protection
The lead walks every room with you, confirms what stays, tags the non-allowables, and lays neoprene runners and door jamb pads. Nothing moves until this is done.
03You: Point out the two items you are most worried about. Every customer has two.
8:45 am
Pad, wrap and disassemble
Case goods are blanket-wrapped and shrink-sealed. Bed frames, table legs and mirror brackets come apart, and the hardware goes into a labelled bag taped inside the item it belongs to.
04You: Keep the kettle out. It is the last thing we pack and the first thing you want.
10:30 am
Load and inventory
Heavy case goods build the wall, cartons tier by weight, and soft goods fill the voids. Every article gets an inventory tag and a condition code read out loud.
05You: Walk the empty rooms and check closets, the water heater cupboard and the mail slot.
12:15 pm
Transit
On a local move we go straight there. The clock keeps running during the drive, which is why we would rather you knew the actual drive time up front.
06You: Meet us at the new place and bring the keys, the gate code and the HOA form.
1:00 pm
Placement, not just unloading
Cartons go to the room written on the side. Furniture is reassembled, beds are rebuilt, and the crew asks before putting anything against a wall you might regret.
07You: Decide where the sofa lives before it comes off the truck. It saves half an hour.
4:30 pm
Final walkthrough and sign-off
We reconcile inventory tags, break down and haul away the cartons you have already emptied, and go through the bill of lading line by line, including any access fee.
08You: Note anything damaged on the paperwork now. A claim is much simpler with it written down.
Ready when you are
Got through the list?
Bring it to a survey call. A coordinator will tell you what you have missed, which is usually the garage and the carton count.
Same-day slots are first come, first served and depend on the board.