Driving through the panhandle of Idaho last week we came across one of our old trucks parked on the side of the road.
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Vintage Truck Pictures
February 4, 2019 by adminCategory: UncategorizedComments Off on Vintage Truck Pictures
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Breaking Ice in Alaska?
May 3, 2013 by EditorIn the northernmost parts of our country, this time of the year is often referred to as the “spring thaw”. There is also talk about ice breakers clearing passageways on the waterways way, way up north in Alaska. Well, here at Hi-line Moving Services where you can find us regularly moving good people and their possessions, a large contingency of our staff and crew took part in an Ice Breaker of our own. We are headquartered in beautiful Great Falls, Montana – right at the beginning of the ALCAN Highway where the journey for those moving to or from Alaska will pass. Every year, our fair city celebrates the coming of spring with the running of the Ice Breaker Road Race. We extend a hearty congratulations to the 18 members of our staff and crew that participated in this year’s 34th annual running of the Ice Breaker. They are:
- Calvin Gilbert
- Patrick Broadhurst
- William Broadhurst
- Deanna Fleming
- Brittney Sack
- Bill Young
- Elise Halloran
- Debi Davis
- Bernadette Parisian
- Jose Cuntapay
- Kathy Dixon
- Betty Kraft
- Nancy Flannery
- Linda Vilcek
- Connie Van De Bogart
- Bob Davis
- Jeff Krantwashl
- Jeff Krantwashl, Jr.
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Insurance & Valuation: Protecting Your Household Goods Moving to Alaska … or anywhere!
June 17, 2011 by EditorOne of the greatest concerns that anyone has when considering a move whether it be moving just a few miles away in the same town, moving across the country, moving from the lower 48 states to Alaska or moving to the other side of the world – centers on one or two simple questions.
“How Can I be Sure my Belongings will Arrive Safely?”
“What are my Options when Protecting my Belongings?”
Whether it be the heirlooms that have been passed down through generations with more sentimental value than perhaps cash value or bonafide valuable articles with significant cash value, the options available to you can be narrowed to two basic choices with moving companies. These are Replacement Coverage which has other names like Full Value Replacement Coverage, Maximum Value Protection to name just a few.
Other options available outside of moving companies in general are available through some homeowners’ insurance carriers and some renters’ insurance carriers. Right at the outset, it would be most helpful when determining your best choices by seeing what you may already be paying for and may not realize it. The very first step is for you to contact your insurance agent that takes care of your homeowners insurance policy or your renters insurance policy. Ask if your policy covers transportation of your household goods in a move from your current residence to your new residence wherever that might be. Coverage can vary from complete coverage at one end of the spectrum to catastrophic coverage in the event a loss is the result of a major accident in which the moving van might be totaled.
This will be a detailed look at these options from both household goods moving companies which will be referred to as carriers and what is available from insurance companies that your insurance agent represents. This can create a little confusion since moving companies are referred to as carriers and insurance companies are referred to as insurance carriers which do the underwriting for the policies that are available for purchase. When you hear the term “carrier”, it is important that you distinguish between the moving company as a carrier and the insurance company as an insurance carrier. To help with these distinctions, coverage that is available to moving company customers (referred to as “shippers”) is called Valuation Protection, Valuation Coverage or simply Valuation.
Technically, carriers are not able to offer insurance because insurance can only be purchased from a duly state-licensed and authorized insurance agent representing an insurance carrier. Insurance agents sell insurance policies created or underwritten by insurance carriers. On the other hand, moving companies (carriers) offer what is called Valuation Protection, Valuation Coverage or Valuation. We will simply refer to this as Valuation. Hence, what becomes available to shippers (moving company customers) comes from two different industries – the moving industry and the insurance industry. This is an important distinction particularly when it comes to settling a potential claim from problems that may occur from a move and the choices you make about your coverage before anyone even picks up a box to load it in a moving van. We will first examine coverage that is available from the moving industry called Valuation.
The term “valuation” comes from establishing a value for your belongings or your shipment. As a rule-of-thumb, the moving industry uses a value per pound to establish a minimum value from which to base a price for valuation coverage. Hi-Line Moving Services uses the factor of $5 per pound. For example, a shipment that is estimated to weigh 1000 pounds would have a minimum valuation of $5000 ($5 X 1000 lbs. = $5000). This means that if a shipper chooses Valuation, the minimum amount of coverage that shipper can purchase, in this example, is coverage of $5000. Let’s assume that the shipper has some valuable artwork in the shipment that by itself is worth $5000. The shipper has the option to acquire greater coverage than the minimum but not vice versa. The shipper in this case might choose to purchase $10,000 coverage for Valuation instead of the minimum – $5000 to cover the extra value and $5000 for the household goods.
Then there are other options for each level of valuation which are available much like the options available by insurance carriers. Those options are called deductibles. Deductibles work the same way when settling a claim as with insurance policies. Hi-Line Moving Services offers $0 deductible, $250 deductible and $500 deductible. To be clear, a deductible refers to the amount of the claim that is deducted from the settlement. For example, assuming a claim is submitting for $350 to replace some broken crystal that the carrier packed. The shipper purchased $5000 coverage with $250 deductible before the shipment was loaded. The claim is substantiated and a check is written for $100 to settle the claim ($350 claim minus $250 deductible = $100 payable on the claim).
One last word about Valuation… An important difference between Valuation and Insurance is that Valuation is purchased for the whole shipment. One cannot purchase coverage for just the one or two items of concern. Referring back to the example of the shipment with the expensive piece of artwork, let’s assume a major accident occurred in which the artwork was deemed a total loss as was the rest of the shipment. The shipper purchased $5000 coverage with $0 deductible. The loss really amounted to $8750 because the other household goods were totally destroyed. The maximum amount payable on this claim would be $5000 because that is the limit of liability due to the level of valuation coverage purchased. It should be noted that anything shipped that has a value of $100 per pound or greater would be required to be listed on a High Value Inventory describing the items and the real value. Otherwise, it would be subject to a lesser value since it was not properly declared.
Catastrophic coverage typically does not cover losses due to breakage from neglect, whether from your own handling when packing your own boxes or neglect of the moving company you select if providing full-service packing at your request. This typically refers to major damage caused, for example, by a vehicle accident where the contents in the moving van are a total loss or at least receives major damage as the result of a major accident. This is the kind of coverage most often provided by homeowners’ policies.
This all comes down to risk management. As a customer (shipper) contracting the services of a moving company (carrier), it is very important that you understand what coverage you really have and who to address a claim with. No matter the claim, the moving company you choose will definitely be involved in resolving the claim. Make sure you understand who has what responsibility for settling the claim should you experience damage to your belongings. Nobody wants claims and everyone should be exerting their best effort to reduce the possibility of a claim. Even so, claims sometimes do happen. Keep in mind that furniture and household goods are not made or produced with the idea that they will be moved. Otherwise, that would be a significant factor in the way things are designed. A professional moving company is one that pays attention to the small details and stays informed of the most current concepts is handling your precious things. It is in everyone’s best interest that your belongings arrive safe and sound whether you are moving to Alaska or to Zanzibar or anywhere in between.
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Motorcycles Moving to Alaska
June 3, 2011 by Editor
Motorcycles to AlaskaWhat do you do if you need to get four high-end touring motorcycles from Florida to Alaska?
In June of 2009, employees of a moving company based in Florida were planning the ride of a lifetime—an adventure to remember.
Their equipment was in the class of “pride and joy.” Four champions of the road, real “dressers,” plus sidecars and saddlebags—polished, perfect road machines. This should have been a magazine feature for Harley-Davidson.
The group planned to bike the last frontier, ride down the AlCan highway, taking their time to get back across the country to Florida in the opposite corner of the continent.
This would be a life-changing trip. The right equipment was all. How do you get all your bikes, and all you’ve invested in this trip, safely and reliably to Alaska so it will be ready to go when you get there?
Remember, these guys are in the moving industry themselves. So they knew who to call: Hi-Line Moving Services, the experts – the Alaska moving company to call when transporting household goods to Alaska from anywhere in the lower 48.
“Shipping by highway to Alaska provided them better service than going by sea—and was certainly a lot safer for their bikes,” says Art Groux, Chief Operating Officer for Hi-Line Moving Services. Each motorcycle and sidecar was individually strapped to a pallet and loaded into a truck and trailer customized for the Alaska route. On the appointed day, right on schedule, the riders met up with their wheels in Anchorage and hit the road.
The ones who know the business of moving to Alaska know Hi-Line when it comes to—or goes to—Alaska. Expert, one-step moving household goods, crated goods, cars and, oh yeah, motorcycles.
For more information and a quote, visit
http://www.hilinemoving.com/houseshold/form.phpCategory: Recreation in the Abundant Beauty of Alaska, UncategorizedComments Off on Motorcycles Moving to Alaska
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Bearing Your Neighbors when You Move to Alaska
June 1, 2011 by Editor
May begins bear awareness in AnchorageAlaska residents are proud of the fact that they share their state with so many varieties of wildlife. But imagine sharing the neighborhood with some of North America’s largest predators. More than 290,000 people live in Anchorage, along with 250-350 American black bears and 55-65 brown (grizzly) bears.
In early May, the bears begin emerging from hibernation. All too often, they come to residential neighborhoods looking for food. Unsecured trash cans are a favorite target.
According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the municipality of Anchorage encompasses 1,959 square miles, including a large state park, two military reserves, a portion of Chugach National Forest, other lands managed by federal agencies and a large state wildlife refuge. People occupy only about 10 percent of the total. Anchorage is a major modern city, but bear habitat encroaches on all sides.
It isn’t just the leavings of human activity that draw the bears to the developed areas—though bears are highly attracted to bird feeders, pet food and garbage. Anchorage’s metropolitan area also includes several large city parks that are chiefly natural, wooded habitat that provides abundant natural food sources for the omnivorous bears. Numerous streams are populated with spawning salmon from May through November.
So when moving to Alaska, be aware. The presence of the bears is watchfully tolerated. But with so many large predators present, encounters are inevitable. At least three near-deadly incidents have occurred in one Anchorage city park in the last three years. A 15-year-old girl was savagely mauled in 2008 when she surprised a brown bear while participating in a 24-hour bicycle race. A few weeks later, a runner on the same trail survived a mauling by what was believed to be the same bear. In 2010, another bicyclist had an incredibly lucky escape from a bear while he rode his daily commute along the same creek-side trail.
Wildlife managers use a balanced approach and examine each case to decide if a particular bear is dangerous and needs to be destroyed. In 2002, the Anchorage Bear Committee was formed to develop and implement recommendations for bear conservation and management. Numerous public education programs emphasize safe practices and bear awareness. Keep it in mind if you’re on your way to Anchorage. Do your hiking in a group and give the bears a chance to hear you coming..
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Moves to Alaska: A Driver and His Best Friend
May 25, 2011 by Editor
Twice a month, Lynn Erickson drives to Alaska and back. In the five years he has worked as a driver for Hi-Line Moving Services, Lynn has made the 5,000-mile round trip 102 times. The Alaska haul, or “running north” as the drivers at the Montana headquarters call it, is the job Lynn has enjoyed most in a long and varied career. He has been a corporate pilot, a police officer and owned his own company in the construction trades. “I could retire,” says Lynn, “but I donʼt want to give up that road.”
Hi-Line general manager Art Groux thinks itʼs not just the road that Lynn wonʼt give up. “He really likes that red truck,” says Art. “When heʼs not working, Lynnʼs in the shop tinkering and polishing. Our fleet of drivers have a lot of pride in maintaining the equipment and Lynn is a driver that take great pride in his tractor.” The same is true for those moving household goods to Alaska.
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Christmas Cheer All Year at North Pole, Alaska
May 23, 2011 by Editor
If you are moving to Alaska or just visiting, the spirit of Christmas is alive all year in North Pole, but never more glowing than in the month of December. North Pole, Alaska, is located about 12 miles south of Fairbanks on the Richardson Highway that begins at Delta Junction. Central attractions in the village are the picturesque Santa Claus House and a 42-foot figure of Santa. Since 1952, Santa Claus House has sent out over two million letters from Santa to children all over the world.As you might imagine, December is a busy time in North Pole. Letters from near and far are sent to the town to obtain the distinctive “North Pole” postmark.
The first weekend of December, families flock to North Pole for the annual Winterfest events and Christmas tree lighting. The sparkling Christmas in Ice kicks off a competition of Christmas-themed ice sculptures by local and international carvers. Family entertainment includes an ice maze and ice slides.
North Pole will warm your soul in the magical holiday season, but if you’d prefer to keep all your parts unchilled, visit North Pole in August for a view of classic cars and Santa’s summer ensemble during “Cruisin’ with Santa.”
Alaska is a land of endless adventure. Hi-Line Moving specializes in moving household goods toAlaska, the “last frontier” every day of the year.
Learn more:Online www.hilinemoving.com/alaska,
or call toll-free 1-800-769-1096Category: UncategorizedComments Off on Christmas Cheer All Year at North Pole, Alaska
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Back Then, Moving to Alaska was Backbreaking!
May 9, 2011 by Editor
Times were hard, and the hope of striking it rich was irresistible. The U.S. remained in a severe recession following the burst of an economic bubble inflated by land and railroad speculation. Businesses went bankrupt and banks closed. The rate of unemployment shot up to as much as 20 percent. Into this backdrop, headlines of gold strikes in the Klondike landed like a bombshell. On July 17, 1897, when the steamship Portland docked at Seattle, a crowd of 5,000 watched 68 bedraggled but jubilant miners unload one million dollars in gold.
Within six months, hoards of clerks, farmers, adventurers and unemployed workers stampeded off to the Yukon Territory in the Klondike Gold Rush. Almost overnight, an entire industry supplying Klondike prospectors sprang up. The fevered gold seekers were showered with advice, maps and equipment lists. Seattle boomed as merchants made fortunes outfitting the miners.
To avoid shortages in the harsh interior, the Canadian government ruled that a yearʼs worth of supplies were required to enter Canada. Each traveler had 2,000 lbs. of household goods moving to Canada and Alaska, including food, clothing and equipment. The Mounties turned back anyone who came short.
The Chilkoot Trail took the stampeders from Dyea (about ten miles from Skagway) to Lake Bennett, where they would build boats for the 500-mile trip on the Yukon River to Dawson. Some prospectors walked nearly 1,000 miles to move their household goods and supplies into northern Canada and on to Alaska by way of the 33 miles from Dyea to the waterway.
For many of those that eventually turned back, the last straw was the 1,000-foot climb up icy “stairs” cut into the Chilkoot Pass. For even the strongest men, it would take 25 to 30 trips up the mountain to get all their goods to the top. Each man would cache his goods at the bottom, take a load on his back to the top, cache that and then slide back down the mountain. Then he would strap on the next load and wait to get back into the endless line of fellow gold-rushers moving to Canada and to Alaska.
Of the estimated 100,000 who set out for the Klondike, only about 30,000 got there, and only about half of those actually did any prospecting. Probably no more than 4,000 found any gold at all.
Very few of the stampeders got their chance at a claim, but the gold was there. “The British Yukon Navigation Company received over 37 tons of gold for shipment ʻoutside,ʼ” in the year 1900, mining inspector G.W. Gilbert wrote in a Canadian government report. At todayʼs gold prices, it would be worth over a billion and a half U.S. dollars—$1,678,142,400.
Opportunities still abound in the Last Frontier. Hi-Line gets the household goods moving to Alaska, the easiest and most economical way, for the start of new Alaskan adventures. Hi-Line Moving specializes in moving crated or wrapped household goods overland to Alaska every day of the year.
Learn more:Online www.hilinemoving.com/alaska,
or call toll-free 1-800-769-1096Category: History of the Alaska-Canada Highway: The ALCAN, UncategorizedComments Off on Back Then, Moving to Alaska was Backbreaking!
