Household Goods Shipping Update

September 12, 2025

My apologies that it has been so long since the last update. We had a much busier summer than anticipated, and helping the team is always my priority!

Before getting into the news, I suggest that if you do not have overtime for weekends and evenings covered in your policy, you consider adding that in. Yes, there is an additional cost; however, there may be a reduction in temporary housing costs and productivity gains as the transferee deals with their delivery on their own time. During peak season, there are some markets where a Saturday is the only day for crew availability for a week or two.

Another reason for the delayed news update is the ever-changing tariffs and the constant impact on global shipping.

As of today, we are seeing a decrease in freight costs for transpacific shipping. We are not sure how long this will last due to capacity reductions. Retailers have been experiencing declining demand, which means they will ship fewer goods, resulting in fewer actual sailings. In fact, one of the major shipping lines, Maersk, has suspended its weekly trans-Pacific service.

Trans-Atlantic shipping has been mostly stable with a single-digit increase since May; however, demand is dropping, which will eventually impact service and cost.

You may have heard about the 67 containers falling off the container ship, Mississippi, earlier this week while berthed at the Port of Long Beach. Happy to report none of those shipments were ours. Besides the actual pier, the rest of the port is fully operational.

We have been asked about the impact of the new regulations on drivers in the US who do not speak English. While there have been approximately 3000 drivers taken off the roads here in the States, we have not felt any challenges with moving our shipments.

One of our partners in India, PM. Relo has reported that heavy rains and flooding have caused damage as well as delays with transportation. The monsoon season continues for another month. Collectively, we recommend avoiding moving during this period. Beyond the delays, there is much moisture in the air, which can get trapped in the household goods and can often lead to mold developing while in transit. Insurance companies do not cover what is considered climatic damage.

Speaking of India, new tariffs were imposed in August, resulting in a disrupted shipping service to the US, leading to slightly increased transit times and costs.

In the next couple of weeks, I will be back to chat about shipping batteries, electric cars, and the impacts due to new tariffs on parcel shipments.

As always, thank you so much for reading, and please let me know if you’d like to see anything else covered, have questions, or good information to share.