Moving company cited. Again.

Oregon Department of Transportation sent this bulletin at 08/25/2016 05:05 PM PDT

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Moving company cited. Again.

 

(Portland, OR, Aug. 25, 2016) The owner of Portland Movers Ready has been cited again for illegally operating a moving company. (The same company was cited as recently as March of this year.) Company owner Jeffrey Rackley was charged with conducting household goods operations without a valid certificate. Operating without a valid certificate brings a civil monetary penalty of $1,000.

 

The enforcement operation was carried out Wednesday Aug. 24, 2016 by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office and the Compliant Resolution/Economic Regulation Section of ODOT's Motor Carrier Transportation Division.

 

An ODOT employee posing as a customer contacted Mr. Rackley and scheduled Portland Movers Ready for a household goods move. Two company employees arrived in a company truck to perform the move. The driver, Ruben Rael of Gresham, was cited for failing to have a valid operator's license and driving uninsured. The company’s truck was towed from the scene for no valid insurance.

 

ODOT urges citizens to use certified movers—and to check ahead of time

Moving is a regulated industry in Oregon. To be approved for an Oregon Intrastate Household Goods Certificate, an applicant must obtain a business license, file cargo insurance, conduct criminal background checks on the owners and employees, and demonstrate through the state's household goods application process that it is willing, fit and able to provide services sought in the application in conformance with Oregon Revised Statutes and Oregon Administrative Rules. Certified movers are regularly audited to ensure compliance with the regulations.

 

Generally, illegal movers – those without the authority to move household goods – have no storefront, provide little information to the consumer and offer little or no recourse for settling disputes. Unscrupulous movers have been known to demand extra money, sometimes thousands of dollars before unloading personal property, and in some cases do not deliver the belongings at all.

 

ODOT keeps a list of certified movers

The best way consumers can protect themselves during the moving process is to hire a certified moving company. Information, including consumer tips and a list of certified companies, is available on the ODOT Motor Carrier Web site: http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/MCT/pages/movers.aspx.

 

For more information: Dave Thompson, 503-860-8021, david.h.thompson@odot.state.or.us