What movers cannot take — and what to do instead
Every licensed mover works from roughly the same non-allowables list; it comes from federal safety rules, not company policy. Here is ours in plain English, with the workaround for each category — so nothing surprises you on move day.
Flammable & hazardous
Anything that can burn, leak or burst cannot ride in a closed truck box in July — federal rules bar movers from carrying it.
- Gasoline, kerosene, lighter fluid, charcoal
- Propane and helium tanks — even “empty” ones
- Paint, thinner, stains, solvents
- Aerosol cans
- Ammunition and fireworks
- Pool and lawn chemicals, fertilizer, pesticides
- Bleach, ammonia, oven and drain cleaner
- Car and motorcycle batteries
Instead: Use them up, give them to a neighbor, or hold them for your county's household-hazardous-waste collection day. Grill tanks: exchange them near the old house, buy fresh near the new one.
Perishables
Food spoils, leaks and draws pests — into your boxes and everyone else's after you.
- Refrigerated and frozen food
- Opened dry goods on long moves
- Anything that melts: candles included, in summer
Instead: Eat down the freezer over the last month. Unopened shelf-stable food can move on short local runs — ask the office — or go to the local food pantry, which will gladly take it.
Living things
A moving van's cargo box is unventilated and untempered. Nothing alive goes in it, ever.
- Pets of any size
- Houseplants on long-distance moves — many states restrict them at the border
- Garden plants and cuttings
Instead: Pets ride with you, with the vet records packed in the car. Plants: local moves can usually take them in your own vehicle; for interstate moves, gift the big ones and take cuttings.
Irreplaceables — the cash-and-carry list
Movers can carry these; you should not let them. No valuation formula makes a passport whole.
- Cash, cards, checkbooks
- Jewelry and watches
- Passports, deeds, wills, titles
- Medications and medical devices
- Laptops, hard drives, the photo backups
- Keys — house, car, safe-deposit
- Sentimental one-of-a-kinds
Instead: One small box or bag that rides in your own car and stays in your sight. Pack it first; it is also the first thing you will want at the new house.
Not sure about something specific — the kayak, the gun safe, the aquarium? Call the office at (201) 652-5554 and ask. The answer is usually yes-with-a-plan, and the plan is free.
