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Global Van Lines is a transport company founded in 1933 by George T. Howard as Howard Van Lines in Dallas, Texas and took its present name in 1957 when it was acquired by Trans-Ocean Van Service of Long Beach, California.

It gained some fame in the 1960s by moving equipment for NASA. For many years, its slogan was "Modern moving with old fashioned care."

It was acquired in 1981 by WKG Corporation of Houston, Texas, and sold to Contrans Corporation in 1985. In 1990 Global agents acquired the company, making it similar in form to a cooperative. It was acquired by Interstate Van Lines in 1998 and sold to Allied Worldwide in 2000, which became Sirva.

External links[link]

• Global Van Lines history

v t e Trucking industry in the United States Regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Regulations Commercial driver's license Hours of service Federal Bridge Gross Weight Formula Electronic on-board recorder Motor carrier safety rating Motor Carrier Act of 1980 International Registration Plan National Network Manufacturers Truck manufacturers Autocar Brockway Freightliner Ford Motor Company International Kenworth Mack Peterbilt Sterling Volvo Western Star White General Motors Truck & Coach Division Engine manufacturers Caterpillar Cummins Detroit Diesel Mack MaxxForce Mercedes-Benz PACCAR Volvo Trailer manufacturers Fruehauf Corporation Great Dane Limited Hyundai Translead Lufkin Trailers Trail King Industries Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company Wabash National Monon Trailers Motor carriers Truckload carriers Celadon Covenant England J.B. Hunt PAM Transport Schneider Swift USA Truck Werner Knight FFE Transportation Less than Truckload (LTL) ABF Con-way Pitt Ohio Express FedEx Freight UPS Freight YRCW Third Party Logistic Providers Access America Transport CaseStack C. H. Robinson Worldwide Freightquote.com TheFreightRateCo.com Parcel carriers DHL Express FedEx OnTrac UPS United States Postal Service Moving companies Allied Atlas Bekins Gentle Giant Moving Company Graebel Global Mayflower North American PODS United Shleppers Moving & Storage Truck stops Bosselman Dixie Travel Plaza Iowa 80 Love's Pilot Flying J Road Ranger Roady's T/A & Petro Town Pump People Reginald Denny Jimmy Hoffa Fred Smith John B. Hunt Kelly Reno Iyman Faris Larry Walters Keith Jesperson Organizations Teamsters Union Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association Dial-a-truck American Trucking Associations FJ Managenent SmartWay Transport Partnership Glossary Glossary of trucking industry terms in the United States Popular culture Film Black Dog Convoy Duel F.I.S.T. The Gang's All Here Joy Ride Maximum Overdrive Over The Top Smokey and the Bandit (series) They Drive by Night White Line Fever Trucker Television B.J. and the Bear Ice Road Truckers Movin' On Trick My Truck American Loggers American Trucker Music "Convoy" "Papa Loved Mama" "Six Days on the Road" "Teddy Bear" "Phantom 309" "Giddyup Go" "Drive-By Truckers" "The White Knight" "East Bound and Down" "Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)" "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" "Girl on the Billboard" Radio Road Dog Trucking (Dave Nemo) America's Trucking Network Red Eye (Bill Mack Dale Sommers) Other The Rolling Memorial Citizens' band radio

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Early movers from 1885, Montréal, Québec

Movers in Salt Lake City, 1911

Moving van and lift, Germany, 2007

A moving company, removalist, or van line is a company that helps people and businesses relocate their goods from one place to another. Typically they use moving vans, but for international moves or where storage is required, they may use special containerised vans or shipping containers.

National companies are typically organized with local branches or affiliated agents. That affiliation may be in the form of a franchise, wherein the local agent is a franchise of a national company, or a cooperative, wherein the local agent owns a share of the national company. There are also many small independent moving companies which operate within any given local area. In the United States, all legitimate interstate moving companies must be licensed with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. About half the states regulate local, or intrastate movers.

Embedded within the moving industry are the services of truck/trailer/moving equipment rental companies and companies selling moving supplies for people who want to pack and move themselves. Then they use a professional mover to load a moving van, drive it to the new residence and then unload it there. Rental companies usually offer some training information for DIY movers who will be using their rental trucks, trailers or equipment to relocate themselves.

Some people obtain packing supplies to pack their household goods themselves to keep their moving costs down. They are called PBOs (packed by owner) by their movers. Because they are not trained to properly pack their things, damages are more prevalent with their shipments and invariably they become disputable after the move.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 40 million Americans have moved annually over the last decade.^[1]

Moving[link]

Household removals require careful wrapping and packing to avoid damage to furniture and effects, so many household policies do not cover goods in transit unless they are being packed, carried and unpacked by a professional remover. In the moving industry, when a customer packs and unpacks his own boxes it is referred to as PBO (packed by owner) and policies do not insure these goods. On PBO moves it can become a point of huge contention between the mover and the customer as to who is at fault regarding damaged items within a box. Was it packed improperly by the customer or did the mover mishandle the box?

The process of packing a van or container for a removal requires that polished surfaces are protected (usually with special blankets or cardboard). China and other fragile effects are packed in rigid boxes, originally wooden tea chests but now usually cardboard, with layers of bunched up blank newsprint commonly used to protect against scratches and chips in transit. Soft materials may be packed in bags, suitcases or boxes. Custom wooden crates are typically used when transporting large, heavy and odd shaped objects.

Removal vans will often have a Luton body, internal wooden wall bars (called raves) to which tall or heavy furniture can be secured with webbing, and a ramp or tail lift to assist in loading. Space on trucks is at a premium, so an experienced loader will pack into voids in furniture and use awkward shaped items such as ironing boards to fill narrow gaps.

Moving furniture in and out of houses, especially older properties, presents challenges; in areas where there are many older properties, furniture movers may be adept at removing and reinstalling sash window panes. Most double bed bases can be split, folded or dismantled.

Pianos are a particular problem; removals contractors will usually have specialist piano trolleys and there is a device colloquially known as a shoe which is strapped to the side of a grand piano to allow it to be rested on edge on the trolley without damaging the finish or applying excessive force to the sides of the instrument.

Profesional piano moving, Christchurch, 2011

Price estimates[link]

For long distance moves, the cost is typically determined by the weight or the size of the items needing to be moved and the distance. For local moves, the cost usually depends on the number of hours it takes to move the goods. Some movers offer flat rate services but usually these are overridden by hourly costs. Professional movers usually offer an invoice. The cost of a move usually depends on factors such as the number of hours, distance, number of items, the size and weight of the items.

Self service and DIY[link]

Moving companies often offer services that are less involved and expensive than full service moving. Some companies derive most of their income from truck and equipment services, other companies provide drivers and delivery service simply letting the customer perform the actual packing. Some companies provide movers instead of trucks or equipment to handle the skilled and physical aspect of moving. Hiring movers for this purpose is referred to as moving labor or moving labor services. In recent years, new containerized moving solutions have come into the moving industry, allowing individuals to order a container and have it dropped off at their request to the location of their choice. When they finish packing their container, it's picked up and moved to the location of their choice.

The use of truck rental services, or simply borrowing similar hardware, is referred to as DIY moving in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. The parties moving borrow or rent a truck or trailer large enough to carry the load of household goods to be relocated and, if necessary, obtaining moving equipment such as dollies, furniture pads and cargo belts to protect the furniture and make things easier to move. It also involves finding or buying materials such as boxes, paper, tape and bubble wrap with which to pack boxable and/or fragile household goods for their protection and for compact carrying and stacking on moving day. Self service moving companies offer another viable option: The person moving buys space on one or more trailers or shipping containers. These large containers, often up to 53' feet in length, are driven by professionals to the new location. The renters of the trailer or truck often sell or lease accessories such as furniture blankets, tie down straps, packing material, dollies and ramps.

These moving company services are often considerably less expensive than full service moving. The key difference is that much of the liability for damage falls on the customer when they utilize these services. The carrier is generally only liable for damage resulting from traffic accidents or other damage that occurs to the trailer after they recover it. Damage from improper loading and packing falls on the customer, much like with a rental truck.

Estimates in the moving industry are made by either weight or by cubic feet.

In weight-based estimates, the moving company will provide an estimate as to the potential overall weight of the entire shipment on the move date. The customer will be required to pay the bill based on the overall previously agreed price per pound.

When estimates are provided based on cubic feet, the moving company will provide a quote based on the inventory of furniture taken by the company. This enables the company to provide a binding quote so the customer knows exactly what the costs will be prior to the move date.

Brokers[link]

There are numerous companies which are not moving companies themselves, but offer the consumer connections to numerous moving companies. The moving companies get business leads in this manner, and the consumer may get a quote for a lower price because the companies compete for business; however, brokers charge the moving companies for the leads.

See also[link]

• List of national and international moving associations
• Moving scam
• Relocation services
• Structure relocation

References[link]

1. ^ Stellin, Susan (2007-07-29). "The Movers Are Here. Have You Done Your Homework?". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/29/business/yourmoney/29move.html. Retrieved 2008-12-07. 

External links[link]

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of Packing & Moving Household Goods

• Glossary of Moving Terms
• NYTimes Articles about the moving industry

v t e Trucking industry in the United States Regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Regulations Commercial driver's license Hours of service Federal Bridge Gross Weight Formula Electronic on-board recorder Motor carrier safety rating Motor Carrier Act of 1980 International Registration Plan National Network Manufacturers Truck manufacturers Autocar Brockway Freightliner Ford Motor Company International Kenworth Mack Peterbilt Sterling Volvo Western Star White General Motors Truck & Coach Division Engine manufacturers Caterpillar Cummins Detroit Diesel Mack MaxxForce Mercedes-Benz PACCAR Volvo Trailer manufacturers Fruehauf Corporation Great Dane Limited Hyundai Translead Lufkin Trailers Trail King Industries Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company Wabash National Monon Trailers Motor carriers Truckload carriers Celadon Covenant England J.B. Hunt PAM Transport Schneider Swift USA Truck Werner Knight FFE Transportation Less than Truckload (LTL) ABF Con-way Pitt Ohio Express FedEx Freight UPS Freight YRCW Third Party Logistic Providers Access America Transport CaseStack C. H. Robinson Worldwide Freightquote.com TheFreightRateCo.com Parcel carriers DHL Express FedEx OnTrac UPS United States Postal Service Moving companies Allied Atlas Bekins Gentle Giant Moving Company Graebel Global Mayflower North American PODS United Shleppers Moving & Storage Truck stops Bosselman Dixie Travel Plaza Iowa 80 Love's Pilot Flying J Road Ranger Roady's T/A & Petro Town Pump People Reginald Denny Jimmy Hoffa Fred Smith John B. Hunt Kelly Reno Iyman Faris Larry Walters Keith Jesperson Organizations Teamsters Union Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association Dial-a-truck American Trucking Associations FJ Managenent SmartWay Transport Partnership Glossary Glossary of trucking industry terms in the United States Popular culture Film Black Dog Convoy Duel F.I.S.T. The Gang's All Here Joy Ride Maximum Overdrive Over The Top Smokey and the Bandit (series) They Drive by Night White Line Fever Trucker Television B.J. and the Bear Ice Road Truckers Movin' On Trick My Truck American Loggers American Trucker Music "Convoy" "Papa Loved Mama" "Six Days on the Road" "Teddy Bear" "Phantom 309" "Giddyup Go" "Drive-By Truckers" "The White Knight" "East Bound and Down" "Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)" "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" "Girl on the Billboard" Radio Road Dog Trucking (Dave Nemo) America's Trucking Network Red Eye (Bill Mack Dale Sommers) Other The Rolling Memorial Citizens' band radio

Nicolaas Pieter Johannes ("Niklaas" or "Siener") Janse van Rensburg (August 30, 1864 - March 11, 1926)^[1] was a Boer from the South African Republic - also known as the Transvaal Republic - and later a citizen of South Africa who was considered by some to be a prophet of the Boere (who are the smaller section of the language based macro group which became known as Afrikaners). Consequently his nickname became Siener, which is Afrikaans for "seer" or "soothsayer". His seemingly accurate predictions of future events were typically wrapped in a patriotic, religious format. During the Boer War he soon acquired a reputation which made him a trusted companion, if not advisor to General de la Rey and President Steyn. The true extent of his influence with these figures is disputed,^[2][3] though the very religious de la Rey seemed to have considered him a prophet of God.^[2][3][4]

Early life[link]

He was born on the farm Palmietfontein in the Potchefstroom district as son of Willem Jacobus Janse van Rensburg and Anna Catharina Janse van Rensburg. He only received 20 days of formal school training at the Rooipoort farm school, and spent much of his youth as a cattle herder. He could never write, but assisted by his mother learnt to read from the Bible. He never read anything else.

At age 16 he participated in a government expedition against the rebellious tribal leader Mapog. He survived malaria acquired on the expedition and settled near Wolmaranstad in the then western ZAR. He was elected as elder for the Hervormde Kerk at age 21, possibly due to his scriptural knowledge. He married Anna Sophia Kruger in 1884.

Boer war[link]

Van Rensburg and his brother were commandeered to participate in the second Anglo-Boer War under General du Toit. He was however unarmed and never fired a shot, but delivered a stream of prophesies that continued throughout the war. As the seer would later explain, a nightly visitor would have woken him only a day before the outbreak of war, with a message that his work was dedicated to God.^[2]

Following the encounter he was beset with a fear that wouldn't dissipate. When his disturbed state continued to their sojourn in Kimberley, his superiors sent him home. Experiencing no relief, he returned to the Siege of Kimberley, where a vision revealed to him the defeat and loss of life that the war would bring about.^[3] Shortly afterwards, possibly at Graspan, his disturbed state lifted permanently when a soldier was wounded on his side, as a vision revealed to him shortly before. Van Rensburg then travelled with general Piet Cronjé but escaped the encirclement by British forces at Paardeberg. Subsequently he travelled with different commandos, where a number of apparently accurate predictions established his reputation.

A report of his visions attracted the attention of General de la Rey, who recruited Van Rensburg for his commando.^[3][5] On December 7, 1900, General de Wet found himself cornered against the Caledon River which was in flood, while British forces were assailing his position. When his surrender appeared imminent, a message of De la Rey was delivered by a Boer scout. Van Rensburg had foreseen the situation and the message outlined an escape route, which was duly followed, leaving the pursuers to succumb in the torrent De Wet had just traversed.^[6] De la Rey, also hard pressed by his enemy, dispatched Van Rensburg to accompany President Steyn to Roodewal, De Wet's safe retreat in the northern Free State. Here Van Rensburg advised them to wait upon two horsemen which he described, who arrived the next day with a message from acting President Schalk Burger.^[6]

On September 13, 1901, Van Rensburg found himself in the camp of Commandant Roux at Rietkuil near Vredefort. Sensing imminent danger, he advised those present, who had just retired for the day, to depart from the camp at once. Roux was slow to take heed, and his men more so, as scouts had not observed any enemy units. Van Rensburg, his wife and children escaped on a cart, shortly before the greater part of the camp was captured in a surprise attack.^[7]

Flight from the enemy[link]

In January 1901 Van Rensburg had a vision indicating the flight of three Boer women, who were soon found and rescued by his host Willem Bosman.^[6] Days after rejoining De la Rey's commando he had visions of members of his own family being captured, and asked for leave to assist them.^[6] The Van Rensburg family fled from their farmhouse as English forces approached, but the wagon train carrying the elderly, women and neighbours was surprised and captured by traitors the following morning. Van Rensburg's parents, eldest daughter Hester and four younger children were subsequently interned at the Mafeking concentration camp.

Van Rensburg, his wife, eldest son Willem and two daughters travelled with a group which managed to evade their pursuers, and Van Rensburg once again joined De la Rey's commando. Upon meeting his wife again in mid October 1901, they found their farmhouse destroyed. Van Rensburg's ominous premonition concerning their daughters, Anna and Maria, was confirmed when news arrived that they and two relatives had died during an outbreak of measles in the concentration camp.^[1][6]

Closing stage of war[link]

Van Rensburg was present when Commandant Van Aardt's company returned from the action at Yzerspruit on February 25, 1902. Van Aardt was despondent as his brother was missing in action but Van Rensburg assured him that he was neither dead nor captured, but alive though in great pain. The wounded soldier was returned to camp the same evening, carried on the horse of a burgher who found him.^[7]

Before the Battle of Tweebosch, Van Rensburg gave a number of predictions indicating how the enemy would approach along the Harts River, and when he deemed them most vulnerable. He also envisaged how the victory would enhance De la Rey's reputation. Methuen's force collapsed in the face of De la Rey's sudden attack on March 7, 1902, and Methuen was captured.^[7]

On March 17, 1902,^[8] President Steyn, in the company of De Wet and Hertzog, arrived at Zendelingsfontein, De la Rey's headquarters near Klerksdorp, to consult De la Rey's physician about an eye ailment.^[6][8] Van Rensburg was once again dispatched to guard the president. Around the 23rd he had a vision of English troops arriving, but the president was unwilling to heed his warning, until De la Rey intervened urgently on Van Rensburg's behalf. The president departed for the safety of the Molopo River on the evening of the 24th. British troops arrived at Zendelingsfontein during the early hours of the 25th and captured two of De la Rey's adjutants.^[6][9]

Gaining entry to General Kemp's war council in the bushveld region, he soon warned them against attacking a retreating enemy, which would leave them vulnerable to encirclement. At the subsequent Battle of Harts River on March 31, 1902, some British units did fall back, though some Canadians stood their ground until overpowered by burgher forces. Kemp, though partially or grudgingly heeding the seer's visions, was generally reluctant to give him credit.

Rebellion[link]

When the Union of South Africa came out in support of the Allied Powers in World War I, Van Rensburg allied with the rebels. The rebellion received a fatal blow even before it started, when the influential general Koos de la Rey was accidentally killed on September 15, 1914.

De la Rey, when killed, was en route to General J.G.C. Kemp, who subsequently organised the rebellion in western Transvaal. On November 2, Kemp addressed a public meeting at Vleeskraal, near Schweizer-Reneke, with the locally influential Van Rensburg at his side. Van Rensburg also addressed the assembly, and assured them that his visions indicated they had little to fear. 610 men then joined the rebel cause, and with conscription imminent, the number of rebel volunteers grew to 1,800.

General Kemp decided on a company of 720 men, mostly farmers, which included Van Rensburg and his son. They departed immediately on a journey to join Manie Maritz in German South-West Africa. After a desert trek and much hardship they linked up with Maritz's company on November 29. Rebels under De Wet and Beyers were rounded up by South African forces in the days that followed.

Returning to South Africa, Maritz and Kemp engaged government forces at Nous, Lutzputs and finally at Upington, on February 3, 1915. Van Rensburg's son Willem was mortally wounded in the Upington clash, and the whole rebel force captured, with the exception of Maritz who fled via German South-West Africa, to Angola and from thence to Portugal.^[10] Van Rensburg, like his comrades, received a prison sentence. He however served about a year, first in Boksburg, then in the Old Fort, Johannesburg.^[6]

Post-war years[link]

After his release Nicolaas van Rensburg returned to his farm Rietkuil, near Wolmaranstad. Some of his visions were then recorded by reverend Dr. Rossouw. Van Rensburg's daughter Anna Badenhorst also recorded a set of visions up to his death at age 61. The latter set is considered to be difficult to interpret and not very coherent.

With the outbreak of World War II, the collections of visions were considered inflammatory. Distribution was prohibited and some copies seized on orders of prime minister Jan Smuts. Upon Anna's death her hand written documents were transferred to Lichtenburg museum's archives, where they were rediscovered in 1991. The farm and van Rensburg family cemetery are located 11 km from Ottosdal, in the North West Province.

Visions[link]

His mother perceived his visions even as a toddler, and noticed that these seemed to disturb him. General Hertzog described him as someone continuously distracted by a maze of imagery and symbolism.^[11] In all, some 700 visions have been recorded.

The nature of his visions invariably concerned the welfare of the Boere, the Netherlands and Germany, and were experienced by him as visual imagery to be interpreted afterwards. When the image of the sisal plant occurred in his visions, he for instance interpreted this as a portend of an important meeting, assembly or parliament. He is believed by some to have made many accurate predictions of local events, including foretelling the death of general Koos de la Rey^[3] and the political transition of South Africa after his own death. At times his visions also concerned international events, among which the start of World War I^[2] and the rise of Communism.^[6] He was unable to interpret some of his own visions. These, written down, are still open to interpretation, and believed by some to pertain to future events.

Reitz's assessment[link]

Boer soldier Deneys Reitz's account of the Boer War contains a colourful objective account of one of the seer's predictions (shortened):^[4]

... a prophet, a strange character, with long flowing beard and wild fanatical eyes, who dreamed dreams and pretended to possess occult powers. I personally witnessed one of the lucky hits while we were congregated around the General's cart. Van Rensburg was expounding his latest vision to a hushed audience. It ran of a black bull and a red bull fighting, until at length the red bull sank defeated to its knees, referring to the British. Arms outstretched and eyes ablaze, he suddenly called out: See, who comes?; and, looking up, we made out a distant horseman spurring towards us. When he came up, he produced a letter from General Botha, hundreds of miles away.

General de la Rey opened it and said: Men, believe me, the proud enemy is humbled. The letter contained news that the English had proposed a peace conference. Coming immediately upon the prophecy, it was a dramatic moment and I was impressed, even though I suspected that van Rensburg had stage-managed the scene. Of the general's sincerity there could be no doubt as he firmly believed in the seer's predictions.

Notes[link]

External links[link]

• Suid Afrika, Profeet en helde (Afrikaans)
• Lichtenburg Museum: Nicolaas Pieter Johannes van Rensburg (1862 - 1926) The Boer Prophet
• SABC NEWS:"Boeremag" What drives men to attempt the overthrow of a government?
• F.H. Pretorius: Siener van Rensburg – Wat is die Waarheid?; Wat kom ná Siener? (Afrikaans)