What is storage-in-transit, and when does a move need it?

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Storage-in-transit, or SIT, is temporary warehousing you ask your mover for when you cannot receive your goods on the delivery date. The goods stay part of the move, under the same carrier and bill of lading, until they are delivered. A move needs it when there is a gap between leaving the old home and getting into the new one, such as a slipped closing. On a move within Georgia, the rules cap SIT at 180 days from unloading and the tariff caps the price; on an interstate move, the mover’s tariff sets the period.

Whose request it is

SIT is storage you request. The federal consumer booklet in Appendix A to 49 CFR Part 375 says: “You may request your mover to store your household goods before delivering them.” Georgia’s rule says carrier storage “shall only occur at the request of the customer” or where the rules specifically authorize it (Rule 570-38-3-.14).

Storage caused by the mover’s own schedule is different. On an interstate move, if the mover can deliver more than 24 hours early and you do not agree to early delivery, it may store the shipment “under your own account and at your own expense”, meaning the mover’s, and it is responsible for the charges for redelivery, handling, and storage until final delivery (49 CFR 375.607). That is not a SIT charge to you.

Storage-in-transit is also different from asking the mover to deliver straight to a warehouse. On a Georgia move, if you ask for delivery to a warehouse or storage facility, that location “shall be considered the destination” on the bill of lading, the goods are stored in your name subject to a lien for charges the tariff authorizes, and the carrier’s liability “shall cease upon the unloading of the articles at the warehouse or storage facility” (Rule 570-38-3-.05(9)). Check which of the two the bill of lading shows before the truck leaves.

How long it can last

Move within Georgia Interstate move
Maximum period 180 days from the day the goods are unloaded at the warehouse The period in the mover's tariff
What happens at the end The goods are no longer in transit; the warehouse becomes the final destination and its rules and charges apply SIT converts to permanent storage
Notice before the end Rule 570-38-3-.14 sets no notice period, so ask the carrier At least 10 days before expiration, or 1 day for SIT of less than 10 days

On an interstate move, the booklet says the mover must tell you in writing, as the period ends, the date SIT converts to permanent storage, that you have a 9-month period after conversion to file claims for loss or damage during transit or SIT, when the mover’s liability ends, and when the goods become subject to the storage facility’s rules and charges (49 CFR 375.609).

On a Georgia move, once you ask for your goods to be delivered, the carrier must remove them from storage within a reasonable period, defined as five days excluding state and federal holidays unless DPS accepts a longer period. If it fails to do so through no fault of yours, it cannot keep charging you for storage.

What it costs on a Georgia move

DPS Maximum Rate Tariff No. 7 caps SIT at $8.40 per 100 pounds for the first day and $0.25 per 100 pounds for each day after, plus up to 10 percent of the storage charge for valuation if you chose full value protection. For a 6,000-pound shipment stored 30 days: $504 for the first day plus $435 for the next 29 (60 × $0.25 × 29), or $939, plus up to $93.90 for valuation. How storage is priced more broadly is covered in how storage is priced.

When a move needs it

  • A closing slips and the new home is not ready, as covered in what happens if your closing date slips.
  • The new lease starts after the old one ends.
  • Repairs or renovation must finish before furniture can come in.
  • On an interstate move, the delivery window opens before you can receive the goods.

If the gap could run past the SIT limit, or you will need your things in and out more than once, a separate storage arrangement may fit better, as compared in a mover’s storage versus a self-storage unit.

Before you rely on it

  1. Ask for the SIT period and the daily or monthly charge in writing.
  2. On a Georgia move, check the charge against the tariff caps above.
  3. Ask how you will be told before the period ends, and what changes then.
  4. Keep the bill of lading and the warehouse’s name and address.

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