Shuttle Service
A shuttle service is when the moving company uses a smaller truck to ferry belongings between the customer's address and a larger long-haul truck parked elsewhere — typically because the larger truck cannot access the address.
Some Boston streets — particularly in Beacon Hill, the North End, and Back Bay — are too narrow or have weight restrictions that prevent a full-size 26' or 53' moving truck from reaching the door. In those cases, the carrier dispatches a smaller shuttle truck (typically 14' or 16') to load at the address and shuttle the shipment to the main truck. Shuttle service is an accessorial charge on most movers' tariffs.
Boston Best Rate Movers operates trucks sized for Boston's narrow streets and offers shuttle service when needed without surprise fees — the time is billed at the standard hourly rate.
Related Terms
Accessorial Charges
Accessorial charges are extra fees added to a moving bill beyond the base rate for services like long carries, stair carries, shuttle service, crating, appliance servicing, and storage-in-transit.
Long Carry
A long carry is the additional charge most movers add when the truck cannot be parked close to the entrance and crews must walk an extended distance to load or unload.
Carrier
A carrier is the moving company that physically picks up, transports, and delivers the customer's shipment — using its own trucks, employees, and equipment.
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