Kansas City, Missouri (NAPSI) - Moving across town or to a different city in-state is complicated enough, but when your move crosses state lines, it’s a whole new ball game. Here are a few things to consider.

Regulation and Protection

Interstate moves are regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The agency protects consumers from fraud by ensuring that moving companies meet licensing and registration requirements, comply with rules on estimates and the release of goods, and educate consumers on their rights and responsibilities.

Be sure to check insurance, and be certain you understand how much liability coverage you’re agreeing to. Basic coverage is 60 cents a pound, so you’d get only $6 for a 10-pound microwave.

You should be aware that part of your interstate move may be subcontracted to another company. This means the company that loads your goods may not be the same company that unloads them at your destination.

Ship Smart

Most local moves are charged on an hourly basis, but interstate moves are charged either by the weight of the shipment or the cubic volume of goods being transported. Adding a few extra boxes can translate into big added costs.

If you have a piece of furniture you plan to replace, or one that’s bulky but inexpensive, it may be wise to toss or donate it.

Also, remember, your goods will likely be in storage for a certain amount of time. No food should be part of that shipment, including canned food, unopened packaged goods, pet food, and spices. It’ll only attract vermin.

Services and Registrations

Transferring, registering and setting up many other critical services prior to your move helps tremendously. Quite often, vehicle registration, change of address with the U.S. Postal Service, voter registration, utilities and cable can be taken care of before you move. Every state has different rules about how long you can wait to update your driver’s license and vehicle registration. Some states also require a new state inspection and title changes.

For one-stop shopping, you can go to the Change of Address section on Cable Mover at http://cablemover.com. There, you can disconnect and set up new cable services, change your mailing address and link to the DMV for registration requirements and forms. Similarly, you can update your voter registration. Timing is key. Some states have deadlines that are well before elections. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission can help.