Moving industry know-how
Released value vs full value protection
The two levels of mover liability on an interstate move — 60 cents per pound per article, or full value protection with a declared value and deductible — and how MoveBoard offers them.
- 2 min read
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- For owners & admins, sales
On this page
"Valuation" is the mover's liability for loss or damage — how much the mover will pay if something is lost or broken. It isn't insurance, though customers often call it that. On an interstate move, the customer chooses between two levels.
Released value — 60 cents per pound per article
The basic, no-extra-cost level. The mover pays at most $0.60 per pound per article.
Example: a 10-lb television worth $800 is destroyed. The mover owes 10 × $0.60 = $6.00.
Under federal rules, released value applies only if the customer chooses it in writing — on the bill of lading or the estimate (49 CFR 375.201). Otherwise full value protection applies by default.
Full value protection (FVP)
The mover is liable for the replacement value of lost or damaged goods, up to the declared value of the shipment. For a damaged item the mover may, at its choice:
- repair it,
- replace it with a similar item, or
- pay the cost to repair or replace it.
FVP has a charge, set in the mover's tariff, usually per $1,000 of declared value, and often with deductible options (for example $0, $250 or $500) that lower the price.
Articles of extraordinary value — items worth more than $100 per pound, such as jewellery or art — must be listed in writing, or the mover's liability for them can be limited (49 CFR 375.203).
Third-party insurance
A customer can also buy separate moving insurance. That is between the customer and the insurer.
In Canada
Released value is $0.60/lb ($1.32/kg) per article. The usual alternative is Replacement Value Protection on a declared value of at least $10 per lb of the shipment's weight. See Moving in Canada.
In MoveBoard
- Set your plans — the released value rate, the full value prices and deductibles — on Settings › Pricing & calculator › Valuation. See Valuation on the quote.
- The customer picks their protection in their portal — see Choosing protection (valuation) in the portal.
- The choice is signed on the bill of lading, and drives what a claim pays — see How MoveBoard works out what is owed.
- The Released value rate for claims is set in Settings › Documents & bill of lading › Claims.
Related guides
- Estimates & pricingValuation on the quoteReleased value vs Full Value Protection — how the charge is worked out, how the office sets it, and what the customer can pick in their portal.
- SettingsValuationThe page that sets the protection plans your customers can choose — released value, Full Value Protection and a third option — their names, where they show, and the price table.
- Customer portalChoosing protection (valuation) in the portalHow a customer picks their protection plan — released value, your third option, or full value protection with a deductible — and what changes on the order.
- ClaimsHow MoveBoard works out what is owedThe settlement under the customer's protection — released value by the pound, or Full Value Protection less the deductible — and when a person has to decide instead.
- ClaimsHow claims workHow a claim moves from the customer's report to a signed settlement and payment — the Claims page, its stages, owners and clocks.
- Moving industry know-howClaims rules (49 CFR 370)The federal deadlines for loss and damage claims on interstate moves — nine months to file, 30 days to acknowledge, 120 days to decide — what a claim must contain, and how MoveBoard keeps the clocks.
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