Latest news with #AtlasVanLines
CNET
16-05-2025
- Business
- CNET
Moving Discounts 2025: Save Money on Your Big Move
Moving costs can pile up fast. From truck rentals to packing supplies (though you can score free cardboard boxes if you know where to look), it's easy to spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on a move. The good news? You don't have to pay full price for everything. If a move is in your near future, now's the time to make sure you're getting the best value. We've gathered some of the top moving discounts available right now. Keep in mind that not all offers are open to everyone -- some are limited to students, seniors, teachers or members of specific organizations. For more moving tips, here's how to change your address using your phone when you move. Also, do these 12 things when you move into your new home. Discounts for everyone CNET Aside from the change of address coupons you get in the mail, you may qualify for other discounts and freebies when you move. If you're using U-Haul to rent a truck, for example, you can also get a free month of storage rental through the moving company. To be eligible, you'll need to rent a one-way truck or trailer. You'll also want to make sure you're in a participating location, so call your nearest U-Haul locations. Looking for coupons? Check sites like Groupon that can show you local deals in your area. Discounts for AAA members If you're an AAA member, you have access to several moving discounts that you might not know about. Here's the breakdown: Atlas Van Lines: When you move with Atlas, you can receive up to $100,000 in belongings protection at no additional cost. You may also qualify for state-specific discounts. When you move with Atlas, you can receive up to $100,000 in belongings protection at no additional cost. You may also qualify for state-specific discounts. Penske: Enjoy a minimum of 12% off on truck rentals and moving supplies. Enjoy a minimum of 12% off on truck rentals and moving supplies. SimpliSafe: After settling into your new home, get 15% off a customized SimpliSafe security system. Plus, you'll receive a free HD indoor camera and one month of professional monitoring at no charge. After settling into your new home, get 15% off a customized SimpliSafe security system. Plus, you'll receive a free HD indoor camera and one month of professional monitoring at no charge. The UPS Store: If you're shipping boxes to your new address, you can save 5% on shipping costs and 15% on packing supplies. Discounts for teachers and students Teachers and students can save money when it comes to moving. Here are some of the discounts we found: Budget gives teachers 20% off local moves and 15% off one-way moves when they use code TEACH at checkout. Students can get the same discount when they use code TRUKU at checkout. (Not a student or teacher? If you're a Costco member, you can save 25% on Budget truck rentals.) gives teachers 20% off local moves and 15% off one-way moves when they use code at checkout. Students can get the same discount when they use code at checkout. (Not a student or teacher? If you're a Costco member, you can save 25% on Budget truck rentals.) If you're a student moving back home for the summer, Amerifreight offers a $25 discount on shipping your car back home. You'll have to contact the company and provide proof that you're enrolled in college via your student ID. Once approved, the discount will be applied to your shipping quote. Moving discounts for senior citizens If you're a senior citizen, there are a few discounts available to you when it comes time to move. Here are a few to explore: Much like the student discount, Amerifreight also offers seniors $25 off to ship a car. You'll have to show proof by submitting a photo of your ID. also offers seniors $25 off to ship a car. You'll have to show proof by submitting a photo of your ID. If you need moving services ranging from packing and loading to international moves, International Van Lines offers seniors a 15% discount. For more moving tips, here's how to figure out how many moving boxes you need for your move. Also, here are six moving day disasters you'll want to avoid.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Atlas World Group chairman, CEO honored with lifetime achievement award
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – Officials say Atlas World Group, a leading provider of transportation, moving and storage services around the globe, announced Chairman and CEO Jack Griffin's recognition as the 2025 'Moving and Storage Institute Lifetime Achievement Award' winner. Officials explain this prestigious recognition aims to highlight longtime industry leaders for their significant contributions to advancement in the field. During his 16-year tenure with Atlas, Griffin 'spearheaded' the advancement of the company, its agents and even competitors in the moving and transportation industry. His efforts range from revamping Atlas' pricing model, integrating artificial intelligence into the moving process, welcoming Suddath Moving and Storage back into the Atlas Agent family and advocating for key industry issues. Evansville officials say $20M for lowering emissions 'suspended' 'This recognition is a testament to the dedication of the entire Atlas team. Through innovation and a focus on excellent service, the Atlas family moves the industry and the world forward,' Griffin said. 'I am incredibly proud of the work put in by our team, both on and off the road, that drives continued success and strengthens the impact we have on the people we serve.' According to Atlas World Group, in addition to his influence throughout the moving and storage industry, Griffin has advanced the company's footprint across the relocation management and logistics industries. Under his leadership, Atlas Van Lines has reinforced its position as a 'seasoned' corporate relocation services provider and a 'trusted' resource for trends in the space by publishing the industry's first and longest-running Corporate Relocation Survey. His guidance and strategic vision have also led to the expansion of Atlas Logistics and its tailored supply chain solutions. D-Patrick to present donation to Youth First on Friday 'This award is undoubtedly the highest honor within the moving and storage industry, and I cannot think of anyone more deserving,' said Ryan McConnell, President and COO of Atlas Van Lines. 'Jack exemplifies what it means to be a true titan of the industry, setting the standard for excellence while leaving a lasting impact on his colleagues and the industry as a whole.' Officials say throughout his more than 30 years of working in the industry, Griffin has been an 'active and instrumental' force. His award win comes as he recently extended his contract as CEO of Atlas World Group. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Miami Herald
10-03-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
With insurance and home prices so high, some are finding a way out — of Miami
Being a homeowner and having a house in the suburbs used to equal financial security for the middle class in America. But that's no longer the case for some people in Miami-Dade County. For at least one family — and, if the statistics tell us anything, many others — the cost of living and sky-high property insurance premiums are driving them to make the difficult decision to give up on Florida. That's the situation Jorge Garcia and his family find themselves facing. The cost of homeowners insurance and everything, from taxes to food, are the catalysts for the family's plan to put the West Kendall house where they've lived for 20 years on the market in March. They plan to move to Concord, a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina, by summertime. With the move, Garcia expects his $5,000 annual homeowners' insurance policy to drop to as low as $1,100, based on quotes he said he's received from companies in North Carolina. Garcia, a 59-year-old financial analyst, appears to be part of a growing trend. Though Florida continues to be one of the fastest growing states in the nation, the flow of people moving into Florida from other states triggered by the pandemic is slowing. At the same time, a rising number of residents are leaving the state. In 2023, 637,000 people moved here from other states — still the highest migration inflow in the country. But 511,000 people left Florida, the second-largest amount in the country that year, after California, according to a 2024 Florida Chamber of Commerce report. This was also Florida's first significant drop in net migration — the difference between people moving and out of an area — during the last 10 years, the report said. Significantly, a quarter of those who left Florida cited cheaper housing as the reason for their move, according to a 2023 U.S. Census survey. More recent research points in the same direction. For the first time in three years, moving company Atlas Van Lines changed Florida's status from an 'inbound state' to one where there is a balance between inbound and outbound movers, citing the cost of housing and insurance, plus the state's extreme weather, as the likely reasons for the shift. U-Haul also found a similar number of people moving in and out of the state in an annual survey, the Sun Sentinel reported. While Florida continues to attract new residents, they tend to be wealthier than those who are leaving, according to the Chamber report, driving living costs up for everybody. That's probably not a surprise for people in South Florida who have watched working- and middle-class neighborhoods being replaced by luxury towers. Million-dollar homes now make up one-quarter of real estate sales in Miami-Dade County, up from less than 10% in 2019, according to data provided by Gay Cororaton, chief economist at Miami Realtors. That influx of wealth is likely to continue in Miami-Dade, according to Cororaton. Driver license data shows that, despite a slowdown, there are still more people moving into the county from out of state versus pre-pandemic levels, in particular from New York and California, according to Cororaton. Migration to South Florida is likely to remain strong thanks to Miami-Dade's job growth outpacing the rest of the nation, she told the Herald Editorial Board via email. Think of the sales commissions, moving expenses and tax revenues these transactions generate — the money those new residents spend at local businesses. There's a clear benefit to the local economy. The problem, though, is for those who are left behind. South Florida loves its millionaires (and billionaires), but it also needs workers and the middle class — whose struggles affording life in the region are the focus of the Editorial Board's series 'Shrinking Middle.' Not only do the people leaving Florida have less money than the ones moving in, many are also in their prime working years. The Chamber of Commerce report found a large outflow of people ages 20 to 29. These are young adults who should be looking to buy their first home. But with a $650,000 median sales price for a single-family house in Miami-Dade and average rents hovering at $2,000 in Kendall, according to Zillow, and even higher in other areas, they are falling behind. Worries about that exact thing — falling behind, especially for the next generation — are fueling Garcia's plans to relocate to North Carolina. He has two daughters, 23 and 33, and an 8-year-old grandson, all of whom live with him and his wife. His daughters cannot afford to live alone in South Florida. While his youngest wants to stay behind in Miami-Dade, the oldest plans to move with the family, he said. His 33-year-old is 'starting her life. She wants to be independent. She wants to have her own home,' Garcia said. Garcia, a University of Miami alum, was featured in a previous installment of 'Shrinking Middle' in July. Back then, his cost of living was giving him doubts about a future in South Florida. In the past seven months, his situation hasn't changed and he's grown more resolute in his decision. Still, he said, 'I'm disappointed that I have to leave.' He's not the only one who should be disappointed. Florida leaders, who have seen the cost of living in the state become increasingly untenable, should reexamine their own responsibilities to residents. If people like Garcia feel forced out of Florida, will Florida become a state just for the rich? Click here to send the letter.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Climate-fueled hurricanes make Florida's rampant growth slow down
Venice Police Department rescue crews assist residents after conducting door-to-door wellness checks in coastal areas flooded by Hurricane Helene, via VPD. In 2009, The New Yorker ran a deeply reported story on Florida and its economy that was headlined 'The Ponzi State.' 'The state's economy depends almost entirely on growth — that is, on new arrivals and the wealth they generate in construction and real estate,' the story's author, George Packer, pointed out. 'The state's growth machine did not depend on higher education or high-paying professional jobs; it depended on real estate and sunshine. Tourism and migration allowed Florida to become a low-tax, low-wage state, where living was relatively cheap.' In a state whose economy is structured like a Ponzi scheme, the only requirement is that the number of suck- — er, I mean customers — continues to grow. Growth must be supported at all costs, no matter what the consequences to the water supply, the sewer systems, the amount of gridlocked traffic. If anything makes that growth falter, then the entire system grinds to a halt. This past week, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel ran a story headlined, 'Residents moving to Florida drop to levels of those who are leaving. Should we be worried?' Say, did you just hear a grinding noise? Quoting recent figures from Atlas Van Lines and U-Haul, the newspaper reported that 'migration to Florida from other states is flattening to the extent that the Sunshine State is showing a near 'balance' between new arrivals and those who are leaving the state.' An Atlas Van Lines executive pointed out that the climate-fueled hurricanes and subsequent increases in insurance rates had done what everyone believed impossible: Make Florida seem unattractive. An Atlas Van Lines executive pointed out that the climate-fueled hurricanes and subsequent increases in insurance rates had done what everyone believed impossible: Make Florida seem unattractive. 'Now it's one of the most expensive states to buy a home in,' she told the paper. 'The average Florida property owner pays more than four times the national average for home insurance.' All I can say to that is: Glory hallelujah! Now, instead of building a lot of new housing, we can just take all the existing homes that are being emptied out and offer those to our new residents. We'll tell them it's pre-conditioned for their safety. And because these are existing homes, not new ones, we should be able to avoid building millions of dollars in new infrastructure to serve them. The end of runaway growth should solve so many of Florida's serious problems. For instance, the economic watchdogs at Florida TaxWatch had predicted Florida would face a major water shortage starting this year. Now it won't happen. Phew! We're saved! Cities and counties grappling with the consequences of unplanned sprawl in areas prone to flooding were considering imposing moratoriums on new development. Guess what, Manatee County and the towns of Ocoee, Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach, and Juno Beach: You don't have to halt growth because it's halting on its own! The Florida Department of Traffic-nightmares — er, I mean Transportation, was planning to widen Interstate 4 again to deal with the congestion there, even though all its previous widening efforts failed to do the job. Hey, F-DOT, now you don't have to crank up your bulldozers again! There should be plenty of room for the cars and trucks we already have. No need to plan for more! Think of all the sewer plant expansions we can skip. Think of the rural ranchland and citrus groves that can stay rural. Think of the Florida wildlife that will be preserved from the loss of habitat. Will this lull in our runaway growth ruin Florida's con-based economy? Maaaaaybe. But maybe our governor and Legislature should have thought of doing something to fix these serious problems before the cost of living here required all new residents to be as rich as Jeff Bezos. Promoting runaway population growth has been a way of life in Florida for more than a century. Take, for instance, the tale of Dickie Bolles. In 1908, he bought lots of Everglades swampland from the state. He then subdivided it and sold it to gullible Midwesterners as 'a Garden of Eden,' 'a Tropical Paradise,' and 'a Promised Land.' 'Broken promises' would have been more accurate. Buyers soon learned that the property not only hadn't been surveyed, but much of it was also not above water. In one of the criminal trials that followed, one buyer testified that he'd bought land by the acre and land by the foot, but this was the first time he'd bought land by the gallon. Bolles has had plenty of unscrupulous imitators. In the Marx Brothers' first movie, 'The Cocoanuts,' Groucho played a shady Florida real estate salesman of the 1920s. He responded to a question about what kind of house construction he was selling by saying: 'You can have any kind of a home you want. You can even get stucco. Oh, how you can get stuck-oh!' The 1920s land boom in Florida was aided by the fact that, during Prohibition, we were considered the wettest state in the Union. Smugglers snuck in illegal booze via every secluded cove they could find. Lots of Northerners moved here to participate — Al Capone was one — and invested their illicit profits in the new real estate developments springing up all over. 'It was only necessary to point carelessly to a mudhole and tell a prospect that there was his fortune,' one of Florida's biggest ballyhoo artists, Wilson Mizner, said of this era. Mizner is credited by some sources with creating the memorable phrase, 'Never give a sucker an even break,' which is not Florida's official state slogan but probably should be. Developers ran rampant until a pair of hurricanes knocked everyone back on their heels. We've been having these cycles of boom and bust ever since, usually with no control over where the growth would occur and what it would wipe out. People became alarmed about the consequences of all this willy nilly growth in the 1980s. Carl Hiaasen, for instance. His first wacky crime novel, 'Tourist Season,' came out in 1986. It's about a seriously deranged South Florida newspaper columnist named Skip Wiley who forms a terrorist group to save Florida. Their plan: Declare an open season on tourists and growth boosters in the hopes of stopping the destructive influx. Their first victim is B.D. 'Sparky' Harper, the head of Miami's Chamber of Commerce, whose body is found stuffed inside a suitcase with a toy alligator crammed down his throat. While a success in the book sales department, 'Tourist Season' failed to scare anyone away from moving to Florida. Neither have his subsequent novels (the new one, 'Fever Beach,' comes out in May.) I asked Carl via email what Skip Wiley would think about this Sun-Sentinel report, and he replied, 'We're moving in the right direction, but there's still more work to be done.' He was hardly the only person in the mid-1980s who was worried that unplanned growth was killing Florida. In 1985, at the behest of then-Gov. Bob Graham, the Legislature passed a law mandating that local governments draw up comprehensive plans for where and how development would occur. The measure limited the frequency with which they could change those plans. Developers who wanted to change the map had to demonstrate a clear need for their project first. The law required 'concurrency' for all the roads, sewers, etc., so that new growth paid for itself. It also offered enhanced 'citizen standing,' meaning you and I had the right to go to court and challenge government land-use decisions that seemed off-base. Graham's justification for doing this was that runaway growth was 'killing the goose that laid the golden egg.' If no one snapped a leash on this monster, it would destroy the appeal of Florida as 'a Tropical Paradise.' Developers hated that law because they often hit a red light and didn't like the things they had to do to make it turn green. They also hated the agency in charge of enforcing the law, the Department of Community Affairs. They hated the DCA because, over and over, it headed off bad development ideas and ensured new projects paid for the new infrastructure needed. In 2011, under then-Gov. Rick Scott, R-NatureLosesEveryTime, they pushed through a repeal then dismantled the agency with all the care and consideration of a street gang stripping a parked car. What we have in its place is a growth system in which every light is green, no matter what the cross traffic looks like. Whatever developers want, they generally get, regardless of what the local growth plan calls for, regardless of what the neighbors or even common sense might say. Want to build a big condo on the beach where it will take 96 hours to evacuate in a hurricane? Of course we can do that! Want to cram some more people into the Keys regardless of the limits on water and sewer service? Sure, no problem! Want to overload Polk County's water system so the only way to keep building is to bring up brackish water from below ground? Can do! Amending the local growth plans, once so difficult, is now no more strenuous than picking up a burger from the McDonald's drive-through. It's just as pleasing to the palate, too. One of the top DCA officials back when there was a DCA was Charles Gaultier, who worked as director of community planning from 2007 to 2011. Since then, he's been working as a consultant fighting developer-driven changes in growth plans, which have tended to leapfrog from spot to spot, spreading sprawl. 'The leapfrog/urban sprawl amendments I have seen in recent years have been for enclaves for the wealthy promoted by the politically connected,' he told me. 'I have worked with these issues in Collier County, Lee County, Sarasota County, Hillsborough County, and Martin County with little to no success. The growth management system is just too heavily stacked toward approval.' I asked what he made of the recent lull in the growth rate, as if people suddenly figured out that Florida is no longer 'a Tropical Paradise.' 'I do expect the private market will slow down investment in new housing, but I don't see restraint coming from local governments,' he told me. 'Population growth has been uneven across Florida so the flattening of overall growth will have varying implications on the development market depending on location and the market segment.' I also contacted Haley Busch of the smart-growth group 1000 Friends of Florida. 'Our problems are NOT over,' she told me. 'Florida is still a popular place to retire. The problem is that the cost of living here for young people and seniors has gone out of sight and property insurance is out of hand.' Sure, some parts of the state have seen a considerable drop-off in new residents, she said. But other parts have not. 'We still have some of the fastest growing counties in the country,' she told me, reeling off the names Marion and Sumter as examples. Both have seen boosts from the randy retirement mecca known as The Villages. Quite a few people are moving inland from the coastal areas, she said. They are climate refugees, pushed out by the rising sea level and higher storm surges, driven to seek higher ground. 'We're losing land,' she pointed out. 'We have to account for that as well.' So maybe we're not quite out of the woods yet regarding our problems with growth knocking down the woods and swamps. Maybe we've still got to deal with all the clogged roads, broken sewers, overstressed water supplies, and other problems. But I'm sure the governor and Legislature will jump right on all those problems that need fixing to make Florida continue to seem attractive to new residents. And if you believe that, Dickie Bolles has some swampland he'd like to sell you.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Migration in and out of Texas was balanced in 2024, moving company says
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The number of people moving into Texas from other states is now on par with the number of people moving out, according to moving company Atlas Van Lines, bucking a trend seen over the past five years. In its annual Migration Patterns Study, Atlas shows both inbound and outbound migration in Texas were tied at 50% in 2024. In the previous year, 56% of Texas' migration was inbound — meaning people moving to the state from elsewhere — while outbound migration accounted for 44%. In a press release, Atlas attributed the change to affordability issues and increased temperatures. Austin's housing market: How quickly are homes selling, and for how much? New Brunswick was the most sought-after place to move to in 2024 out of U.S. states and Canadian provinces and territories, with 76% of shipments with Atlas Van Lines being inbound. Prince Edward Island, Arkansas and Rhode Island also had high percentages of inbound traffic, all at 65 to 66%. Louisiana was the state with the most outbound traffic, with 63% of migration in that state being people moving away. Ontario, Manitoba and California also had outbound migration shares of 60% or higher. Atlas' data also shows which foreign countries saw the most migration to and from the U.S. using its services. Here are the top 10 places where most people moved from: United Kingdom Bahrain China Colombia Canada Cyprus Bangladesh Fiji Spain Austria And here are the 10 places where most people from the U.S. moved to: Panama India Dominican Republic Ecuador Turkey Indonesia Morocco Netherlands Puerto Rico Singapore Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
