E-commerce drives Consolidated Freightways into the moving business

MENLO PARK, Calif. (June 22, 1999) — Freight transportation giant Consolidated Freightways is using e-commerce technology to enter a new market — the 20 million American households who move residences every year.

CF is using the Internet to market and sell CFMovesU.com, a self-load household goods moving service designed to combine the convenience of a full service moving company with the low cost of a self-serve truck rental.

With CFMovesU.com, consumers have a two-day window to pack and load household goods into a trailer that CF brings to the home. Once the freight is packed and loaded, the trailer is picked up by a professional CF driver, and transported through CF’s nationwide network. Consumers unload their household effects over the two days following the delivery of the trailer. CF picks up the empty trailer.

Most customers will fulfill their moving requirements through the Internet site, www.CFMovesU.com, which went “live” yesterday. Consumers can also call a toll-free number for bookings.

Online consumers navigate a state-of-art, user-friendly environment that delivers rate quotes, packing and loading tips, en route real time tracing, insurance options, and a wide variety of related information that helps families make their move simple, easy and straightforward.

CFMovesU.com is designed for self-service movers who want to avoid the hassle of driving more than 500 miles in a rental truck, often with their families in tow, said Marty Larson, director of e-commerce and marketing technology. “For about the same cost as a truck rental, consumers get the convenience of packing their goods over a couple days, and the comfort of turning over the transportation to professional drivers,” he said.

CFMovesU.com pricing is based on space, and consumers pay only for the trailer floor space actually used. Customers can confirm booking orders 24 hours per day, seven days a week via the web, or through a toll-free number, 800/419-7395.