IND U STRY N E W S US Military considers $2bn switch to single move provider The head of the International Association of Movers (IAM) has claimed a US military plan to switch to just one moving provider could send shockwaves across the global moving industry. Charles White, IAM President, was speaking on the sidelines of the 2019 FIDI Conference at the Krasnapolsky Hotel in Amsterdam on 3 April. The plan is to consolidate all the individual contractors into one provider in a contract that would be worth around $2bn. To my knowledge, theres nothing else like this in the world at the moment in terms of scale. According to gures from website www. military.com, almost half a million military families move every one to two years, at a cost of $2bn. Widespread dissatisfaction with the process came to a head when Megan Harless, army veteran and military spouse, posted an open letter of complaint onto her Facebook page, Military Spouse Chronicles. This summed up a raft of issues she and others had experienced during military moves, ranging from theft and damage, to loss and slow claim fullment. The letter quickly went viral, and came to the attention of US lawmakers, including the staff of Karen Pence, wife of Mike Pence, the US Vice President. One of the options currently on the table is to hand the entire military moving contract to a single entity, or group of companies in effect, privatising the entire subsector. When one entity can control up to 20 per cent of the industry, everyone needs to sit up and take notice, said White. This kind of leverage changes the entire landscape. According to White, the contract is expected to be awarded in early 2020. We at the IAM are trying to slow down the process and offer our advice. We want to work with the Department of Defense to enhance the current infrastructure to improve service, rather than ripping it up and starting from scratch. HILLDRUPS OUTSTANDING JOHNNY ABBOTT WINS TOP AWARD Johnny Abbott from Hilldrup International, Staord, Virginia, USA, was awarded United Van Lines Household Goods Van Operator of the Year Award for the east region. It recognises Abbotts outstanding performance in the areas of customer service and safety. United Van Lines Chairman Barry Vaughn and President and CEO Marc Rogers presented the award to Abbott at the companys recent conference in St Louis. During his 40 years in the industry, Abbott has driven WW W. F I D I. O R G FF291JunJul19 pp08-10 Industry News.indd 9 approximately 2.8 million miles. Abbott said: Success in this industry depends largely upon safe driving practices, patience and trusting your instincts. There are more than 4,300 drivers in the United Van Lines system, and Abbott was one of three winners this year. The Van Operator of the Year award began in the late 1970s to recognise the men and women who sacrice so much for a life on the road and who help other families through one of the most stressful times in their lives. From left: United Van Lines President and CEO Marc Rogers, Johnny Abbott, Alice Abbott and United Van Lines Chairman Barry Vaughn 9 10/05/2019 15:13