Our moving trucks run on biodiesel, a cleaner burning, alternative fuel made from organic sources.  We have chosen to use biodiesel instead of traditional fuel for many reasons:

1. Biodiesel is truly a renewable resource.  It is produced from such sources as vegetable oils extracted from soybeans, sunflowers, and canola.  It can also be extracted from greases or even leftover restaurant oil — making it renewable and recyclable!

2. Biodiesel is biodegradable and non-toxic.

3. Biodiesel burns cleaner than petroleum diesel, yielding significantly less carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, sulfate and particulates.

4. Biodiesel is a locally produced product (check out our friends at Carolina Biodiesel).

5. Biodiesel makes our trucks happy.  Biodiesel has greater lubricity than regular diesel fuel and also acts as a solvent, reducing engine build-up.

So the next time you see a Truckin’ Movers moving truck in your Durham or Chapel Hill, NC neighborhood, and you can’t help but smile, remember that boot’s been traveling green.

Wherever your travels may take you today, all of us here at Truckin’ Movers send a sincere wish that your road be a peaceful one, heavily laden with chocolate!

At Truckin’ Movers we first try very hard to get the full lifecycle out of every box.  We offer reused and recycled packing supplies at a lower rate than new packing supplies and we’ll also buy back your used boxes after your move.  But for every box, there is ultimately an end to its useful life, and it is then that our good friends at Shimar Recyling step in to turn those brown boxes green.

Shimar Recycling is about as local as it gets for us, right down Harvest Road from Truckin’ Movers Durham, NC headquarters.  Their mission is to optimize their clients’ recycling systems to maximize the potential benefits in terms of cost savings, conservation of natural resources, and contribution to the development of sustainable community.  In addition to cardboard recycling, Shimar handles all of the other items that come into the collection center we make available to our employees for their personal as well as Truckin’ Movers’ recyclables.  Over the years they’ve helped us to recycle everything from office paper to aluminum, plastic and glass bottles and cans to styrofoam, batteries and old electronics.

It’s nice to know that much of the waste generated at Truckin’ Movers is being recycled.  It’s also nice to know that the money we are spending on this green initiative is being locally recycled.

In addition to using biodiesel, our trucks optimize their green-value even further by fueling at our solar-powered in-house fueling station.  We are proud to be a company that is using green technologies, but we could never do so without the help of local partners.  In particular, we are fortunate to share the great Bull City with Carolina Biodiesel, LLC, a Southern Durham alternative fuel solutions and biodiesel distributor from whom we purchase our trucks’ biodiesel.

This is truly a green partnership all around — not only because of the environmental benefits of burning biodiesel, but because the fuel we use doesn’t carry the same environmental impact that it would if it had to be shipped to us from a traditional fuel distributor.  Further, as we discussed last week, there is great economic value in keeping the fuel dollars Truckin’ Movers must expend as a moving company in the local economy.

Thank you Carolina Biodiesel!  Keep on truckin’!

Here’s how it works.  On Friday, I cash my paycheck from Truckin’ Movers and head out for a well-earned meal in Durham, NC.  I have the choice of Elmo’s, a locally owned and operated diner, or Chili’s, a nationwide chain.  If I choose Elmo’s, then the $20 I pay for my meal goes into a local pocket rather than being swept out of town into the bottom line of Brinker International, headquartered in Dallas, TX.  Elmo’s then uses my $20 on Saturday morning at the Durham County Farmer’s Market to purchase veggies from Cheek Road Grown Produce, who in turn decides that Monday to use the $20 to hire an extra farm hand.

Money serves the most good when it moves quickly from hand-to-hand because each person who holds the money has been able to benefit from what it can purchase for them.  The higher the velocity of money, or the faster is its circulation speed, the greater will be the number of people who benefit from that money.

In 2009, Time reported on an interesting case in a region in Germany that has been using its own currency, equivalent to the Euro.  Evidence shows that the local currency “has three times the velocity of the Euro, circling through the economy an average of eighteen times a year as opposed to six” (click here for the full article).

For over thirty-five years, Truckin’ Movers, your locally owned and operated moving and storage company has been proud to participate in the regional economy, serving the greater Durham, Chapel Hill and Raleigh, North Carolina area.  Next week we’ll take a look at two of our favorite in-town vendor partnerships and show you how we’re doing our part for a high-velocity local currency.

IRS Publication 521 offers detailed information for 2011 taxes on who can deduct moving expenses, which expenses are deductible and how and when to report.  In general, your move must be closely related to the start of work, and must meet both a time test and distance test.  (Note that exceptions may apply if you are a member of the Armed Forces or a retiree or survivor moving to the United States.)

In most cases, you will meet the time test criteria if your moving expenses were incurred within one year from the date you first report to work at the new work location.  Some exceptions may apply to this one year rule such as if you delayed the move to be closer to your new job location to allow your child to finish school.

The distance test is met if your new main job location is at least fifty miles farther from your former home than your old main job location was from your former home.  If this criteria isn’t met, you may also qualify if you are required to live at your new home as a condition of your employment or you can demonstrate that you will spend less time or money commuting from your new home to your new job location.

If you meet the above requirements, the IRS allows the deduction of the reasonable expenses of moving your household goods and personal effects, including necessary in-transit or international-move storage expenses.  You may also deduct some of the expense of direct travel to your new home, including lodging, but not meals.

If you moved in 2011 or are planning to move in 2012, hold onto your moving, storage and travel expense related receipts!  You may be eligible for some federal tax deductions.  For complete rules and regulations related to the deduction of reasonable moving expenses, visit www.irs.gov.

“Only a fraction of the businesses rated on Angie’s List can claim the sterling service record of being a Super Service Award winner because we set a high bar,” said Angie’s List Founder Angie Hicks. “The fact that Truckin’ Movers can claim Super Service Award status speaks volumes about its dedication to consumers.”

2011 marks the third year in a row that Truckin’ Movers has been awarded this distinction. We send our deep gratitude to the many families and businesses who took the time to share feedback with Angie’s List on their experience with our company. It was our honor to provide moving and storage services to you.

Angie’s List Super Service Award winners have met strict eligibility requirements including earning a minimum number of reports, an exemplary rating from their clients and abiding by Angie’s List operational guidelines. Ratings are updated daily on Angie’s List, but members can find the 2011 Super Service Award logo next to business names in search results on AngiesList.com.

Our crews are engaged in moving families throughout the United States during this busy holiday move season, but we want to take a moment to thank all of our local, national and international move customers, as well as our storage customers, for a fantastic 2011. Our success is built one great move at a time and we couldn’t have done it without each of you.

Here at Truckin’ Movers we are proud to ring in the New Year with the launch of our company blog. We hope it will prove a good venue for keeping you informed about company news, moving tips and more.

From all of us in the Truckin’ Movers family, we wish your family a 2012 filled with peace, abundance and joy.