AGMC MOVER SKILL CERTIFICATION
It is optional for a mover to become AGMC certified. A mover can be signed up for AGMC's booking help service without being AGMC certified and still possibly get some job offers. However, being AGMC certified puts AGMC's "high recommendation" on your AGMC listing, greatly increasing the likeness and frequency of you getting job offers, increasing the average size of the job offers you'd likely get, and increasing how much you'd likely make per hour.
If you become AGMC CERTIFIED you also automatically get paid an extra $10 on two hour-minimum jobs. Prior to becoming AGMC certified, for each two-hour-minimum job you do where you also satisfactorily complete a 10 minute training session on the Certification material, you get paid an extra $10 on that job. Becoming AGMC certified also earns you five free custom moving-crew T-shirts. If you score particularly high on the testing you also earn a moving-crew hat and a moving-crew coat.
You could get AGMC certified as quickly as within a couple weeks by submitting to AGMC videos, video calls, pictures, test answers, customer feedback, other mover's feedback, results of your moving jobs, and other evidence of your work that AGMC judges sufficiently shows the moving skills and knowledge that are listed in the AGMC Certification Check-List below.
Again, no one is telling you to get certified. AGMC is only telling you that it only HIGHLY RECOMMENDS movers who know how to take the precautionary steps listed in AGMC'S CERTIFICATION CHECK LIST.
AGMC CERTIFICATION CHECK LIST
PRE-JOB
#1: ANSWER AGMC CALLS, OR CALL BACK QUICKLY. HAVE RELIABLE PHONE CONTACT,
#2: KEEP YOUR PHONE CHARGED AND ON YOU FOR JOBS
#3: INFORM AGMC OF YOUR AVAILABILITY SCHEDULE, & UPDATE CHANGES ASAP.
#4 CONFIRM OR DECLIINE JOB OFFER TEXTS QUICKLY
#5: WEAR AN AGMC SHIRT, OR ALL BLACK OUTFIT, OR UNIFORM OF YOUR LEAD CO.
#6: NIGHT BEFORE, GOOGLE-MAP WORK LOCATION TO KNOW NEEDED DRIVE-TIME.
#7: AIM TO BE 5 MINUTES EARLY TO JOB APPOINTMENT START LOCATIONS. BE RELIABLE.
#8: CALL AGMC IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE, AS SOON AS YOU KNOW
#9: IF PICKING UP A TRUCK, TEXT TO AGMC EQUIPMENT & GAS PICTURES
#10: DO BATHROOM NEEDS BEFORE JOB SO DON'T HAVE TO STOP NEAR BEGINNING OF JOB
WHEN YOU ARRIVE, WALK-THRU, HOUSE & TRUCK PREP
#1: CLOCK IN WHEN YOU ARRIVE TO STARTING JOB SITE WITH A "C" TEXTED TO AGMC
#2: DROP EVERYTHING TO HELP BACK UP THE TRUCK, HAVE VERBAL CONTACT WITH DRIVER
#3: LEARN EQUIPMENT LOCATIONS SO YOU CAN RETURN IT PROPERLY AFTER JOB.
#4: APPROACH CUSTOMER DOOR TOGETHER WITH LEAD, GREET CUSTOMER HAPPILY
#5: DO THE WALK-THRU WITHOUT TALKING TO EACH OTHER, LET LEAD TALK TO CUSTOMER.
#6: ON WALK-THRU, MEMORIZE FURNITURE LOCATIONS, LOOK FOR HOUSE PRE-DAMAGE.
#7: CLEAN THE PATH FROM TRUCK TO HOUSE, CLEAR ISLEWAYS, CLEAR WORKING AREA
#8: BRING IN PAD-WRAPPING SUPPLIES (IF NEEDED).
#9: HELP PUT OUT RUGS, RUNNERS, DOORWAY & FLOOR & RAILING COVERS (IF NEEDED)
#10: HELP RESITUATE TRUCK & READY EQUIPMENT IF NEEDED (IF NEEDED)
DURING LOADDING
#1: CHECK WITH LEAD FOR HIS ATTIC LOADING STRATEGY BEFORE JUMPING IN
#2: STAGE LIKE ON LIKE, 7 FEET BACK FROM LOAD-WALL, SINGLE FILE, IN A STABLE POSITION
#3: USUALLY AIM FOR COMMON LOAD WALL LAYERS, BASE, BOXES, SEMI STACKABLE, TOP LOADER
#4: FIRST BRING WHAT'S NEEDED FOR THE NEXT HOLE IN THE LOAD WALL IF NOT ALREADY IN TRK
#5: BE RETURNING TO THE TRUCK OFTEN, KEEP THE LOADER SUPPLIED WITH ITEMS.
#6: DON'T BRING LOOSE GLASS, PICTURES, LAMPS OR RAILINGS UNTIL LEAD READY FOR THEM.
#7: DON'T BRING DIRTIER GARAGE, SHED & OUTSIDE STUFF UNTIL END OF LOAD.
#8 ONLY THE DESIGNATED LOADER PUTS THINGS INTO AND PULLS THINGS OUT OF THE LOAD WALLS
#9: WORK HARD AND KEEP MOVING, NEVER STAND WAITING. THIS IS A RACE.
#10: CARRY AN EMPTY HAND-TRUCK OVER STAIRS, DON'T BOUNCE.
#11: DON'T WALK IN THE DIRECTION OF THE LOAD EMPTY HANDED, OR CARRY WIMPY LOADS.
#12: NEVER SMOKE WITHIN SIGHT OR SMELL OF THE CUSTOMER. REMOVE YOUR BUTTS
AVOID DAMAGE
#1: IF YOU'RE NOT SURE YOU CAN MOVE SOMETHING SAFELY DON'T MOVE IT
#2: WHEN YOU NEAR A BUMP HAZARD, GO SLOW AS A SNAIL
#3: FABRIC SHOULD ONLY TOUCH CLEAN SURFACES
#4: REMOVED HARDWARE MUST BE BAGGED AND PLASTIC WRAPPED TO SOURCE ITEM
#5: PHOTO PRE-EXISTING DAMAGE BEFORE MOVING ITEM, SHOWING LOCATION PROOF
#6: BE MINDFUL OF NOT GETTING THE CUSTOMER'S FLOOR DIRTY OR SCRATCHED
#7: WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE HANDLING MATTRESSES & LIGHT FABRICS
#8: PUT MATTRESSES IN A MATTRESS BAG BEFORE LEAVING SOURCE ROOM
#9: DO NOT CARRY FINISHED SURFACES THRU RAIN WITHOUT A TARP OR BLANKET COVER.
#10: DON'T PICK UP X-LONG GLASS OR MARBLE SHEET HORIZONTALLY, SUPPORT & ROTATE
#11: DO NOT LET A FINISHED SURFACE TOUCH METAL OR GRITY SURFACES
#12: PUT HAND-TRUCK LOADS DOWN SOFTLY, WITHOUT THUD.
#13: DO NOT SLIDE LEGS ON THE CUSTOMER'S FLOORS OR CARPETS
#14: WHEN IT'S WET OUTSIDE, WIPE YOUR FEET ON THE RUGS.
COMMUNICATION
#1: LET THE LEAD BE THE MAIN CUSTOMER COMMUNICATOR & QUESTION ASKER.
#2: ALWAYS SPEAK PROFESSIONALLY AND NICELY, AND HAVE A GOOD ATTITUDE
#3: DO NOT TALK BAD ABOUT FELLOW MOVERS, THE CUSTOMER, OR AGMC
#4: FOR BREAKS, CLOCK OUT BY TEXT WITH THE LEAD, DON'T JUST DISSAPEAR
#6: LET THE LEAD MAKE THE FINAL CALL, ASK LEAD WHAT TO DO IF YOU DON'T KNOW
#7: AT UNLOAD, MEMORIZE CUSTOMER INSUCTIONS, PUT ONLY AS INSTRUCTED.
#8: KEEP MOVING & WORKING IF TALKING WITH CUSTOMER, DON'T JUST STAND THERE.
#9: KEEP OFF YOUR PHONE FOR PERSONAL CALLS & TEXTS DURING NON-BREAK WORK.
#10: IF NOT ONSITE WITH CUSTOMER, KEEP CUSTOMER INFORMED OF STATUS.
#11: GET PERMISSION TO USE CUSTOMER'S BATHROOM PRIOR TO USE, LEAVE CLEAN
#12: ASK FOR FEEDBACK FROM AGMC. WHEN GET IT, CORRECT DON'T DEFLECT.
#13: IF LEAD, TEXT AGMC PICS OF ALL LOADWALLS RIGHT AS EACH PICTURE IS TAKEN.
AT END OF JOB
#1: HELP FOLD BLANKETS & PUT EQUIPMENT AWAY WHERE IT WAS AT THE START.
#2: ALL CUSTOMER DONATED ITEMS ARE DIVIDED AFTER JOB, NOT CLAIMED.
#3: IF DROPPING OFF A TRUCK, TEXT AGMC YOUR EQUIP & GAS PROOF PICS
#4: IF YOU'RE A HELPER, TEXT YOUR HOURS & PAY TO AGMC AT END OF EACH JOB.
#5: ALWAYS KNOW & PAY WHAT YOU OWE BY KEEPING A CURRENT TRANSACTION LOG
#6: IF IT'S A TWO-HOUR-MINIMUM JOB, DO A TRAINING SESSION IF YOU'RE ENROLLED
#7: IF YOU'RE LEAD, TEXT AGMC PICS OF INVOICE & TRANSLOG RIGHT AT END OF JOB.
PADWRAPPING TECHNIQUES:
#1: PADWRAP A DINING CHAIR W/TAPE, W/BAND
#2: PADWRAP A DRESSER W/TAPE, W/BAND, W/PLASTIC WRAP
#3: PADWRAP A NIGHTSTAND W/TAPE, W/ BAND
#4: PADWRAP A SOFA
#5: PADWRAP A HEADBOARD
#6: PADWRAP BED RAILINGS
#7: PADWRAP A LARGE WALL HANGING PICTURE
EQUIPMENT
#1: HAND-CARRYING TECHNIQUES
#2: HANDTRUCK TECHNIQUES:
#3: BLACKSTRAPS
#4: FLOOR-DOLLY (4 wheeler)
#5: RATCHET STRAPS
#6: TIE OFF ROPE
#7: HUMP-STRAP
#8: MATTRESS CARRIER
#9: SLIDERS
#10: RAMPS & RAMP EXTENSIONS
#11: INCLINE HANDTRUCK
#12: TRUCK BACKING
#13: BLANKETS, BLANKET SLIDING, BLANKET USE
#14: DRILL & BITS (HEX & SOCKET SET)
#15: OTHER HAND TOOLS
MOVING STANDARD FURNITURE ITEMS
#1: SOFA
#2: DRESSER
#3: CHAIR
#4: TV
#5: MATTRESS
#6: WASHER DRYER
#7: SWAPPING OUT A DRYER CORD
#8: RECLINER
#9: REFRIGERATOR
#10: LARGE WALL HANGING PICTURES
#11: LAMP
#12: POLE LAMP
SPECIALTY ITEMS
#1: BIG GUN SAFE
#2: TREADMILL
#3: HOT TUB
#4: GRANDFATHER CLOCK
#5: PIANO
#6: CRAZY HEAVY TABLE TOP
#7: POOL TABLE
#8: LONG MARBLE SLAB
#9: SLEEP-NUMBER BED
#10: STATUE
#11: CHANDELIER
PACKING
#1: BUYING PACKING MATERIALS
#2: SET UP PACKING STATION
#3: TAPING BOXES
#4: KITCHEN DISHES REGULAR BOX
#5: DISH BARREL BOX
#6: OTHER KITCHEN ITEMS
#7: SM PICTURES
#8: LARGE PICTURES
#8: CLOTHES, LINNENS, SHOES
#9: WARDROBE BOX, HANGING CLOTHES
#10: COMPUTER & ELECTRONICS
#11: TV
#12: TABLE LAMP
#14: POLE LAMP
#15: STATUE
DAMAGE REPAIR
#1: SCRATCH MARKERS
#2: OLD ENGLISH
#3: RUB STICKS
#4: HOT-MELT STICKS
#5: EPOXY STICIKS
#6: SUPER GLUE
#7: WOOD GLUE
These items are more specifically explained in the Pro-Mover Training course offered on this website.
THE MORE ITEMS YOU GET CERTIFIED ON THE BETTER
The closer you get to doing the check-list correctly, the more work you would be getting, even without you getting the full certification. The only exception is that if you mess up certain things too badly, it doesn't matter how good you do on the rest of this, AGMC is not going to recommend your services, or at least not in proportion to the mess-up.
THE PACE
You determine the pace of your certification process by your choice of how quickly you study and demonstrate the certification material. You could do this all within a couple weeks, you could spread all this out over years, or you could skip it all entirely. AGMC isn't telling you to do the certification or how fast you should do it. AGMC is only telling you under what circumstances AGMC would highly recommend your moving services to others, and that this high recommendation must come first, before AGMC is going to invest much money to try to generate a steady work-flow of jobs for you. You make your decision of what you want to do about getting certified using this information.
THE DEFAULT CERTIFICATON PROCESS
By you doing nothing other than just doing your moving jobs however you would do them, if and when you get jobs referred to you by AGMC, AGMC is automatically going to be getting feedback and noticing things about your services. It helps for you to do jobs working for other Leads, so those Leads can provide feedback about how you are handling these certification check list items. If you don't do much working for other Leads, that makes it even that much more important to provide AGMC other sources of evidence of your work.
But just doing jobs referred by AGMC will eventuay result in AGMC getting a slow gradual build up of a record about what you do and don't do, what you do and don't know, and what AGMC still doesn't know about your services. This record can either fall flat or eventually build up to cover the Check-List material. Or, there are things you could choose to do that could greatly expedite this certification process, getting it done in as little as a couple weeks.
IT HELPS FOR YOU TO GET FEEDBACK
While you are studying and practicing the certification material, it's a good idea for you to check in with AGMC and ask AGMC for feedback about your services. If there's any problems about your service that might disqualify you from AGMC highly recommending your services and potentially becoming certified, it could save you a lot of effort and wasted time if you found out about it early.
If you get feedback that's something you could work on, then you could work on improving that area. What you shouldn't do when you get feedback is deflect, change the subject, talk about why other people are getting work, and NOT concentrate on addressing and fixing the issues that were brought up to you in the feedback. If you deflect, the feedback will end.
It's also an option for you to ask AGMC to be tested verbally over the phone on the certification material, either in one call or spread out over smaller calls.
VIDEO EXPEDITES THE PROCESS OF CERTIFICATION
If AGMC has given you the "thumbs up" on general feedback about your services, and if you've studied and practiced the Certification material enough for you to think you can do it correctly, then you can greatly expedite the speed of AGMC learning how you do your moving jobs by you submitting videos of your work to AGMC. AGMC is not requiring or asking you to work on becoming Certified. But the effects of you doing so could turn what would have been a year process of getting certified into a week or two process. And it allows AGMC to base your record on concrete video evidence rather than 2nd hand anecdotal evidence. Your choice.
HOW TO VIDEO
One way to do this is for you to get a short phone holder (with the bendy legs) and set your phone up during your jobs to video chosen tasks that you want checked off your list. And/or, you could use a "Go-Pro" strapped to your person, or arrange for a friend of yours to follow you around on one of your moving jobs and use their phone or video camera to video your actions throughout your entire job. The video or videos should show you doing as much as possible of the Check-list of items correctly. Then download your videos to either YouTube or Google Drive by following the link provided below. On Google Drive, you then set the permissions to allow AGMC to view your video, and email the link to AGMC at solidstateuniverse@yahoo.com
When you do an on-site video of you working one of your moving jobs, it's better if you actively look for opportunities to do the tasks that show the check-list of items you're aiming to check off. It's also better if you video your work throughout your entire whole job and not leave anything out. It works well if you can have a girlfriend follow you around videoing. Please try to have the view taken from back far enough to see all the surroundings so it's easier to see what's going on. After you've downloaded your video onto You-Tube or Google Drive, you can ask AGMC for a list of what items were or were not demonstrated sufficiently to AGMC standards. After that, you could then concentrate on videoing the insufficient items during subsequent moving jobs, or do a separate targeted video at home.
FIND OUT YOUR CERTIFICATION STATUS ANY TIME
You can ask AGMC at any time which of your check-list items are recorded as being sufficient or insufficient. You can also judge how well you're doing on your Check-List score by the frequency of jobs you're getting. The closer you are to getting to doing the check-list correctly, the more work you would be getting, even without you getting the full certification. But if you get certain key things wrong, you might get very few or no jobs at all, no matter how good you're doing on the rest of it. Only the top performing movers, who don't mess up badly, get any kind of regular job referrals from AGMC.
ONLINE PRO-MOVER TRAINING COURSE
It's also an option for you to participate in AGMC's online training course program, so you can be more sure about showing what AGMC is looking for in your videos. You can either do it the slow way of just doing one training session at a time at the end of each of your two-hour-minimum jobs, or you can just read thru the whole course as fast as you want and get it done quick. Go at whatever pace you choose.
If you choose the AGMC online training course option, be aware that this option comes with the stipulation that AGMC reserves the right to retract the offer of allowing a mover to participate in the training course (to earn the extra $10 on two-hour-minimum jobs), if AGMC judges that a mover is not participating satisfactorily in the training sessions.
AGMC CAN COME WATCH YOU, IF YOU'RE DONG GREAT
If and when AGMC judges that the preliminary results of a mover's work show that a mover shows great potential or is very near satisfactorily meeting the criteria of the AGMC CERTIFICATION CHECK LIST, AGMC can ask that mover if they'd like AGMC to conduct its own onsite video documentation of one of their moving jobs, to check-off at least most of the remaining check-list points. Any straggler issues can be dealt with later individually. AGMC will not offer this onsite "evaluation" to movers who are not showing great potential or are not near meeting the certification criteria.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
However, you showing AGMC that you know and can follow at least most of the Check-List has to happen before AGMC is going to highly recommend your services, and before AGMC would spend more money on advertising to try to generate more jobs for you. So understand that if you ever just "wait" for more work than you're currently getting from AGMC, with you having very little of the certification material covered and without you working on covering it, you will be waiting for something that's not ever coming, because AGMC is first waiting for you to FIRST prove that you know what you're doing (or at least be working on it) before AGMC would invest more advertising money to create a more significant flow of jobs for you.
In fact, if you just wait for more jobs, without you taking action to show you know or are working on the certification material, the less AGMC is going to want to take risks with you on moving jobs, and the less work you will likely get. So if you want more work more quickly, YOU must first take the action that is necessary to more quickly generate a more significant work flow for you.
WHY ELSE DO THE CERTIFICATION?
Besides getting paid more on two-hour minimum jobs, the more AGMC knows that you know how to do things sufficiently, the more confident AGMC can be about highly recommending your services to others looking to hire a mover, getting you far more job offers and more hours of work. Further, the more AGMC knows that you know what you're doing, the less AGMC needs to worry about huge problems, damage claims, and law-suits happening, and that's motivation for AGMC to spend much more of AGMC's money on advertising to try to get you more work.
For example, after AGMC has covered the course material with you that tells you the mover rule "Do not pick up a marble slab while it's in a horizontal (flat) position or it might crack. First slide it to the side where it's supported along the length down the center, and then rotate it into a vertical position while still supported up the length before lifting)". At least AGMC then knows you've been warned of this danger, which is way better than AGMC not even knowing if you are aware of this mover rule, especially when not knowing this rule could cost a $7,000 damage claim (the value of this above shown 1800's antique). If AGMC doesn't know whether you know this mover rule or not, AGMC can't highly recommend your services.
A mover not knowing the "mover rule" about needing to use floor dolly with a particular kind of rubber & flat bottom wheel on wooden floors did result in a $4,000 floor damage claim. You have to know your wheel types.
A mover not knowing he needed to take some pictures of his unload job into a storage unit did cost a $12,000 damage claim.
A mover not knowing he needed to be examining the customer's floor for pre-existing scratch damage did cost a $2,000 damage claim.
A mover not knowing he needed to text to a customer a water damage liability disclaimer before handling a washing machine did cost a $9,998 damage claim. The following is a picture from that damage claim.
A mover not knowing the mover rule that his pre-existing damage pictures of a broken TV edge had to also show the surrounding room in his pictures (as proof of where and when the picture was taken) did cost a damage claim asking for the entire TV replacement (for a TV he didn't break).
I could have avoided doing this to my thumb if I had followed the mover rule about using the right equipment for the job.
All of these problems could have been easily avoided by simply knowing some simple mover rules that could have taken ten minutes to learn. There are hundreds of such mover rules that should be known when you are doing moving work. Every mover rule and technique taught in this course is bothered to be mentioned because not knowing the rule in the past has caused major problems and big losses of money that could easily be avoided in the future. To AGMC, the training sessions and certification are protection against $20,000 lawsuit claims as well as prevention against all the lesser losses as well.
WHO HAS THE RIGHT TO SAY HOW IT'S DONE
If YOU aren't going to be the person on the hook to pay (and could and would pay) $10,000 or $20,000 out of your pocket if something goes wrong, you have no right to complain or be dismissive about THE PERSON WHO WOULD PAY FOR THINGS GOING WRONG requiring that certain precautions be taken. The certification check-list is a check list of precautions. The person who PAYS if things go wrong gets to be the person to determine what risks he's willing to take by determining how the job is to be done. When YOU become the person willing and able to pay for things going wrong, YOU get to say in what way the risk of that huge financial loss is to be taken.
If you aren't the person that would pay for damages and liability costs if things go wrong while you insist on doing things "your way" (taking risks the risk taker does not want to take), that's the same thing as someone else grabbing your wallet and the title to your house and car without your permission, and them betting your money and property in Vegas on a bet they refuse to even tell you what the bet is. The potential liability costs ARE NOT YOUR MONEY to gamble with however you see fit.
So until YOU are the party that would be solely responsible for and could afford to pay a $20,000 damage claim out of YOUR pocket tomorrow, the default "way" that the actual risk-taker says the risks are to be taken is via this Certification Check-List. Recognize who's putting their money on the table. Or else you sign your car and house over as collateral to cover potential losses if they happen, and then you can make the call on what risks you're willing to take with your money and say how the job should be done.
So if you think this job is to "do it your way", and you can ignore the Certification Check-list, you are correct. However, if you ignore the Check-List approved by the risk taker, the person with his neck on the chopping block does have the right to choose to not hire you again next time for the next job, and instead pick someone else who takes the requested precautions more seriously. So look only to yourself in the mirror about the bed you make for yourself by not respecting who's call it is to decide how their money is to be risked.