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Issue - January/February 2025

Global Impacts: How Elections Influence the Moving Industry

The Atlantic Ocean Just Got Wider!

By Mark Oakeshott, Oakeshott Consulting

As someone who has worked in the moving industry for half my life in the United Kingdom and the latter half in America, I am fairly well-placed to say that there have always been some cultural differences between the people of the United States and other nations around the world. For the most part, the quirky habits of citizens of all countries are things that generate amusement, and I have found that the majority of us share the same values of peace and prosperity.


From a moving industry perspective, those differences are much more obvious. Everything from the regulatory environment and operating model to the American focus on shipment weight as opposed to volume in the rest of the world. However, I sense that the recent election of President Donald Trump to the White House may make those differences even wider.


As moving companies in the United Kingdom, Europe, and elsewhere in the world struggle to come to grips with the costs associated with increased bureaucracy, taxes, compliance, and environmental regulations, most of their colleagues in the United States look set to enjoy less government interference, and a general support for the trucking industry.


The impact of the new administration on the local, intra-state, and interstate moving market is likely to be minimal. Interest rates will hopefully continue to slowly fall and the pent-up demand in the housing market will likely provide the foundation for better years to come for the finances of the domestic moving industry. Moving companies may also see the benefits of cheaper fuel, greater investment in truck parking, and increased security of the owner-operator driver status, upon which the interstate moving model is largely based.


Perhaps the biggest impact may be a relaxation of regulations around environmental concerns. Impending legislation on emissions, speed limiters, and other items on the “green agenda” may be rolled back, creating a massive difference between the aspirations of other nations with those of the United States. I recently had lunch in London with a former colleague who shocked me with the European client requirements to restrict business travel. From an American viewpoint, he could have been talking a different language.


For international movers around the world, already reeling from a challenging market, things may be about to get worse in terms of the United States traffic lanes. While some of the extreme rhetoric around tariffs and immigration controls may not translate directly into policy, it is possible that international moving and relocation will be impacted by more restrictive controls. In particular, any potential policy to restrict working visas for highly skilled foreign workers could curb the number of corporate moves to the United States, as the incoming president seeks to protect American workers. Needless to say, if those restrictions are in any way reciprocated by other countries, the market could be further weakened.


We live in interesting times.

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