Section 375.601 gives every interstate shipper reasonable dispatch, except those moving on guaranteed pickup and delivery dates. That carve-out is the whole idea: a guaranteed date replaces the usual pickup and delivery periods with a stricter promise and a remedy if it is missed.
What FMCSA says it is
The FMCSA consumer booklet defines the service in one line: an additional level of service featuring guaranteed dates of service, with the mover providing reimbursement for delays, and possibly subject to minimum weight requirements. It is listed in section 375.301(a)(4) as guaranteed service on or between agreed dates. Like expedited service, it is a choice built into a carrier's tariff, not something every mover has to offer.
What goes on the bill of lading
The bill of lading is where the promise lives. For non-guaranteed service, 375.505(b)(6) asks for the agreed date or period for pickup and delivery. For guaranteed service, 375.505(b)(7) asks instead for the dates themselves, subject to tariff provisions, and for any penalty or per diem entitlements due to you if the dates are missed.
If your bill of lading lists a window of days, you are on the standard service. If it lists fixed dates and a delay remedy, you are on the guaranteed one.
Delay claims
The FMCSA booklet explains that delay claims are processed when you have contracted for guaranteed service for pickup and delivery, and that the bill of lading outlines the penalty or per diem entitlements. In practice, that means the amount owed for a late delivery is set before the move, in writing, rather than argued about afterward.
Questions that save trouble
A tariff often lists events that excuse a missed date, and the federal definition of reasonable dispatch refers to the legal defense of force majeure. Ask to see that language before you rely on a single date.
- Which dates are guaranteed, pickup, delivery or both?
- What minimum weight does the tariff require for this service?
- What is the stated remedy for a delay, and who decides when a delay has occurred?
- What events does the tariff treat as outside the mover's control?
- Is the extra charge shown as its own line on the itemized estimate?
Using it with an O'Brien's move
A shipment that leaves the Sparks warehouse for another state moves under the Bekins network tariff, so the details of any guaranteed option come from that tariff and your written estimate. Bring your calendar to the free in-home estimate, and the estimator will tell you whether a dated option fits your lane. Without a dated option, your delivery window comes from your written estimate.