FAQs

If you’re engaging professional movers, you should mention your cost concerns during your initial call with a sales person. Similar to airlines or hotels, many moving companies have a sliding scale of prices that reflect supply and demand on a particular day. Generally, the summer months are the busiest. Saturdays and the beginning and end of each month are busy year-round. The less busy times tend to be Monday through Thursday in the middle weeks of the month. If you are flexible with your move date – an overlap between when you need to be out of your old home and are able to get into your new home helps- you’re certain to get the best value. Additionally, your sales person can provide advice on other cost-saving measures, including efficient preparation in advance of moving day

Most moving companies base their estimates for local moves on an hourly rate, which includes drive time from the moving company to your original home, to your destination, and back again to the moving company’s home base. Some customers are surprised by the extent of the drive time costs, which result from the fact that moving trucks can not travel as fast as passenger cars on the highway, and are often excluded from non-truck routes, resulting in longer trip mileage and travel time.

Labor represents the majority of the moving expense. However, there is usually a travel charge and can be surcharges for moving oversize/overweight items. You should also budget for packing supplies-boxes, tape, bubble wrap, pads, etc.

Generally, unexpected costs result from a breakdown in communication between the customer and the moving company. Do not be in a rush when you are booking your move. Take the time up front to make sure the moving company is fully aware of the situation they will encounter on moving day. For example, have you remodeled your house since you moved in? If so, some of the furniture that went in originally may not come out the same way. Did you forget to mention access issues or any significant items that need to be moved. Usually, the only unexpected costs result from these types of unexpected issues.

Moving is a service industry in which workers are not highly paid. As with wait staff in a restaurant, movers usually rely on tips to supplement their income. There is not a set amount of gratuity expected by movers as there is by servers in restaurants. This is mainly due to the fact that a bill for moving services renderred is typically much larger than a bill you would pay for a meal. No mover would expect to receive 15% of the bill as a tip. On average, a good mover would usually receive about the equivalent of $4 to $5 per hour worked as a tip

You can do a lot to reduce the cost of you move by being well prepared. You may help out by moving things closer to where the moving truck will be parked in an effort to reduce the time required to complete the move. However, there are 3 general rules that every moving company should insist that customers follow:

• The customer shall not interfere with the moving process. This means moving things at the same as the movers or trying to help the moving crew move something. The customer may get in the way and/or cause an accident to occur.
• The customer shall not get on the truck. Movers should always insist that customers do not enter the truck. The moving company could be help liable for injuries if a customer were to hurt themselves while on the truck.
• The customer shall not attempt to lift anything with any of the moving crew.

We recognize that children of a certain age are fascinated by the moving process, but for their own safety, we recommend that they stay with neighbors or friends on moving day. If you would really like to expose them to the excitement and frenzy of the moving process, be prepared to supervise them carefully to ensure that their safety is not compromised and that they stay out of the way.

Unfortunately, there is no safe place in the moving truck for pets to ride. They can not be transported in the cab for insurance reasons, and the box of the truck is inappropriate due to lack of climate control and the danger posed by potential shifting of heavy objects. Generally speaking, moving day is traumatic for most pets. The best way to ensure their physical and emotional safety during the move is to secure them at a neighbor or friend’s home, or in a professional kennel if necessary.

Unfortunately, most moving companies cannot transport customers for liability reasons.

Keeping the lines of communication open with your moving crew is critical during both the packing and moving process. If you have some items that should stay behind at your old home and some that go to your new home, you must clearly mark which is which. In order to avoid inadvertently leaving something behind or discarding a valuable item, your moving crew will move ALL items in your home, unless instructed otherwise. It is your responsibility to walk through your old home and do a final check for any overlooked items before the moving trucks departs for your new home.

Try to use up or give away as much perishable food as possible before moving. Your refrigerator and freezer can not be moved with food in them and should be emptied and defrosted prior to moving day. You might consider utilizing a cooler with ice packs to transport any remaining perishables that you want to keep.

In general, you should wait 2-3 hours. If the fridge was tilted on more than a 45 degree angle during the moving process, you should wait 5 to 6 hours.

Absolutely. However, please remember that you are charged by the hour, so a significant amount of time spent rearranging the furniture will add to the total cost of the move. Having a plan in mind before arriving at your new home will save a lot of time and money.

You should consider moving smaller sentimental or irreplaceable items in your own vehicle. As for larger sentimental or high-value items, point these items out to your moving crew. You should feel confident that your movers will pay special attention to any items you have designated as such. Most moving companies will have some variation of a “high value declaration” requirement so be sure to mention any such items to the company prior to moving day.

Yes, but there is a charge for items taken to the dump, both for labor involved in driving to and from the dump, as well as a disposal fee imposed by the management of the waste disposal location.

Professional movers are prepared to move during rain, sleet, or snow if need be. The only time a booked move is affected by weather is in extreme cases (tornados, extreme cold, etc…) where public warnings are issued. Our moving crews are equipped with supplies to keep your belongings and home safe from the elements.