Have you been wondering if it’s best to hire a long-distance moving company or do it yourself? One of the biggest advantages of hiring a moving company is that someone else will be doing the heavy lifting when you move, the loading and unloading, disassembly and assembly of your bed frames and standard tables, providing and padding all of your furniture with moving blankets and pads, and transporting it for your old address to your new address wherever it may be. Let’s take a closer look at long-distance moving companies:
Different Types of Long-Distance Moving Companies
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There are different types of long-distance moving companies out there:
- Full-Service – Everything can be done for you, including packing, loading and unloading, and moving your belongings to a new location.
- Self-Service – A container is dropped off at your location, and you have to pack it. When it’s ready to move, a company will pick up the container and transport it to your new home.
- Specialized-Service – This type of moving company is for special cases, such as moving a hot tub or a piano, etc.
- Brokers – A middleman between you to an actual moving company that profits from the large deposit taken from you over the phone.
Things That Affect Your Quote
To hire a long-distance moving company, you will get a quote before anything else, and there are several things that can affect this quote, including the following:
- The Weight or Cubic Feet of Your Belongings – The bigger your home is or the more items you have, the more expensive your move is.
- The Distance of Your Move – The mileage between your current home and your new home also affects your quote. Longer distances are simply more expensive in most cases.
- Certain States in The Country – Some States are more expensive to move to regardless of the mileage such as Montana, North/ South Dakota, Minnesota, Idaho, Washington, Maine, Vermont, Upstate New York, Michigan.
- Labor – The cost of labor also goes into the quote. This might be an hourly rate.
- Bulky Articles – Items that are not your typical household goods or that are oddly shaped, heavy, or not stackable such as a piano, safe, arcade machine, pool table, and more.
- Packing – If you use a full-service company, the cost of packing service also adds to your quote. Packing is typically optional.
- Insurance – All moving companies provide, without an additional cost, a limited liability coverage of 60 cents per pound per article, mandated by the United States Department of Transportation. requiring a Full Value Protection Insurance policy will cost extra.
- Storage – Finally, if you require short or long term storage for your belongings, this will also be added into your quote. Some companies provide the first month of storage free of charge as an incentive. Make sure to ask if there are any handling fees to move it in and out of storage.
FAQs About Long Distance Moving Companies
What is Included in a Full-Service Moving Company?
If you choose a full-service long distance moving company, you can expect a number of available services; just keep in mind that these services can be added to subtracted, and some companies might have packages that include some of these services, but not others. They include:
- Loading and unloading
- Transportation
- Moving pads/ blankets
- Unpacking
- Disassembling and reassembling furniture
- Storage
How to Determine if a Moving Company is Legitimate?
There are some things that you can do to determine if a moving company is real and reputable. First, you should make sure it has insurance and licenses. Interstate movers must register with the US Department of Transportation. You should also look up online reviews and check out the Better Business Bureau.
How Many Moving Quotes Should I Get?
You also might wonder how many quotes you should get. It’s best to get three or four quotes from reputable companies in your area. Compare these quotes to each other, and you will get a good idea of what your move will ultimately cost.
Hiring a long distance moving company can take a lot of stress out of your interstate move, but it’s important that you choose a company that has a good reputation.
