Are you looking for the most reliable long-distance moving company?
You must be. Considering the fact that residential moving – safely transporting all household items from one home to another – is notoriously expensive, energy-draining, and stressful, you shouldn’t be surprised that everyone is looking to find reliable movers they can trust with their possessions.
And you should too.
Which is the most reliable moving company of them all? The next 10 steps will answer this question for you.
1. Recommendations from people you trust
The very first step to finding reliable long distance moving companies is to ask your friends if they can recommend you a trustworthy mover they may have used recently. The average American moves house every 5 years or so, so there’s a good chance that someone from your circle of friends moved to another home not long ago. And if they did, this is a great chance for you to get recommended a professional moving company that will be really good – dependable, honest, and – hopefully – affordable too.
The good news about finding dependable movers through personal recommendations from people you can trust is that if you get lucky, then you can skip most of the steps in the hunting and screening process, thus saving yourself an insane amount of time. What’s best, you can use that saved time for other important tasks, such as managing your moving budget, creating your moving checklist, and initiating the laborious job of packing up your home.
The easiest way to get more reliable information from your pals is to have a face-to-face conversation with them. However, that is not always possible, so another good way to find a trustworthy moving company is to use the power of social networks by posting a cry for help, something in the lines of “Need a good moving company ASAP, please advise.”
2. In-home surveys you need to trust
In the best-case scenario, a good friend of yours will have had a very positive experience with a professional moving company and will advise you to use their high-quality services. And if that does happen, then your hunt for trustworthy and reliable movers will be practically over – you trust your friends, so there isn’t a reason why you shouldn’t trust their honest recommendations as well.
Most of the time though, you won’t get that lucky and will have to find a reliable mover yourself. But as long as you know the right steps, it may even be the better way to do it as there are no guarantees that one person’s positive experience will automatically mean a positive experience for somebody else.
So, what’s the very first thing you should do in order to find a good moving company?
Use our free, quick, and easy quote form to get in touch with professional moving companies that service your route and can accommodate your move on the date you request. And then, once you establish that initial contact, make sure you ask them for in-home surveys so that you can get the most precise moving costs estimates possible.
After representatives of various moving companies visit your home in person, don’t forget to show them everything you intend to move to the new house or apartment. Take the opportunity to ask the moving experts any burning questions you may have. After the surveys, you should be given complete estimates in writing that reflect all the moving costs involved in the upcoming house move.
3. Comparison of movers you ought to trust
Did you know that some professional movers are more reliable than others?
Knowing how to choose a reliable moving company comes down to your ability to compare the costs estimates you have received in order to select the winning bid. Of course, your very first impulse will be to look at the final price of all the estimates and make a decision based entirely on those bottom-line figures. But think twice before doing just that.
There’s no denying that the price will be the deciding factor, but think about this: what does the price include? In other words, what extra services are you getting in exchange for your hard-earned money? Is professional packing included in the cost? What about disassembling and handling large furniture pieces? If you do own special items such as a piano or a pool table, will their safe packing and transportation be included in the price as well?
Select a reliable moving company based on their complete estimates that include all additional moving services and their corresponding rates. But be cautious while comparing those moving companies’ estimates, for you may happen to get a quote that is way lower than the rest. And if that does happen, will you think that you’re extremely lucky, or will you be extra vigilant?
Uncharacteristically low moving estimates may be a sign of moving fraud.
Protect your move: Smart ways to avoid moving scams
4. Customer reviews you could trust
Once you have a few good moving estimates on the table, it’s time to do some initial screening so that you end up with the best and most reliable moving company. This job of researching the companies that have issued you with price quotes will take time, but it’s something you must do if you really wish to trust completely your future moving service provider.
One important aspect of professional moving companies is their reputation – the more high-quality services a mover provides, the more their reputation will grow, and the more successful they will be in terms of a constant flow of customers and generated revenue. Therefore, checking the online reputation of movers will tell you a lot about the way they conduct their business.
Visit a few of the best websites for consumer reports on moving companies (like MyMovingReviews and Yelp) to check what former customers had to say about the movers you’re reviewing. Overall ratings (from 1 to 5 stars) and genuine descriptive testimonials will give you a clue of what to expect from your transportation companies. The thing is that the best-rated national moving companies understand how vital reputation can be for their pursuit of new customers, so they do attempt to offer excellent services at reasonable prices.
5. USDOT number lookup you must trust
Check all moving companies under consideration to make sure they have been licensed by the U.S. Department of Transportation before hiring their moving services.
After you’ve consulted with a sufficient number of long-distance moving company reviews, it’s time to check if your movers have been properly licensed by the U.S. Department of Transportation. In reality, all interstate moving companies must be registered with the DOT, for which they receive special government-approved USDOT numbers as proof of their legal status.
Strictly speaking, the USDOT number is an identification number issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) – each number is unique and lets the government track all interstate carriers of household goods. But more importantly, that USDOT identifier is a sign that all licensed moving companies comply with the strict federal regulations about safety and reliability for the ultimate protection of customers, like you.
Do not hire a long-distance moving company before you have checked their USDOT number. The USDOT number lookup is really easy – all you need to do is visit the FMCSA website and type in the name of the company in the search box. The electronic record of the company will also give you additional useful information about the current status of the mover – important details that can influence your final decision.
6. ProMover distinction you should trust
Due to the complexity of certain residential moves, you should realize by now that you don’t need just any moving company that gets in touch with you. You need to know that a professional mover is sufficiently reputable and reliable enough to hire its services. You’re about to entrust your most valuable possessions to complete strangers, so finding a trustworthy moving company should be your goal, together with finding good moving services at competitive prices.
The initial fear when starting your search is that you have no idea which company to trust – all of them say they are the best ones (impossible) and that they offer the lowest prices on the market (also impossible). However, things should be a lot clearer now – you have had professionals come to your home for accurate price estimation, you’ve compared their quotes, you’ve read moving reviews left by genuine customers, and you’ve checked their legitimacy with the U.S. Department of Transportation. So far, so good. So, what’s the next step to finding the right moving company for you?
The best moving companies are members of the American Moving and Storage Association – AMSA for short. Such membership at the most prestigious organization of the U.S. moving and storage industry is a clear sign that you can also trust all movers that have become proud AMSA members (ProMovers).
Click here to check if the moving companies you’re screening have been certified by AMSA as reputable, reliable, and honest.
7. BBB accreditation you can trust
Trust between professional moving companies and customers is critical. And that’s perfectly understandable as consumers will have to trust their valued possessions to individuals they don’t know at all. It comes down to the trust and belief that the packers and movers they have hired won’t damage or lose any of their household items.
It’s good to know that the most reliable moving companies will also be BBB accredited – that is, they will be accredited by the Better Business Bureau after having met their high standards and maintained the established trust between consumers of moving services and businesses that offer those services.
BBB accreditation is the final proof that you’ll be dealing with a reliable mover that won’t try to cheat you in any way – a dependable mover that will take care of your belongings like a true professional would.
8. Important questions you just have to ask your movers
It’s very important to know that you can rely on your moving company throughout the move – from the moment you first get in touch with them to the point when they deliver safely your belongings to the new address and you pay them in full for their high-quality services.
Don’t hire a moving company before you’ve gone through these 10 steps of finding reliable movers.
But before you can decide to trust a mover, you should use the opportunity to ask them several critical questions that will help you determine just how trustworthy they are. Basically, it’s not only what they tell you in reply (most of their answers will probably be rehearsed and automatic) but also how they answer you as well.
In fact, the level of customer service can tell a lot about just how dependable and reliable those professional movers are.
Here are the top 5 questions that you just have to ask your movers to decide whether you should use their services or not.
- How long has your moving company been around?
- Will you send experienced packers and movers to my home rather than inexperienced temporary helping hands?
- What specific measures will you take to prevent any type of property damage on Moving day?
- Do you have the necessary packing supplies and required moving equipment to get the job done quickly and safely?
- What’s your dispute settlement policy? In other words, what would happen if any of my items got damaged or went missing while in your possession?
12 Super-Important Questions to Ask Your Movers
9. Essential paperwork from your mover you need to understand
Every move generates a certain amount of paperwork that the moving company you pick as your relocation partner will provide to you. Trust between you and your moving company is crucial for the success of the entire move, and one of the very first steps is to understand the documents that you are given by your mover.
Before you place your signature on a document as proof that you agree with what terms and conditions that documents contain, you’ll need to make sure you understand its content. Be extra careful before you sign the Bill of Lading – the formal contract between you and your mover.
Read the entire Bill of Lading, and if there are any clauses you don’t fully understand or don’t necessarily agree with, discuss the issue with the moving company until every little detail has been straightened out.
Also, make sure you know how the cost of your move has been calculated, including the extra charges for the additional moving services you’ve requested, if any. Bear in mind that in case of a dispute with your movers, it’s the move-related paperwork that you can use to present your case.
A word of caution: Never sign any blank documents.
10. Proper moving insurance you may need to have
Without a doubt, your goal should be to find one of the best movers in the country as they will be reliable enough to get the job done in the best possible way.
Speak with your movers about getting proper insurance for your items.
And even when you do manage to find such trustworthy movers, the house moving process is highly unpredictable, so you’ll still need to know that your valuable items are properly insured in case of accidents on the road. Anything can happen during a move and that’s why getting the right coverage for your prized possessions is so important.
The moment you sign the Bill of Lading, you’ll get basic limited liability protection. Depending on what exactly you’re moving between the two homes, that basic coverage might be enough for you. However, that’s rarely the case because its liability is mere 60 cents per pound per item, which is practically nothing no matter how you look at it.
Finding reliable movers is one thing, trusting those movers with your valuables without purchasing any extra insurance is something completely different. You’re strongly advised to discuss with your moving company your insurance options and to purchase adequate coverage for your items because you just never know.
Your professional moving company should be able to offer you the right type of moving insurance, usually from a third-party insurance company they work with. Keep the insurance policy document in a safe place as proof of the extra coverage you’ve bought.
When looking for the most reliable long distance moving company (don’t settle for less), it’s also a good idea to follow your hunch before picking the mover that’s just right for you. The initial contact, in-home survey, comparison of the cost estimates, and the subsequent screening process should be more than enough to help you know beyond any doubt which professional moving company deserves to have your residential move.
