Best Moving Labor Companies

Are you about to go for a rental truck? Hire professionals to give you a hand with loading and unloading to save your back from breaking.

Let’s face it: Moving is stressful. Whether you’re moving a few blocks away, or a few states, all the time and hassle in going through the accumulation of stuff in your home, packing it all up, getting it loaded into a truck, transporting your belongings, and then performing the entire process in reverse at your new place, is bound to cause some strain.

This is especially true if you’re trying to do it alone.

Fortunately, there is help available to take some of the stress out of your move. You probably know about full-service movers, but did you know there’s another category of moving service that doesn’t cost as much but still relieves a lot of the burden of moving?

Read on to find out everything you need to know about moving labor companies, including our recommendations for the best companies to work with.

Top 5 Moving Labor Companies

We chose these five labor companies for inclusion on our best-of list by researching customer reviews and comparing costs, size of their labor force, transparency, and availability. If you’re looking for a way to save money on your upcoming move while still enjoying help with the heavy lifting, consider working with the best moving labor companies listed below.


How Much Does Moving Labor Cost?

Just like local moving companies, moving labor companies typically charge an hourly rate. When hiring a moving labor company, you can expect to pay between $60 and $80 per two movers for each hour of labor.
Other things you need to know about moving labor rates include:

  • It costs extra for each additional moving helper. For example, if you hire two movers for $60/hour, hiring an additional moving labor helper will cost you another $30 or more per hour, which brings the total to $90/hour for three movers. For four movers, you would spend $120 per hour, and so forth.
  • Some moving labor companies may charge fees that aren’t disclosed in their hourly rates. For instance, you may or not be charged a mileage fee (travel fee), which is the time taken by the moving crew to get to the job site. If there is a mileage fee, it’s often equal to one hour of work.
  • The use of moving equipment such as dollies and hand tools, provided by the moving laborer, should be free and included in the price.
  • Moving labor companies often charge a minimum of two labor hours, regardless of actual hours worked.
  • Usually, the billing time begins when the movers arrive.
  • Average work hours are typically billed in 15-minute increments.

Get your estimate in writing

After you've narrowed down your options and have a few companies in mind, it's time to check their customer reviews and licenses. This is an essential step in the process as it will give you a better idea of the company's quality of service and if they're reputable.

When checking customer reviews, read both the positive and negative ones to get a well-rounded idea
of the company.

Also, check to see if the company is licensed by the state in which they operate, as this will ensure they're reputable and have the proper insurance in case of any accidents.

Choose Item

1 Bedroom:$300 - $650

2-3 Bedrooms:$750 - $1,300

4-5 Bedrooms:$1,350 - $2,900

1 Bedroom:$850 - $1,900

2-3 Bedrooms:$1,700 - $3,500

4-5 Bedrooms:$2,000 - $4,500

1 Bedroom:$900 - $2,700

2-3 Bedrooms:$2,100 - $6,900

4-5 Bedrooms:$5,500 - $7,900

1 Bedroom:$1,500 - $3,500

2-3 Bedrooms:$3,900 - $7,000

4-5 Bedrooms:$8,500+

In general, the hourly prices for moving labor stated above are the same for all moving labor services: furniture disassembly and/or reassembly, packing, unpacking, loading, unloading, and so on. When you have a better understanding of how the moving cost is determined, you will be able to lower the price of your moving expenses.


Types of Moving Labor Services Available to You

Packing - Packing your entire household for a move takes a lot of time. What’s more, you need to have your belongings packed ahead of your move, if you don’t want to spend

Unpacking - You are not expecting to perform a move any time soon, so you can take your time to unpack your belongings after the move.

Loading - Moving truck loading services may be necessarily needed for your move, and that is because you need a lot of physical strength to load a moving truck since

Unloading - Just like loading, you may need moving help at your new home when you will need to safely unload all the heavy belongings from the moving truck

Furniture assembly - You will need to re-assemble all the furniture items that have been disassembled when loading into the moving truck.

Furniture disassembly - You need to properly disassemble extra-large furniture items before you pack and load them. If this task doesn’t seem clear enough to you

Truck Driving - Many consumers are not aware that this service is available. Truck driving is an extra service offered by the best labor moving companies in the U.S.


Tips on Hiring Moving Labors

Now that you know what moving labor is and the types of moving labor services available, you can determine whether hiring a moving labor company is a good option for your next move. And if you discover that you need the service, you’ll need to know how to choose the right moving labor company for your needs.

The following simple steps will guide you in locating reputable and reasonably priced local moving labor help for your move:

Checking credentials: You can begin identifying trustworthy local businesses to consider by reading online reviews. Once you have a list of potential moving laborers, make sure you check license numbers, business names, and the number of years the companies have been in business. Then, check the website of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) or your state’s Department of Transportation (DoT) to verify the license and other credentials.

Getting estimates: Obtain estimates from several moving labor companies. Some experts suggest obtaining and comparing quotes from five or more separate companies. You should get moving labor estimates from a minimum of four companies to make sure the prices are the most competitive, and to locate movers that serve your particular needs.

Ask questions: Gather all possible information you can about factors like payment terms, additional fees, rate structure, company history, hidden costs, and whether the company uses subcontractors. Other useful things to know about our packing services, storage services, insurance, and things you should prepare for on moving day.

Obtaining references: Request references from the company’s previous customers so you can obtain honest feedback. Past customers can share the first-hand experience of what they enjoyed or didn’t enjoy about the company.


The Benefits of Hiring Moving Labor

Affordability

While hiring a moving labor company will cost more than handling the whole move yourself, it’s a considerably cheaper option than a full-service move. Moving labor can be surprisingly affordable, especially if you factor in the time and stress you’ll save by not having to do all the packing, loading, unloading, and unpacking yourself.

Convenience

If you’re not in a position where you can recruit friends and family to help you with your move – or if you’re exhausted just by the idea of packing and moving an entire house full of stuff – hiring a moving labor company gives you a convenient, time-saving option regardless of how far you’re moving.

Flexibility

Compared to full-service moving, there is a lot more flexibility available when working with a moving labor company. You can choose which services you’d like to handle yourself, and which ones you’d like to pay someone else to take care of. For example, you may want to pack up your household so you know exactly which items went into what boxes – but then have your moving laborers load all those boxes and furniture onto the truck.

Conversely, you can get close to a full-service moving experience at a significantly lower cost by choosing a moving labor company that offers packing, loading, unloading, and unpacking services. Then, you only have to worry about the moving truck.

Safety

The process of moving is not without risk. If you do it yourself, there’s a potential for damage to your possessions, or even injury if you’re working with friends or family who aren’t trained, professionals. Working with a moving labor company helps you avoid this type of risk, as you’ll have experienced pros handling all the heavy lifting.

In addition, professional moving laborers are insured by the companies they work for, so if there is any unexpected damage, you will be compensated for it.


FAQ Section

If you’re moving and don’t have a huge budget, you may think that your only option is to recruit friends and family for help. However, this is not always the wisest move. You can hire a moving labor company to help you with loading and unloading, packing and unpacking, and even truck driving, without having to pay for an expensive full-service move.

Moving labor companies supply labor for certain parts of your move, such as packing boxes and loading moving trucks. These professionals offer a range of services, and you can choose only the services you need to make your move successful.

The main difference between moving labor companies and full-service movers is that you must supply the moving truck when you hire moving laborers. In general, working with a moving labor company is more expensive than doing everything yourself, but cheaper than a full-service move.

Moving labor costs are determined by factors such as moving date, location, and type of service. According to our research, the average cost for loading and unloading (the most popular service for moving labor) is approximately $68/hour. Expect to spend between $40 and $80 per hour for loading and unloading when you hire moving labor providers.

If you would like to spend less on your local move, the best way is to handle most of the work yourself. You can do the packing and unpacking, and then hire professional moving labor for tasks you cannot complete on your own, like moving heavy objects and loading or unloading heavy moving boxes.

If you’re taking care of the packing end of things, make sure to have all the work completed before your movers arrive, as having cleared space in your home allows them to work quickly. This means you’ll save money, because moving labor companies typically charge by the hour – so the less time your laborers have to work, the less you’ll pay.

While it’s not required by law, you should definitely offer a tip to your moving laborers when the job is finished. Tipping shows that you appreciate all the hard work your movers have done to pack, load, unload, and unpack your belongings. A good rule of thumb is to tip between $20 and $40 per mover.

If you have limited time for a move or just want to eliminate some of the stress, hiring a moving labor company for some or all of your tasks is worth the cost. In addition, you may save money on potential damages. If something breaks during a DIY move, you’re responsible for the costs. However, moving labor companies provide insurance coverage, so any damage during the move is covered.


Harrison Gough

Harrison has been writing for real estate and moving companies for the past three years, but his knowledge isn't just from behind a desk. Having moved over a dozen times himself, sometimes with professional help and sometimes on his own, he's learned firsthand what makes moving smooth and what makes it stressful. When he's not writing, he's looking into ways to make his next move simpler.

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