Highlights
- Are you familiar with all types of moving companies out there – from local movers handling short-distance moves to international moving companies for cross-border relocations?
- It’s important that you choose the right type of mover based on the nature of your move.
- Gather quotes and research reviews to select reliable in-state or interstate movers.
- Partial and self-service moving options are for those who require specific assistance. These services can help with tasks like packing, loading, and transportation.
When the time comes for you to move house, one of the very first things you have to do is decide whether you’re going to hire a moving company to help you pack and transport your belongings to the new home, or whether you’re going to move by yourself – that is, ask friends to help you pack, hire a moving truck, and drive the vehicle to the new address.
Hire movers or do it yourself? This can be a big dilemma, especially when there are no clear signs to suggest which relocation method will be better in your case. Luckily, once you answer these Movers or DIY questions, you will know beyond a shadow of a doubt which way you should go.
When you decide that it’s better to use the services of a professional moving company, the next thing you should know is what type of moving company to hire. Bear in mind that your choice is absolutely critical for the success of your upcoming move.
Wait, what types of moving companies are there?
All in all, there are 7 types of moving companies classified by distance, type of move, and type of belongings.
Also, you will learn more about the different types of moving services and how you can use them to your advantage during the relocation.
Types of moving companies
The important thing to remember here is that not all moving companies are the same.
Some movers specialize in local moves, while others are experts at long-distance moves.
Some movers specialize in relocating offices and businesses to other locations, while others have tons of experience in international moves.
Some movers offer a full range of moving services to their customers, while others focus on providing moving labor only.
Here are the different types of moving companies so that you can make an informed decision about which mover to hire for your upcoming relocation.
1. Residential moving companies
As you can guess from the name, residential movers – aka household movers – specialize in moving household items as opposed to commercial movers with rich experience in moving offices or warehouses from one location to another.
When you’re moving out of a place – either because the lease is up or because you’ve sold the house or apartment, then these are the types of movers you will need to protect and transport your belongings to the new home.
As a matter of fact, residential movers are the most common type of moving companies in the country. They specialize in moving apartments, condos, and houses and offer a wide range of services to make sure the job is done in a largely problem-free manner.
The most frequent services provided by household movers are:
- Packing and unpacking;
- Furniture disassembly and reassembly;
- Loading and unloading services;
- Temporary storage; and
- Special packing for extra fragile household items.
7 Reasons to Hire Movers: Why Hire a Moving Company?
2. Commercial moving companies
Commercial moving companies specialize in relocating entire offices and warehouses. Such corporate moving companies happen to understand the specific challenges that come with relocating a business – for example, safe packing and secure moving of all kinds of office equipment.
The best commercial movers in the country also do all in their power to minimize the downtime of the business they are moving in order to keep any potential losses for the said business at a minimum. This is why they also provide setup services so that the relocated business can resume its operations as quickly as possible.
Here are some of the most common services performed by commercial moving companies:
- Special packing of fragile office equipment;
- Disassembly and reassembly of all types of office furniture – cabinets, desks, chairs, etc.;
- Expedited transportation to minimize any harmful downtime for the business.
Office Moving Checklist: How to Plan the Perfect Office Move
3. Local moving companies
Local moving companies specialize in moves that take place within a certain region of the country. Typically, their area of operation falls within a radius of 100 miles and never leaves the state of origin.
It’s important to know that local moving companies, also known as intrastate movers or in-state movers, charge by the hour. The average cost of local movers is approximately $80 per hour per mover. Basically, this means that if you wish to hire two movers with a truck, you should expect to pay around $160 per hour for the team of two moving experts.
Local movers tend to charge on an hourly basis regardless of the type of activity they are performing at any given moment. You can expect to get the standard services from a local moving company such as
- Packing and unpacking;
- Disassembly and reassembly of furniture;
- Loading and unloading; and
- Transport of your household items locally, within the same state.
Local moving companies don’t need a USDOT number and are under the authority of state laws and regulations of the state they operate in.
The Complete Guide to Hiring Local Movers
4. Long-distance moving companies
Long-distance moving companies specialize in moves that exceed 100 miles regardless of whether the relocation stays within the same state or crosses any state lines.
As a rule, interstate moves are more complicated to plan and execute due to the greater distances and the state-specific rules that moving companies have to follow. The good news is that out-of-state movers have the necessary experience, know-how, and equipment to handle the numerous challenges that come with moving across the country.
Cross-country movers charge a flat fee that’s calculated based on the total weight of the items for moving, the distance to the new home, and any accessorial services needed to complete the move.
The average cost of long-distance movers is $2,633 – $5,931 for a 2-bedroom home, or $3,679 – $6,340 for a 3-bedroom home, both for a distance of 1,000 miles.
All interstate moving companies must have a valid USDOT number that proves they are registered with and licensed by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
25 Tips for Moving Long Distance: Moving Checklist
5. International moving companies
If you are moving from one country to another, you are going to need the help of an international moving company. Whether you’re shipping your household goods by air or by sea, there are a lot of complications that may occur.
That’s why you need to hire a moving company that specializes in international moves and knows how to handle all the specifics of this complicated task such as all the logistics, paperwork, customs obligations, and insurance.
The 3 most significant factors that will form international moving costs are:
- The volume of the shipment is measured in cubic feet or cubic meters;
- The selected method of transportation – sea shipments or air freight;
- The distance to your new location.
The most common services performed by international movers are
- Planning the country-to-country relocation and assistance with the customs paperwork;
- Safe packing for international moving;
- Transport of your items via the selected method;
- Unpacking at your new home.
International Moving: All You Need to Know
6. Specialty moving companies
All in all, specialty moving companies deal with items that require special handling due to their fragility, size, or value.
If you have valuable and delicate things for relocation such as wine collections, artwork, or antiques, and you want them to arrive safely in the new home, it’s best to hire the services of specialty movers.
Also, if you have heavy and big items such as pianos, pool tables, safes, or hot tubs, it’s better to not risk hurting yourself and leave the job to professionals with experience in these specialty services.
Specialty movers will know the right way of handling such hard-to-move objects so that you won’t have to worry about them arriving in one piece. When you are searching for the right specialty mover for your precious items, make sure you get free quotes from several specialty moving companies so that you can pick the best mover out there.
5 Specialty Items That Are Almost Impossible to Move Without Movers
7. Auto transportation companies
If you want to ship your vehicle to another state or country and you don’t want to drive to the new location, you can use the services of a professional car transporting company.
Get as many car shipping quotes as you can so that you can compare them and choose the best auto transporting company.
When you are picking your car shipper, choose the one that best fulfills these qualities: Experience, Trustworthiness, Professionalism, and Affordability.
If the vehicle shipper you decide to use meets these characteristics, then your car will be in safe hands and you don’t have to worry about the condition in which it is going to arrive at your new place.
Before you give your car to the auto shippers, you must first prepare it for transportation. You have to check whether the tires are fully inflated, whether there are any leaks, whether the car battery is fully charged and secured, as well as other important checks which you can read more about by following the link below.
How to Prepare a Car for Shipping: Car Shipping Checklist
The price of shipping your car to another state or country depends on many factors. The main ones are:
- The total distance that your vehicle will travel from point A to point B.
- The size and weight of your automobile. The bigger the car, the higher the price.
- The season of the year in which you are transporting it. You can anticipate paying about $240-$360 more if you ship it in the summer rather than in the winter.
- The route to the final destination of transportation. If you live in a big city in which many people use the services of car transportation companies, the prices of shipping will be cheaper.
- The way of shipping. You can transport your car by truck (around $1,140), by train (no more than $1,200), by airplane (up to $48,000 or more), or by ship (around $1,200-$6,000). The transport method depends on your budget.
I didn’t realize that there are both local moving services and long distance moving services. With my son moving out of the house, I think I should find a local moving company for him. He says that he would like to stay in the area.
I didn’t know commercial moving is more complicated, but that makes sense. My boss wants to move us to a bigger building. We’ll have to look into office moving services.
My family and I are going to transfer to a new home. Thank you for this; It’s a good thing you elaborated that the price varies depending o the weight of my belonging and how far is my location. I hope I’ll be able to find a moving service that will cater to my needs.
I’m really glad you said that moving 1 pound of items 1000 miles will only cost about $0.85. That’s good to know because I’m moving quite a ways away from my current house, but I don’t have a lot of money to move my stuff. That doesn’t sound that bad though.
Thanks for explaining that full moving services will handle things from start to finish. My husband and I want to move to a new home soon. Your article helped me feel prepared to choose the right residential mover for our needs!
In my opinion, you have a great writing talent – this post is not only informative but also fun to read.
You are simply amazing! I have never read articles on this subject matter that made so much sense. All the services including short-distance service, long-distance, and international moving services helped me a lot.
My boyfriend and I are planning to relocate near his parents to look after his mom who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Everything’s happening so fast and suddenly so we need all the help we can get from a residential mover. Thanks for letting me know that full-service movers will take care of everything from beginning to end, including packing all of your personal items, maybe dismantling furniture, and more. I’ll keep that in mind as I look for a company to book.
My partner and I intend to move closer to his parents so that I can take care of his mother, who was just diagnosed with breast cancer. Since everything is happening so quickly, we require all the assistance a residential mover can provide. I like how you mentioned that full-service movers will handle everything, including packing all of your personal belongings and possibly disassembling furniture, among other things. I’ll bear that in mind when I search for a business to hire.