Moving companies
Compare local movers for a flat, a house or a single heavy item. 7,751 pros listed in 2,043 cities across 50 states.
Reviewed and updated by the Fixerlane editorial team · How we research
Moving Companies by city
What movers do
A full-service mover packs, loads, drives, unloads and, if you ask, unpacks and reassembles furniture. Labour-only movers load or unload a truck or container you have rented. Many firms also offer packing materials, storage, and specialist handling for pianos, safes, artwork and pool tables.
Moves split into two kinds with different rules. A local or in-state move is regulated, if at all, by your state. A move across state lines is interstate, and the mover must be registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Interstate moves: the federal rules
FMCSA’s Protect Your Move programme advises checking an interstate mover in its registered-mover database before you hire. Movers are required to give you two documents: the “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move” booklet and FMCSA’s Ready to Move brochure, which explain estimates and how damage claims work.
A binding estimate fixes the price for the items and services listed; a non-binding estimate is the mover’s best guess, and the final charge follows the actual weight and services. Read which one you have been given, and what changes it.
Red flags
FMCSA lists the warning signs of moving fraud (FMCSA), including:
- No on-site inspection of your belongings — an estimate by phone or online only.
- No written estimate, or a price to be decided after loading.
- A demand for cash or a large deposit before the move.
- Being asked to sign blank documents.
- No copy of the Rights and Responsibilities booklet and the Ready to Move brochure.
- A phone answered “Movers” rather than the company’s name, and a website with no local address or registration details.
- A claim that all your goods are covered by their insurance.
- A rental truck on moving day rather than a marked company vehicle.
How to choose a mover
- Get estimates from more than one company, based on a look at what you are moving — in person or by video walk-through.
- For an interstate move, check the USDOT number in FMCSA’s database. For a local move, ask whether your state licenses movers and check there.
- Ask what protection they offer for loss or damage, and read what it pays out. Basic protection is often limited; fuller cover usually costs extra.
- Get everything in writing: dates, the delivery window, what is packed by whom, stairs, long carries and any extra charges.
- Make your own inventory and photograph valuables before they are loaded.
What affects the cost
- Distance and whether the move crosses state lines.
- Volume or weight of what is moving, and how many movers and trucks it takes.
- Packing: doing it yourself versus full packing service and materials.
- Access: stairs, lifts, long carries from the truck, parking permits.
- Specialist items such as pianos, safes and gun cabinets.
- Date and season — weekends, month ends and summer are busiest.
- Storage between move-out and move-in, and the level of damage protection.
Moving & Junk Removal cost guide: the factors pros price on →
DIY move or movers, and safety
A rental truck and friends works for a small, local move with no heavy pieces. Movers earn their price on stairs, heavy furniture, long distances and a tight schedule — and when they drop something, it is their claim to handle.
If you move yourself, use a dolly and straps, lift with a partner, and empty drawers before carrying dressers. Heavy furniture and TVs should be anchored again once they are in place in the new home.
Common questions
- What is the difference between a binding and a non-binding estimate?
- A binding estimate fixes the price for the items and services listed. A non-binding one is an estimate, and the final bill follows actual weight and services.
- How do I check an interstate mover?
- Look up its USDOT number in FMCSA’s registered-mover database, linked from Protect Your Move. An interstate mover must be registered.
- Should I pay a large deposit?
- FMCSA lists a demand for cash or a large deposit before the move as a red flag.
- Can a mover give me an estimate over the phone?
- A mover that will not look at your belongings — in person or by video — and quotes blind is on FMCSA’s list of warning signs.
- Are my belongings insured?
- Not automatically in full. Ask what protection the mover provides, what it pays per item or pound, and what fuller cover costs.
- Who regulates local movers?
- Your state, if anyone — rules differ. Ask the mover for any state licence number and check it.
Related services
Sources
Safety and standards advice on this page comes from these publishers. Dates are the ones each page shows.
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Protect Your Move (no date shown; read October 2026)
- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Red Flags (no date shown; read October 2026)