Often, what people dread most about hiring professional movers are labor rates and crew coordination, especially for interstate and long-distance moves. If you want to create the most seamless relocation experience, however, you need to invest an equal amount of energy and research into finding out as much as possible about your shortlist of prospective moving companies.
It may seem like an unpleasant interaction, trying to drill down various moving coordinators into acknowledging the shortcomings of their business, but it’s important work that will have far-reaching implications for the success or failure of your move. To give you a better idea of the best questions to ask the crew coordinators you’ll encounter during your hiring process, here are five inquiries that can help you shape those discussions so they’re as informative as possible.
1. “Do You Have a USDOT Number from the FMCSA?”
Ah, acronyms! It’s how we say, without saying, “Yeah, I know what I’m talking about,” and since that’s the case, this question is a good starting point with your mover candidates. Leading off with a logistical question like this, as opposed to an inquiry about their box pricing, will let project coordinators know that they’ll need specific information to secure your business. It’s also an important fact to confirm, since no company can operate commercial vehicles to transport passengers or cargo across state lines without a US Department of Transportation (USDOT) number from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
This credential means that your prospective mover(s) have met various insurance and safety audit requirements, which is a plus when you hire someone to haul family heirlooms cross-country. At the same time, there may be reputable, trustworthy movers that don’t have—or need—the USDOT number, if they only provide intrastate services. For example, if a moving company based in New York State only provides relocation services to those moving to Upstate New York, they might not have this credential, so make sure to account for your prospective movers’ service offerings and radius before asking this question.
2. “Do You Have Any Unresolved Claims or Complaints?”
Another good, but potential uncomfortable question. One may to mitigate any awkwardness, though, is to not expect insanely granular detail with the response. A conscientious, professional moving company should be forthright with their answer, possibly even providing a written log of past incidents and their resolution status, but what you should really be looking for is evasiveness, or an intentional lack of insight. Reviews and reputation management are crucial aspects of any business, especially in the online age, so at the very least, your residential or office moving company should direct you to their customer feedback page.
3. “What is Your Estimate Process?”
Many moving companies will offer a complimentary consultation and estimate just for contacting them, but it’s important to remember that not all project estimates are assessed in the same way. Some movers may provide estimates based on weight, distance, hourly rate, or a combination of the three. It’s key to know exactly how your invoice will be generated, because you can whittle your shortlist down to candidates with pricing structures that are conducive to your moving plan. For instance, if you need to haul relatively smaller cargo across several states, it would be best to hire movers that place more emphasis on shipment weight when generating their service estimates.
4. “Do You Have Additional Fees for Hauling Specialty Items?”
“Specialty items” is a large category that can encompass anything from oversized furniture to awkwardly shaped fixtures to unwieldy items that simply cannot be transported using a hand truck. Chances are, even though you may not think of them as such, you have quite a bit of specialty items in your home or commercial space—unless you have a symmetry obsession. It’s not just the size of your items you should consider, though; you should also ask about any fueling surcharges or warehousing fees you may incur by transporting or storing any large or unconventional keepsakes.
5. “Do You Use Subcontractors?”
This is a commonly recommended question, but too often, an affirmative answer is viewed as a proverbial kiss of death. The reason is that, if your target movers sub-contract, it’s difficult to guarantee if the people that will actually move your belongings will adhere to the same professional standards that the parent company does. Fortunately, this is a knowable, quantifiable thing—thanks to the unblinking eye of the internet.
Look for reviews of the would-be subcontractors, ask friends, family, or neighbors who may have hired them in the past, or reach out to the subcontractor directly and run them through this same line of questioning. If they don’t check out, they don’t check out; the important thing to remember is that “subcontractor” doesn’t always mean diminished service quality. Sometimes, it’s just a few well-intentioned movers with a couple hauling vehicles. Regardless, always ensure that you know what you’re getting.
Let Your Moving Needs Guide Your Questioning
These five questions shouldn’t be viewed as an exhaustive list, but they can set the tone during a mover interview, namely by establishing that you are looking for substantial responses—not empty platitudes and promises. To really get the most out of your mover interviews, take some time before you start making calls to fully assess your relocation needs. Consider distance, passenger count, cargo weight and type—just as any project coordinator worth their salt would. Once you have a solid idea of your move’s scope and complexity, ask movers pointed questions about whether they have the specific vehicles, supplies, and services you need.
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