Tag Archives: cross country movers

Cross Country Movers Near Me

Are you looking for cross country movers near me? You will find there are some major considerations to make while choosing a mover to move you a long distance. The most important is the fact that some cross country movers sell, barter, trade etc. your long distance move.  You need to be diligent in finding cross country movers that will keep your items on their own trucks, using their own crews and The last thing you need is your packed boxes to be handled by multiple moving crews. These actions increase the chances for damage and loss. It is suggested to ask any movers you are considering the following questions:

  1. Do you used full time labor for moves cross country and are they your employees?
  2. Do you sell, trade, barter or give another company the move?
  3. Are you part of a franchise which any of the franchisees may be doing any part of the move?

Reputable cross country movers do not mix shipments in their trucks unless you have a smaller shipment and receive a discounted rate.  In that case, make sure you label all boxes with name, address, move number, and phone number in order to keep your stuff from getting lost and your cross country movers can quickly identify your items.

Another consideration you should make is if your long distance movers are going to disassemble/assemble and prepare all of your furniture for shipping.  They should pad metal and wooden items and shrink wrap all upholstered items.  Your mattresses should be shrink wrapped while in transit as well.  If you are choosing long distance movers near me to move you – assure all of this will be completed by your movers.

How to Find the Best Cross Country Moving Companies

How to Find the Best Cross Country Moving Companies

Whether you’re moving across the country for a new job opportunity or you’re moving back to your parents house, there are many factors to consider when choosing a  cross country moving company —and finding the best moving companies cross country can be a challenge.  Mover-Help.com is chock full of  research, verified user reviews, and over 100 years of moving company industry knowledge help make your choice easy.

If you’re looking to find the best interstate mover near you, check out our Movers Near Me tool.

Cross Country Movers
Cross Country Movers

What determines the best moving companies for cross country moves?

Types of Cross Country Moving Services Offered

There are many different types of cross country moving services – your cross country mover should offer all of these in the case of an emergency:

  • Overnight, Short Term and Long Term Storage – you never know when a closing issue can occur
  • Packing Services – so you don’t feel out of control or pressured to get all of the packing done
  • Full Replacement Coverage – your homeowner’s insurance may cover moving but your cross country moving company should also offer this
  • Guaranteed Pick-Up AND Delivery Dates

Quality customer service

Excellent customer service is a must in a top-tier moving company. It affects your experience during your moving estimate, on moving day, and every time you need to get on the phone to ask your mover a question.

Customer service is the most important thing to consider when moving cross country so we place a lot of weight on quality and ease of getting a long distance moving company estimate – you can find a moving calculator and get a free moving estimate here:

Long Distance Movers
Long Distance Movers

PROS

  • Over-the-phone moving estimates
  • Transparent pricing and price-matching program
  • Wide variety of moving kits, boxes, and supplies
  • Excellent customer service

Our #1 Pick for Cross Country Movers

Monster Moving and Storage earned the top spot for a few different reasons.

long distance moving companies
long distance moving companies

Reason #1: We like the approach it takes to moving estimates

Unlike many of the other interstate moving companies on our list, Monster Movers conducts its moving estimates over the phone and with a

We preferred the over-the-phone estimate over the in-home estimate that many other long distance movers in the industry offer because it puts your comfort and convenience first.

When you schedule an in-home estimate, you generally have to take time off work and make sure the house is somewhat presentable when the relocation consultant comes to conduct the estimate. During an over-the-phone estimate, you can go through each step in the process whether you’re sitting at your desk at work or you’re sitting in your house, surrounded by the clutter and empty takeout boxes that make it feel like home.

Monster Moving and Storage also claims that conducting over-the-phone moving estimates saves you money in the long run. Since it doesn’t have to pay someone to drive out to your home and conduct an in-home estimate, it can pass those savings along to you.

Reason #2: We like its transparent pricing

We aren’t focusing on price too much for our interstate moving company comparison since it varies so much from one moving scenario to the next, but Monster Movers pricing presentation deserves mentioning.

Of all of the moving companies we reviewed, Monster Movers had the most transparent pricing structure. Our relocation specialist emailed us our quote and explained each item while we were still on the phone during our over-the-phone estimate.

We enjoyed how this gave us an immediate opportunity to understand what we’d be signing up for and allowed us to ask questions about pricing.

The Monster Movers representative we worked with even encouraged us multiple times throughout our over-the-phone estimate to call other movers to see if we could get a better estimate.

Of all of the moving companies we reviewed, Monster Movers had the most transparent pricing structure.

interstate moving companies
interstate moving companies

Reason #3: We love its excellent customer service

Monster Movers was by far the most responsive customer service experience we had while going through the moving estimate.

We reached out to Monster Movers by phone and through online chat through google to ask questions and follow up on our estimate, and its representatives were quick to respond through both channels in just a few minutes. Not only were they quick to respond, they were incredibly thoughtful and thorough in their responses too.

Our Monster Movers representative also called to follow up with our estimate a few times to make sure all of our questions were answered and to ask if there was anything she could do to help us make our decision. Normally, this would feel like a badgering sales call, but our representative was kind and helpful, and they came across as having our best interest at heart.

Long Distance Moving Service Offerings

  • Long-distance moving
  • Business and commercial moving
  • Corporate relocation
  • Over-the-phone estimates
  • Moving kits, boxes, and supplies
  • Packing and unpacking
  • Furniture disassembly and reassembly
  • Loading and unloading
  • Custom crating
  • Piano transport
  • Auto transport
  • Basic liability coverage
  • Full-valuation coverage
  • Temporary storage and storage in transit
  • Assistance setting up home services and utilities

Monster Movers is a full-service moving company that maintains one of the largest moving networks in the world. Not only does it partner with plenty of agents (local moving companies) to meet your needs, it provides stellar service, too.

In-home moving estimates are a pretty similar experience from one moving company to another. Thirty minutes before the estimate even began, Monster Movers relocation assistant gave us a call to confirm we’d still be available to meet with them and to see if we’d like any questions answered before our appointment. We liked this opportunity to ask any last-minute questions and we appreciated knowing about how long after the phone call we could expect them to arrive.

Once the in-home estimate was underway, it was evident that Monster Movers relocation assistant had our best interest at heart—achieving a comfortable, affordable move.

We never felt like we were being sold anything during the process, which was a welcome experience. In fact, our relocation specialist even advocated for not using certain services because he didn’t believe they were worth the money for our move.

interstate movers
interstate movers

Reason #4: It has responsive customer service representatives

If we didn’t make it clear enough in reason number one, we’ll make it clear here—we were very impressed with  Monster Movers’ customer service during each and every one of our interactions.

The in-home estimate was just the tip of the iceberg. Each time we reached out to Monster Movers’s representatives to ask questions about our move, they responded quickly and thoroughly. It didn’t matter if we were giving them a phone call or sending them an email, each response was prompt and they didn’t make us feel like we were burdening them with our requests.

If customer service is important to you, you likely won’t go wrong with scheduling your move with Monster Movers.

Reason#5: Service Offerings

  • Local, national, and international moving services
  • Corporate relocation
  • Full-service packaging
  • Fragile-only packing
  • Unpacking and debris removal
  • Moving boxes and supplies
  • Loading and unloading
  • Furniture disassembly and reassembly
  • Appliance disconnection and reconnection, including hot tubs and pools
  • Custom crafting
  • Auto and boat transportation
  • Storage-in-transit and permanent storage options
  • Basic liability coverage
  • Full-valuation coverage

Reason #5: It has great customer service

Monster Movers has a wealth of online resources on its website to help out in each stage of the moving process. They offer packing tips, handy moving checklists, and is the only cross country moving company to offer an instant cross country moving estimate all completely done online from the comfort of your own home.

We believe a mover’s online resources should be a quick reference for the information you need without bogging you down and distracting you from all the other important tasks of moving.

Service offerings

  • Local, national, and international moving services
  • Corporate relocation
  • Full-service packing
  • Fragile-only packing
  • Moving boxes and supplies
  • Appliance disconnection and reconnection
  • Furniture disassembly and reassembly
  • Custom crating
  • Loading and unloading
  • Crane vans for large items
  • Storage
  • Satellite tracking
  • Auto transport
  • Basic liability coverage
  • Full-valuation coverage
  • Online checklists and moving tips

Things to consider when choosing your interstate mover

Free vs. paid moving services

When you’re researching full-service long distance movers, you’ll notice that some services are included in the cost of your move while others cost extra. Some of the included services you should expect to see from a good interstate moving company include the following:

  • Loading and unloading the truck
  • Furniture assembly and disassembly
  • Basic liability insurance
  • Shipment tracking

Paid services will vary from mover to mover, both in cost and the type of service offered, but these are the most common paid services you’ll come across:

  • Packing and unpacking your belongings
  • Boxes and moving supplies
  • Appliance disconnection and connection
  • Customer crate assembly
  • Storage
  • Auto and vehicle transport
  • Full valuation insurance coverage

Many interstate moving companies offer additional services as well. If there’s something you feel would make your move easier—like cleaning debris from your old house or setting up utilities in your new one—be sure to choose a mover that can take care of your specific needs.

best long distance movers
best long distance movers

Is hiring a professional mover worth the cost for your long-distance move?

Everyone’s situation is different, but for a long-distance move, you likely won’t regret hiring a professional moving company. 

Renting a truck and doing everything yourself seems like a good idea on the surface. Advertised truck rental costs are fairly low, and a lot of people feel like their belongings are in good hands when they’re behind the wheel.

The fact is, DIY moving costs add up and a lot can happen in the back of that truck if things aren’t packed properly.

Here are a few things to consider when doing the math and deciding between a professional or DIY move.

  • Time: Your time isn’t free, you know.
  • Materials: Buying boxes and packing materials yourself can add up.
  • Gas: Big moving trucks aren’t the most fuel-efficient vehicles on the road.
  • Food: Purchasing meals on the journey between your old and new homes gets expensive, especially if you don’t plan on surviving off of gas station food.
  • Lodging: If you’re moving a long distance, you’ll likely have to break your trip up over multiple days and find a hotel or two along the way.
  • Insurance: Carefully loading your belongings onto the truck will only get you so far. If your things aren’t packed properly, some may break during the trip. You’ll want to buy moving insurance to make sure you’re covered in the event of a loss.

After you add up the extra costs associated with a DIY move, going with a professional moving company ends up costing about the same (and sometimes less) than a DIY move, andyou save yourself the trouble of loading and driving the truck. Your pocketbook and your back will thank you.

Check that they are properly licensed and insured

Before a cross country move, I highly suggest checking to see if the professional moving company is properly licensed and insured. Otherwise, you could end up engrossed in the drama that accompanies moving scams. Thankfully, this is easy to avoid.

Check to see that the moving company offers proper insurance is also important. After all, moving mishaps do happen – even with the best of movers. So it’s important that you’re prepared. Licensed interstate movers are required to offer two types of liability options: Full Value Protection and Released Value.

  • Full Value Protection: “your mover is liable for the replacement value of lost or damaged goods in your entire shipment…This is the more comprehensive plan available for the protection of your belongings.” The cost of Full Value Protection varies by mover.
  • Released Value Protection: The most economical protection available is Released Value, since it is offered at no additional charge. However, the protection is minimal. Under this option, the mover assumes liability for no more than 60 cents per pound per article.

Of course, if you select a long distance moving company from the vast network of cross country movers, you won’t have to bother asking this question. Every professional long distance movers that Moving.com works with is required to be licensed and insured.

Read reviews

In addition to checking the moving company’s complaint history on the U.S. DOT’s database, I recommend researching and reading as many reviews as possible. Check the moving company’s online reviews and ratings on their website as well as on various review sites. I highly recommend looking at moving reviews through customer lobby – the reviews are guaranteed by bill of lading.

Ask friends and neighbors

Of course, word-of-mouth is still a great way to discover quality movers in your area. So don’t hesitate to reach out to friends and neighbors for recommendations and suggestions. Most people are happy to share their good experiences – and even happier to tell stories about their bad ones. If you don’t know many people in the neighborhood, try Nextdoor.com – a social network for your neighborhood community. Remember: it doesn’t hurt to ask! While a mover may look good on paper, someone’s personal experience could prove otherwise.

Be honest with your inventory

Before hiring a cross country moving company, make sure they perform either an in-person inspection or a video survey of your belongings before giving you a quote for the cross-country move. You’ll know the moving company isn’t legitimate if they offer to give you a quote over the phone or internet (read: red flag!), based on your own account of the inventory. The company should survey your things themselves to give you as accurate a quote a possible. Once the inspection is complete, the mover’s estimate should be sent to you in writing and include all possible costs.

Keep in mind that an interstate move means the majority of the cost will be based on the weight of your belongings. So the less stuff you have to move, the cheaper. With this in mind, make sure the mover knows exactly what is coming with you. If you plan to leave large furniture behind, such as a bed or couch, inform the mover during the inspection.

Make sure you are hiring a moving company and not a broker or sub-contractor

Before hiring a interstate moving company for an interstate move, make sure to ask whether the moving company will be picking up, transporting and delivering all of the belongings themselves – or subcontracting part of the move out to a different party. Many professional cross country moving companies use moving subcontractors. These subcontractors are not employees of the moving company, and therefore may not be subject to the same standards as the moving company you originally hired. If you’re comfortable with subcontractors handling part of your move then be sure to ask whether they are insured. If you’re uncomfortable with another party handling part of your move, I suggest finding a moving company that does not subcontract.

How to Find Professional Cross Country Movers

How professional did the cross country moving company seem? Do they have a good reputation? Do they have a brick-and-mortar office and a professional moving truck? Do they have business cards and a professional website? Did the mover arrive in a timely fashion and answer all questions before, during and after the inspection? Did they provide you with an official Bill of Lading? Did something just feel off? Ask yourself these types of questions before hiring a moving company.

Also, be sure to quiz the mover about his or her experiences with your particular kind of move. For instance, if you’re moving to a high-rise apartment building, a townhome with lots of steps, a house with a small doorway or a busy street, you should inquire whether the moving company has experience with the type of move. An experienced mover will be well-prepared to handle a move with steep stairs, elevators, parking limitations and more.

Review your estimate

I recommend choosing the moving company that gives you an estimate you’re comfortable with, and provides information about any and all additional charges. Remember: you don’t want any unwelcome surprises at the end of your stressful and exhausting move.

The most common type of interstate moving estimate is the “non-binding estimate.” This estimate is the mover’s estimated cost based on the overall weight of your things combined with labor costs (i.e. loading, unloading, packing, etc). However, these estimates are “non-binding,” which means the final charge will be based on the actual weight of your belongings and any extra add-ons you require that are not listed in the estimate. When choosing a moving company, I suggest obtaining a non-binding not-to-exceed estimate. This ensures that the customer won’t have to pay more than the original estimate.

Cross Country Moving – How to Move Cross Country

How to Move Cross Country

Moving Cross Country is time-consuming, full of surprises, and overall a pain in the butt.  Here’s a quick video outlining the steps for moving cross country:
 As you can see hiring a reputable moving company is numero uno on the list of importance when moving cross country.  Here are some things to look for and a little bit about the best cross country movers we know!
About the Best Cross Country Movers we know – Monster Movers:
Monster Movers is a long distance moving company that consists of a team of professional movers who are experts in storage, relocation, packing, and specialty shipping. Since 1999, we have been in the business of offering exceptionally prompt and painless moving services around 48 states.T his makes us stand out as the best moving company in the US. We are aware that customers will be glad if they can experience this kind of service, hence, we moved to bring their desires to fulfillment. Since we have made Customer Satisfaction our foremost priority, we always ensure to put smiles on the faces of our clients and customers by providing superior customer service support. We have upheld this principle since inception.

OUR CORE VALUES INCLUDE:

INTEGRITY
To deliver all orders as promised; conducting ourselves with equality and honesty.
GOODWILL
To be open-armed to everyone from various backgrounds in the community and workplace.
COMPASSION
To be full of empathy for clients, co-staff, and community.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
To offer loyal services to all our customers while also responding to all complaints and enquires with attention and accuracy.
Our mission at Monster Movers is to continually surpass customers’ expectations in the standard of satisfaction and value on investment. We maintain guaranteed prices on all orders placed on our out-of-state moving services. Cross country moving costs are affordable because we focus on client progress. Our long distance moving services include packing of all furniture items, kitchenware, mirrors, lamps, pictures, electronics, etc. You can be sure that your belongings are safe with us!

Our professional long distance movers are also skilled at utilizing moving boxes for packaging your valuables; making sure that all items are prepared for out of state move. On pick-up day, a bar-coded inventory list of all items is made, and we will provide you with a copy. We are professional movers and are simply amazing at what we do. We provide all types of long distance moves from and to anywhere within the United States.Going new places can’t come any easier with our astute expertise in storage, moving, relocation, packing, and logistics services. Our long distance moving company is dedicated to unparalleled problem-solving.

Look no further and give us a call today!
Competetive
Cross Country Moving Company offers competitive rates for every long distance move. Many moving companies offer “low rates” laden with hidden fees and charges. We do not play that game. We provide a guaranteed rate for every long distance move. We also provide free, no-obligation consultations, so you will know exactly how much your move will cost before you even hire Cross Country Moving Company.
Efficient
At Cross Country Moving Company, we hold our services to the highest of standards and we strive to provide the customer with the safest and most efficient moving solution in the country. We take the safety of your valuables very seriously and that’s why we utilize only the finest moving equipment available. Our fleet of modern moving trucks undergoes regular diagnostic checks to ensure that no harm will come to your possessions during transportation. A fleet of modern trucks means that we can also move more often at reduced costs to our customers.
Professional
We also only hire the best movers. Everyone that works for Cross Country Moving Company is a trained, dedicated professional with years of moving industry experience. Our movers go through one of the most rigorous training programs in the long distance moving industry. We also carefully select and train our drivers and packing staff to ensure that our customer gets only the very best service. Cross Country Moving Company stands for professionalism. Each and every one of our employees is expected to uphold our ethic of superior customer service. We believe that you should be able to trust Cross Country Moving Company to treat your belongings with the same level of respect and care as we would our own. In our opinion, there is nothing more important than providing the customer with absolute best service.
Trusted
Our customers trust us to safely transport their most valuable possessions because of our reputation for unbeatable service and outstanding professionalism. When it comes right down to it our job is about making your moving day as stress-free and enjoyable as possible. Hundreds of extremely satisfied customers have discovered how easy moving can be when you have Cross Country Moving Company on your side. We have remained the most trusted name in long-distance moves and our customers continue to provide us with overwhelmingly positive reviews. When you are in need of a moving service you can trust look no further than Cross Country Moving Company.

What is the most cost effective way to move cross country?

What is the Most Effective Way to Move Cross Country

There are a few options when moving cross country – you could move yourself, use a van line or a private residential mover.  Depending on the time of year you are moving, where you are moving to and from and how much flexibility you have will also be key factors in finding the most cost effective way for you to move cross country.

Cross Country Movers
Cross Country Movers

  1. Moving Yourself – Overall, the thought of doing a cross country move alone is terrifying personally.  However, I realize there are some brave souls out there ( and hopefully those that don’t have a ton of heavy furniture) that are thinking about renting a truck themselves.  An average truck rental from New York to Texas is right around $3,000 ( including insurance, taxes, fees) during mid-season.  Here are other costs you will incur during any cross country move.  These figures are for a move of 2,000 miles in a 20 foot truck with 5,000 lbs -longer moves are more expensive:

One-Way Rental Truck: $3000 – The prices online do not have insurance added on ( approximately $100/day) or taxes

Gas: $700

Hotels and Food: $600

Tolls ( much more expensive than a personal vehicle): $250

Labor: If you are hiring labor to help unload your truck – expect to pay $800-$1600 for the load plus the unload.

A few hints for moving yourself:

  1.  Always opt for the full insurance on a rental truck.  Rental truck operations are notorious for charging extreme rates due to any damage.
  2. Watch for low bridges on the way to your new residence – Boston, NYC, and even the back roads of Florida are full of low bridges.  Stay off the Merritt Parkway in CT – half the time I am driving on that road I see a rental truck that attempted this low bridge road causing traffic.
  3. If you are staying in a hotel ask if they have truck parking – some hotels will not let your truck park there overnight.
  4. Rental trucks get pulled over just for being rental trucks.  The DOT pulls them over all the time.  Make sure your rental location has put the registration in the truck for you.   If you have loaded your truck overweight – the DOT will shut you down and you will have to hire another mover/friend to get the weight legal.  Expect heavy fines if this happens to you.
  5. Rental truck operations are not responsible for anything if  your truck breaks down.  FYI – if the truck looks old and scary I would ask for a newer one especially if you are moving cross country.
  6. Rental truck agencies do not have any repercusions if your rental truck is unavailable on your moving day – I suggest leaving a few flex moving days just in case.

 

2. Hiring a Van Line – A van line will be the most cost effective option for moving cross country for those who have a small amount of items and are very flexible.  Van lines are a network of moving companies that book moves and trade and/or sell to others in their network.  15 years ago, moving companies across the country were begging to be a part of a van line – much like drivers for uber used to do.  Motivated by avarice, most van lines lost the exceptional moving companies in their networks.  Many went bankrupt and some still exist with lower standards.  An agent for a van line will be hired ( less 30% or more ) to pick up your items and bring them to a storage facility.  Eventually your shipment will make it cross country where another agent will deliver it.  Here are the approximate fees a move of 2,000 miles in a 20 foot truck with 5,000 lbs:

Line Haul 5,000 lbs x .80/lb = $4,000

Labor $500

Fuel Surcharge – $400

You may have to pay for hotels/food while waiting for your shipment

Additional fees van lines can charge:

Taxes, Tolls, Shuttle Fee, Elevator Fee, Stair Fee, Long Haul, Packing ( if your boxes are not up to par)

 

3. Using Private Cross Country Movers –  Using professional residential cross country movers is definitely the most stress-free option  for moving cross country – but is it the most cost effective.  Private cross country movers should have your shipment to its destination in 5 days or less if you are moving 2,000 miles.  The absolute convenience of rapid shipping and displacement of liability is priceless – nonetheless – here are the fees for using a private cross country mover:

Line Haul: 5,000 lbs x .80/lb = $4,000

Labor: $800

Most private cross country movers will not charge the following fees but they may try:

Fuel surcharge, mileage fee, taxes, tolls, shuttle fee, long haul, stairs, elevator

Moving Cross Country
Moving Cross Country

Overall, moving cross country is not cheap – either way you will have to pay thousands of dollars to relocate. Monster Movers are private cross country movers that have transparent, affordable pricing for any cross country move.