Want to start a Moving company? How hard is it to get going?

@mover man

 

That is how I started. Purchased a used 26' box truck with a liftgate. went to New Haven and got my blankets and equipment.
Then you either pick up the phone and start calling people or make a visit to their store to tell them about your services.

I went the liftgate route as most of our stops are done at warehouses with loading docks, and can't imagine trying to roll a fire file or copy machine up or down a ramp.

 

I did furniture delivery in California with a regional furniture company out there, we used 20' trucks for tighter streets, but most of the deliveries were done on 26' trucks. Lift gates are the best way to go because they don't use up as much street room, nor do you have to fight gravity with a ramp. We also used both the two and four wheeled dollies, depending on the situation.

 

Do you have your CDL yet?

 

We do not pull trailers behind our box trucks. If it’s more than a one truckload, then we use two trucks. If it’s more than two trucks then will use the semi.

 

Ok well there is a lot to learn about being a mover. If it's not done right you could loose your butt in claims for damage. The best this to do would be to start out and a moving company where you live and see if they will teach you how to pad inventory load etc. being a mover is not the same kind of trucking as in general freight. It is very physical. You go to a house and pick up 7000# of furniture, your lifting that furniture.

There is so much to learn and I'm not going to get into all of it here but like I said best get with a local moving company and learn.

 

We did not pull trailers, if we had an overload it would go on another truck or be rescheduled. I do recommend getting some experience from other people in the business, jumping on a truck as someone's helper is how I learned.

Again its hard work, but a good 90% of my customers were great people who were excited to have their deliveries, the tips were pretty decent as well.

You could look on craigslist in your area to see if anyone is hiring a helper and see if going into this line of work would be right for you.