Interstate Moving Company Checklist Before Moving Day

What You Must Verify About an Interstate Moving Company Before You Book

Hiring an interstate moving company is a big deal because once your belongings are on that truck and heading across state lines you are relying on the company to deliver them safely and on time and doing your homework before you book is way less painful than dealing with a moving disaster after the fact. The most critical thing to verify about an interstate moving company is their federal licensing because any company that moves goods across state lines must be registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and have a valid USDOT number and you can look this up online to confirm it is active and check their safety record and complaint history. An interstate moving company should also have adequate insurance coverage including liability coverage for your belongings and workers compensation coverage for their employees because if a mover gets hurt on your property and the company does not have insurance you could be looking at a personal injury lawyer situation. Check whether the interstate moving company is a carrier or a broker because a carrier has its own trucks and employees and handles your move directly while a broker is just a middleman who sells your move to whatever carrier will take it and brokers have less accountability for what happens during the actual move. Read the interstate moving company contract carefully before you sign and make sure everything is in writing including the pickup date the estimated delivery window the total price and what is included because verbal promises mean nothing when there is a dispute later. Ask the interstate moving company about their cancellation policy and whether your deposit is refundable because things change and you do not want to lose a big deposit if your closing date gets pushed back or your plans change. And verify that the interstate moving company has a physical business address and not just a PO box because a company with no real office is harder to track down if something goes wrong.

The Week Before Moving Day Checklist for an Interstate Moving Company Move

The week before moving day with an interstate moving company is when all the preparation comes together and having a checklist keeps you from forgetting important tasks that will make moving day chaotic and stressful. Confirm all the details with your interstate moving company a week before including the pickup date the delivery window and the contact information for the driver and the dispatcher and make sure they have the correct addresses for both the origin and the destination. Finish packing everything that you are not having the interstate moving company pack and label every box clearly with the room it belongs in and whether it contains fragile items so the movers know how to handle it and where to put it in your new home. Set aside a box or suitcase with essentials you will need for the first few days at your new home before the interstate moving company delivers your stuff including clothes toiletries medications chargers important documents and basic kitchen supplies. Take photos of your valuable items and electronics before the interstate moving company packs them so you have documentation of their condition in case something gets damaged and you need to file a claim. Arrange for auto transport service if you are shipping a car rather than driving it yourself and make sure the auto transport service provider has all the pickup and delivery details confirmed. Defrost your refrigerator the day before the interstate moving company arrives and disconnect your washer and dryer so those appliances are ready to go and if you are not comfortable disconnecting appliances yourself hire appliance repair near me or a handyman to do it. And do a final walkthrough of your empty home after the interstate moving company loads the truck to make sure nothing got left behind in cabinets or closets.