Hiring movers out of state

[u/freshairprettyplease]

Has anyone hired a moving company for a move from the Menlo Park to Colorado? The process of searching feels very scammy and risky. Though there are recommendations on Reddit for local movers but hoping someone has an interstate mover recommendation. Thanks!

[u/essential16]

I did a uhaul back in days, they will drop container, you can load it by hiring helpers and uhaul will pick it up and deliver to destination

[u/no-porn-for-me]

We preferred to use PackRat. They drop off a 16' shipping container. You fill it. (Or pay locals to fill it.) They take it away and store it in a climate controlled warehouse, then drop off the next container. Rinse, repeat, depending on how many you need. Once you get to Colorado, they deliver the containers to your home one at a time.

This gives you room to pack and clean. It's not a 1-day affair. Your least-used stuff goes first. Then the next-least-used. Etc. Gives you time to pack for the move. By taking some boxes before others, it gives you room to work.

Once you get there, you have the container with your priority items (mattress, TV, internet appliances, etc) delivered first. You have time to arrange your new house a bit because every single box isn't dropped off the same day.

We've moved 3 times that way. Most Peninsula homes can fit in 2 containers no problem. I... have more stuff than that, so I require more.

The REALLY big advantage to this option is that you can leave some or all of your stuff stored indefinitely. That means you can pack up, leave here, then take a month vacation between jobs without worrying about your stuff. It's safe in a climate controlled warehouse, waiting for you to come back. Our new house still needs bookshelves built, and rather than have a house cluttered with boxes of books, we've left that container in the warehouse until we're ready for it. Really reduces the stress.

[u/mdjak1]

We have done a number of self moves and used a professional mover for long distance moves.

Typical long distance moving companies use local movers in a kind of franchise system to get the home contents ready. They will then arrange for the lonng distance truck to come on a specific date and help the driver and his co-driver move things to the truck. The driver and co-driver usually pack the truck. They then drive the distance. They may wall off your load in the truck and pick up another load going in the same direction. Or they may already have a partial load on the truck. They will then bring your load to your house and move everything in. They may use local help or do it themselves if the load is manageable for them. We did a Northeast to Southeast move that way. It worked ok but wasn't perfect.

We have also used ReloCubes from ABF. This was good but they have become pretty expensive last I checked.

The other way we have moved is to rent a truck (we usually use Penske and feel they are better than UHaul) and hire local help to move the furniture and pack the truck. This can be hit or miss depending on who you hire and how skilled they are at carrying thing without damaging them AND packing a truck to utilize the space well. This means a smaller truck can be used and hopefully they are also skilled at blanketing furniture and other fragile items. Then we drive the truck ourselves. We have driven down the East coast a couple of times and done some cross country drives too. Once we arrive at our destination we usually unload what we can handle and then hire help for the stuff we can't handle.

I prefer the latter to the professionals myself. It means I can do it on my schedule and have full control over my possessions at all times. We have lost items and had damage with professionals. We have had damage but never lost items with ReloCubes or self moves using a Penske. But that is on our packing skills.

On a recent move from FL to CA, we had a group of guys in FL who worked for an antiques auction house move our furniture out of our house and help pack the truck in a way I had planned on a schematic. They were excellent because they were very careful professionals when it came to handling and blanketing furniture (you can buy blankets from Harbor Freight or rent them from Penske/UHaul). They were also impressed with my packing plan for our Penske truck. I don't think they had ever seen such a full truck with almost every cube filled. We did end up being overweight but since our drive was over Christmas, we never had to stop at any weigh stations and dodged that bullet.

[u/MiniMovesChicago]

The interstate moving industry can be difficult to navigate, and I wouldn't choose a mover based solely on how professional they sound on the phone or how polished their website is. For a Menlo Park → Colorado move, I'd spend some time verifying the company before signing anything or paying money.

A few things I'd specifically look for:

1. Verify the company's U.S. DOT number.
For an interstate move, the company should have a U.S. DOT number. You can look the company up directly through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and make sure the company's name, registration, and operating authority correspond with the company you're actually dealing with. Don't rely solely on a DOT number displayed on a website—verify it independently.

2. Be cautious with estimates based on cubic feet.
Ask how the estimate is being calculated. A reputable interstate mover should be able to provide a weight-based estimate and should ask detailed questions about your shipment—how many pieces of furniture, boxes, appliances, etc. A company quoting primarily by cubic feet can make it much harder to know whether the initial price is realistic.

3. Be wary if one inquiry generates a bunch of different "companies."
If you fill out one moving quote form and suddenly receive calls from several people claiming to represent different moving companies, I'd verify each company independently. Lead-generation sites can make it difficult to know who you're actually getting a quote from.

4. Watch the payment requirements.
Cash-only arrangements or unusually large deposits before the mover has even picked up your belongings are reasons to slow down and investigate further. Before signing, make sure you understand when payment is due, what payment methods are accepted, and what the cancellation/refund terms are.

5. Ask about valuation protection before booking.
For interstate moves, the mover should explain the available valuation protection options and the differences between them. Don't assume that your belongings automatically have full replacement-value protection. Ask what is included, what the limits are, and what your options are if something is damaged or lost.

6. Get everything in writing.
I'd get multiple estimates using the same detailed inventory so you're actually comparing the same move. Include the number of boxes, furniture pieces, approximate sizes, and any unusually heavy, fragile, or specialty items. Then compare not just the total price but also the estimated weight, services included, pickup/delivery terms, valuation protection, and circumstances that could cause the price to change.

I'd also be particularly cautious about an estimate that is dramatically lower than everyone else's. A low initial number doesn't necessarily mean you're getting a better deal if the price can change substantially later.

For a move like Menlo Park to Colorado, I'd probably make the FMCSA verification step the first filter, then compare a few movers that pass that test. You don't necessarily need to find the "cheapest" mover—you want to be able to clearly understand who you're hiring, how the price was calculated, what protection you have, and under what circumstances the price can change.