As most of us know, all local movers are not created equal. Depending on the mentality of the owner or management team, the company as a whole may be accustomed to cutting corners whenever and wherever possible. On the contrary, they may be trained to go the extra mile regardless of the situation. The devil is in the details as they say. Some local movers are able charge their customers significantly less due to inadequate insurance coverage or nonexistent employees or trucks.

Questions you may want to ask while assembling your team of moving professionals:

• Do you have liability insurance? If they are not properly insured from the state and federal government’s standpoint, then they are not legally authorized to perform services for you.

• Do you have workers compensation insurance? Some smaller companies may try to save on costs by not properly taking care of their employees if they are injured on the job.

• Do you have your own vehicles (instead of renting them daily)? You want to make sure they have their own vehicles to check the stability of the business. A company that doesn’t own or lease its own vehicles is not very stable. It is also likely they do not have the proper insurances or well trained staff to handle your relocation or any damages or issues that may arise.

• Do you hire day labor or are your movers actually employees? Some companies hire unskilled day labor on as-needed basis from staffing agencies versus having a staff of trained, background-checked employees on payroll in order to mitigate employer payroll taxes, unemployment claims, and even workers compensation claims.

Local movers who are not adequately insured, that rent trucks to move your belongings, or hire day laborers to complete your relocation are able to charge significantly less for their moving services than a properly licensed, insured, and established moving company.  On the other hand, there are places you can look to find a decent, reputable mover. Check out our other post with more tips on how to find trustworthy local movers for your next relocation.

An educated client base is the first step to cleaning up the moving industry. As long as consumers are willing to hire companies that operate illegally, there will be no incentive for people to do the right thing and take care of everyone involved in the process – from the customer, to the mover, and the owner of the company.

Feel free to call Great Day Moving anytime and we will be glad to honestly answer any questions or concerns you may have about an upcoming relocation!