How to start a moving company: licenses, insurance, trucks and first jobs

Step by step

1. Pick your market. Local moves are paid by the hour and need fewer permits; long-distance moves pay more per job but need federal registration and a bigger truck.
2. Form the business. Register an LLC or corporation in your state, get an EIN from the IRS and open a business bank account.
3. Get licensed for in-state moves. Rules vary by state: many states license household goods movers through a state agency, and some require a separate permit and cargo insurance. Check your state transportation or consumer affairs department.
4. Register with FMCSA for interstate moves. Moving goods across state lines requires a USDOT number and household goods operating authority (an MC number), plus a BOC-3 process agent filing. FMCSA charges $300 per operating authority.
5. Buy insurance. Interstate household goods carriers must file proof of liability and cargo insurance with FMCSA before their authority goes active. Add commercial auto, general liability and workers comp as your state requires.
6. Get a truck and equipment. A box truck under 26,001 lbs gross weight can be driven without a commercial driver license (CDL); heavier trucks need a CDL driver. Add dollies, pads, straps, shrink wrap and a tool kit.
7. Set your prices. Local moves are usually priced per hour for a crew and truck; interstate moves are priced by weight and distance under a written estimate.
8. Find your first customers. See the marketing section below.

Sources: FMCSA: registration and operating authority · FMCSA: Protect Your Move (rules for household goods movers)

Rules interstate movers must follow

• Give customers a written estimate, either binding or non-binding. On a non-binding estimate you can collect at most 110% of the estimate at delivery.
• Give customers the FMCSA booklet "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move".
• Offer an arbitration program for disputes about loss or damage.
• Show your USDOT number on your website, ads and trucks.

Binding vs non-binding moving estimates →

What it costs to start

Costs depend mostly on whether you buy or lease a truck and which licenses you need. Budget for each of these before your first job:

• Business registration and state licensing fees
• FMCSA operating authority ($300) if you move across state lines
• Insurance premiums, often the largest yearly cost after the truck
• Truck purchase, lease or rental, plus fuel and maintenance
• Equipment: dollies, pads, straps, wrap
• Marketing: website, Google Business Profile, and paid leads or ads

How to get your first moving jobs

1. Create a Google Business Profile and ask every early customer for a review. Most local moving searches show the map first.
2. Build a simple website with your services, the cities you serve, a quote form and your USDOT number..
3. Ask local realtors and apartment managers for referrals; they know who is moving weeks ahead..
4. Buy leads to fill the calendar while reviews and referrals grow. Start small, call every lead within minutes, and track cost per booked job.

• Moving company marketing: what works
• How to get moving leads
• Buy moving leads from $10, no contract

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