If you’re moving locally you can probably rely just on your family and friends’ help. But the further you move the more you’re going to need help from a moving company. And not just any moving company. You’ll have to find reliable long distance moving companies. Then you’ll have to choose the one that suits you the most. Hopefully, we’ll make it easier for you to choose with these hacks.
Ask for recommendations for reliable long distance moving companies
The first place where you should look for reliable long distance moving companies is in your group of:
- friends
- family
- colleagues.
There must be someone who has recently moved. They have been through what you’re going through right now. So they can give you helpful advice and recommendations.
Ask only the people you trust will give you their honest opinion. But keep in mind that the moving company they like doesn’t have to be the right one for you. You can have different standards and expectations. So you’ll have to evaluate long distance movers for yourself. And that’s perfectly fine. Thank them for their recommendation and go search for movers that tick all your boxes.
Look for recommendations for reliable long distance movers
The Internet is another place where you can look for reliable movers that offer long distance moving. The Internet is a place where you can find a solution to almost any problem. So it’s worth it to look for suggestions there. You can start by searching for the reliable long distance moving companies on Google. Choose the ones you can see yourself hiring and then it’s time to investigate them.
The importance of the USDOT number
If you’ve never heard of the USDOT number before, here’s a quick explanation of what it actually is. The USDOT number is a unique number that serves to identify a certain company. It is used during, for example, crash investigations or inspections. The government, to be exact Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, issues it. Companies that must have the USDOT number are the companies that operate vehicles that transport passengers or cargo between states.
All the reliable long distance moving companies will surely have the USDOT number. And they’ll have it placed somewhere where it can be seen. For example, on their website, and in their advertisements. Never hire a moving company that offers long distance move if it doesn’t have the USDOT number because it isn’t reliable.
Where you can find the USDOT number
So you can look at the USDOT number as proof that a company is legal. The USDOT number is also a sign that the companies comply with the federal regulations about safety and reliability. So to find reliable long distance moving companies you should absolutely check if a company has the USDOT number. You can do that if you go on the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration website. There you can type in the name of the company you’re interested in and see if it has the USDOT number. And you can even find additional information about the company.
Better Business Bureau comes to your aid
Although not related to the government, the Better Business Bureau is a trustworthy nonprofit organization where you can find long distance movers. Most of the reliable long distance moving companies will also be accredited by the Better Business Bureau. If a company has this accreditation that means that it has met and maintained The Better Business Bureau’s standards of trust.
There are eight standards of trust: build trust, honest advertisements, transparency, responsiveness, truth, protection of consumers’ data, honor promises and embody integrity. If a moving company has met all of these standards it’ll be accredited. And on the Better Business Bureau’s website, you can see what grade it has. They use a grading system that is used in schools so it’ll be easy for you to use it.
The Better Business Bureau’s website is also a place where you can find reviews of reliable long distance moving companies. But these reviews are a little different than usual ones. They are actually filed complaints. And a great thing about them is that you can also read the company’s response there. That way you can see how the complaint has been dealt with.
More reviews
After you’ve investigated if all the companies have required accreditation, it’s high time you narrow down your choices. You can do this by reading people’s reviews on numerous websites. They can help you find the perfect moving company if you know what qualities of good movers to look for. We recommend that you search for reviews on the websites that are specialized for the moving market. They make a better choice than general websites like Yelp. That’s because just about anyone can go online and leave their review on Yelp. Whereas, on these specialized websites they have to verify their identity.
This difference between websites is very important. It makes it difficult for people to leave false reviews. You may wonder why someone would leave a false review of a moving company. But it’s actually quite common that moving companies hire people to write false reviews. They either write good reviews of the company that hired them, or they write bad reviews of other movers. This makes it more difficult for you to find reliable long distance moving companies. So be careful and don’t trust everything you read online.
Finish your search with on-site estimates
The final step in finding the perfect movers for you is to ask at least five movers to give you an on-site estimate. Every reliable moving company will give you one. Make sure that you show them everything you want to take with you. And that’s the perfect time to talk to them about all the additional fees and services they offer. Let them know if you want any of them so that you get the most accurate price possible.
And finally, it’s time to compare moving companies. When you’re comparing all the quotes you’ve received don’t just compare the final price. Read every quote carefully and look for the hidden fees. The cheapest movers may not be the cheapest actually. Maybe they didn’t count in some extra services that you’ll need. So pay attention to everything if you want to choose the best movers from all the reliable long distance moving companies you’ve found.
