3 Best Local Moving Companies of 2023

Many people assume that because of its local nature, local moves aren’t much of a hassle. While it is certainly true that local moves are easier on you than interstate or cross country moves, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a breezy process. You still have to ensure you get everything packed up safely and in time, transfer your utilities, change your address… the list is unending.

Most importantly, keep in mind that it is still easy to get scammed by rogue moving companies with a local move. You need the best local movers you can find, who are reliable and trustworthy. Read through our list of the best local movers to widen your pool of options.

Top 3 Nearby Local Movers You Can Hire

Moving Company	Two Men and a Truck	U-Haul	Wheaton World Wide Moving
Logo
DoT Number	Varies by Franchise	Varies by Location	70719
MC Number	Varies by Franchise	Varies by Location	87113
Pros	Hourly Costs Wide Range of Services	Available in all 50 States Wide Range of Options	Detailed Instant Ballpark Estimate Charity Involvements
Cons	No Price Estimates whatsoever on Website	Tricky with Quotes Deposit for Cash Payments on In-Town Rentals	Experience may Vary Depending on Agents
Phone	877-720-0411	800-468-4285	800-248-7962

1. Two Men and a Truck

What started off as an after-school business by two brothers in the 1980s is now a franchise with over 350 locations worldwide. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK is the largest franchised local moving company in the country, with over 2,800 trucks in their fleet. It offers services for local and long distance moves, along with packing, loading and unloading, storage, junk removal, delivery, and furniture rearrangement services. Each franchise has its own DOT license and MC number which you can find on the DOT website. Their website states that they have a 96% referral rate; with the services they offer and a referral rate like that, they take a slot on our list of the best local movers.

Reasons To Choose Two Men And A Truck:

Local Roots: When Two Men started out, they began as local movers. Brothers Brig and Jon Sorber wanted to make a few bucks – a feat only possible for college students if they do their jobs exceptionally well. They learned the ropes of all that goes into a local move before anything else, and have ensured that their staff are well trained and knowledgeable with the know-how of local moves across all their franchises. They offer assistance for a range of local moves, understanding that it isn’t always limited to just a house. These include apartment moves, single-family homes, dorms, retirement communities and more. With a range across their portfolio of local moves and teams that are trained to navigate tight corners and narrow stairwells, they get a thumbs-up of approval from us.

Customized Local Services: Two Men And A Truck offers a range of services, some of which aren’t as commonly available from other big players in the moving industry. DIY move but need loading help? Their Carry Crew service will load and unload everything for you. Once they’re done unloading everything, rearrange your furniture or stage your room with their help. Have something bulky like a piano you need to shift around? They can help. Want to leave your bulky furniture and piano in a safe storage spot when moving? Climate-controlled storage to the rescue. And of course, they offer partial packing or full packing services as well, even for local moves.

Hourly Costs: Local moves have shorter distances and shorter timeframes to be covered and thus, hourly costs are preferred over binding costs. This ensures that you pay only for the period of time that you employ the services of the moving crew. While there’s no price estimates on their website (each franchise has its own price model) they’ve listed out what can impact your cost: number of flights of stairs, distance from the truck to the load/unload location, time taken to load and unload & driving time from the load to the unload location.

In the meantime, do things like clearing a path through the house for the movers, keeping every last thing ready and in place, and getting a parking spot for the truck as close to your door as possible; less time wasted once the movers arrive is less money spent.

Local shifting with vehicles: When you’re moving locally i.e. within your state/county, there’s a couple changes to make. For one, change your address with USPS; their website makes this easy. Secondly, visit your local DMV/look them up online to change your address with them. You won’t need a new license when moving locally.

Also Read: Two Men and a Truck Review

2. U-Haul

A lot more people opt for a Do-It-Yourself local move as compared to a long distance or national move. After all, it is one of the cheapest ways to move, and U-Haul is your best option if you’re one of these people. U-Haul has been in the truck rental industry since 1954, when its founders L.S. Sam Shoen and his wife Anna Shoen acted on a need for DIY moving equipment post World War II.

Available in all 50 states of the country, U-Haul’s services include local and long distance moves, rent trucks, storage, packing supplies, trailers and dollies. If driving around a rented truck is not your cup of tea, read on, because we’ve also covered their portable storage compartment options.

Reasons To Choose U-Haul:

Local Move Convenience: U-Haul does local as well as long distance moves, but the way they function is a match made in heaven for local moves. Rent one of their trucks (you have sizes to choose from), load it and DIY – drive-it-yourself! Every truck rental comes with EZ-loading ramps and low loading decks for your ease, rub rails to better secure your furniture, and roadside assistance for $5. You can reserve a truck without the need to make a down payment, getting billed on your credit card once everything is done. Local moving truck rentals have a convenient pick-up and drop-off at one location itself, with truck rates starting as low as $19.95 (as advertised on their website).

	10′ Truck	15′ Truck	20′ Truck	26′ Truck	U-Box
Interior Dimensions (LxWxH)	9’11” x 6’4″ x 6’2″	15′ x 7’8″ x 7’2″	19’6″ x 7’8″ x 7’2″	26’2″ x 8’2″ x 8’3″	7’11” x 4’8″ x 6’11 ½”
Ideal For	Studio/1 Bedroom apartment	1-2 Bedroom Apartment	2-3 Bedroom Apartment	3-5 Bedroom Apartment	257 cu. ft., one ½ room
Mileage (Unleaded fuel) & Fuel Tank Size	12 MPG. 33 Gallon Tank Size	12 MPG. 33 Gallon Tank Size	10 MPG. 40 Gallon Tank Size	10 MPG. 60 Gallon Tank Size	N/A
Features	2-Seater, AC, Automatic Transmission, Air Bags, Disc Brakes	2-Seater, AC, Automatic Transmission, Air Bags, Disc Brakes	‘Van-like’ 3-Seater Cab, AC, Automatic Transmission, Air Bags, Disc Brakes	‘Van-like’ 3-Seater Cab, AC, Automatic Transmission, Air Bags, Disc Brakes	Delivered to You, Premium Plywood + Weatherproof Cover
Cost – 13 miles (incl. 1 day use & 30 miles)	$109	$128	$154	$180	$439.80 (4 containers)

If you want something smaller, they also have car trailers, utility trailers as well as vehicle towing equipment. With over 20,000 locations, and at least one location in every 50 states of the USA, you won’t have a hard time getting in touch with them.

U-Haul Truck Share: A relief for those worried about the Coronavirus, Truck Share is a way for you to browse and rent a truck you need, at your convenience, day or night through your smartphone. You can also purchase insurance, and all of this with zero person-to-person interaction! Plus, U-Haul has options for damage coverage irrespective of how big or small the move – if you don’t opt for one, you’ll be (financially) responsible for all the damage that incurs on your trip.

U-Box by U-Haul

You must have noticed the column for U-Box in our comparison table above. U-Boxes work great for those who aren’t going all the way with their DIY move… it can be daunting to drive a truck after all, and the trailers won’t necessarily fit everything. Enter U-Box: you pack and load the sturdy plywood U-Box containers without having to worry about transporting it, as U-Haul will handle that for you. You can also hire labor to help you pack and load the boxes so you can sit back a bit more. U-Box comes with 30 day free storage, and you only get charged for the containers that you use, even if you order for extra.

Truck Rental Tip: Always take a photograph of the gas mileage and odometer before starting and when ending your trip. This helps you to keep track of the miles and gas you’ve used, and can help in case you have to make claims.

3. Wheaton World Wide Moving

Wheaton World Wide has a history that dates back to 1945, when a man named Earnest S. Wheaton started a moving company called Clipper Van Lines. In the 1950s, it became Wheaton Van Lines, which became Wheaton World Wide Moving in the 1980s. Throughout, it saw immense success, becoming the first carrier in America to hold complete 50-state authority from the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1978.

Today it has over 350 agents and has services for local moves, long distance moves, interstate moves, corporate and military moves. It also has services like full and partial packing services, packing for specialty items, storage and moving supplies.

Reasons To Choose Wheaton World Wide Moving:

Quote Process: Wheaton’s website explains the type of quotes they offer, which aren’t just one, but three. You have the usual binding estimate (remains constant regardless of whether final cost is higher or lower) and the flexible quote (you get an approximate to which charges are later added). There’s also the not-to-exceed, which means you won’t have to pay more if the move finally costs more than the quote, but if it costs less, you’ll get your money back.

Plus, they have a convenient and clear system to obtain instant quotes on their website: add in your pin codes, and you get a lower to higher end estimate that is inclusive of loading, transporting and unloading. You can then see how much your quote changes when adding full service packing, partial packing, and Full Value Replacement coverage. This much attention to detail for local moves is a green flag from us. Have a look at their costs for a 13 mile move, booked in April (peak season).

Add-Ons	Cost (low end to high end)	With Full Replacement Value Protection
None	$3,508.4 – $4,546.29	$3,843.4 – $4,986.29
Full Packing	$4,596.96 – $6,055.18	$4,931.96 – $6,495.18
Partial Packing	$4,161.54 – $5,451.62	$4,496.54 – $5,891.62

Exclusive services & Discounts: Wheaton has over 350 locations in the United States, with a vast network of agents. Collectively, they offer exclusive services that anyone moving locally can opt for. These include planning and organizing your entire move, helping you downsize your belongings (the lesser to move, the more you save), packing and unpacking, and loading and unloading. They also have a range of discounts that you could be eligible for, including one for those moving in the off-season. Professional services, convenience and discounts? Take our approval.

Will a long distance moving company do local moves? This depends on the company. All three companies we’ve listed do both, interstate and local moves. However, due to the comparative ease in terms of licenses and logistics, many companies choose only to do local moves.

See also: List of Best Apartment Movers

How Much Does It Cost To Hire Local Movers?

There are a lot of factors that will impact your move, whether local or out-of-state. However, on an average, hiring local movers near you will cost between $300 to $1,500. A studio apartment move covering 13 miles in peak season will be $455 to $951, 2 bedrooms will be $799 – $1,751,while a 4 bedroom or large condo will be between $1,311 to $2,852.

How Do I Choose A Local Mover Near Me?

For one, you have the option of contacting the companies we’ve covered in our blog to ask them about their services in greater detail. Another tip would be to ask your neighbors for recommendations and how their move went. Remember that you will likely have several smaller local movers in your region. We recommend contacting them as well, but do beware of scams and fraudsters. Look up the companies on the internet for review and mentions on the Federation of Motor Carrier and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) website to check for licenses and legal status.

What Is The Best Moving Company To Use?

The best moving company is one that fulfills all your needs while giving you a hassle-free moving experience. What is problematic is finding one for you to place your trust in. A few green flags to look out for are good customer service, responsiveness, and reviews online. Consecutively, red flags are a handful of suspicious ‘all 5-star’ reviews on Google, refusal to be clear about the quote and no mentions of coverage.

How much should I pay someone to help me move?

Hiring someone for your next move will cost you anywhere from $25 – $50 an hour. This includes everything from packing and unpacking all the way through! A typical four-bedroom house will usually take 10 hours or so if it’s being moved across town; however, a cross-country relocation might require more than 20 hrs, depending on where you are moving.

How far in advance do you schedule movers?

Most movers recommend booking at least two months in advance, especially for busy times like around summer vacation or Christmas. To be on the safer side, go ahead and book as soon as possible so nothing can stop you from getting started on the big day!

Do you tip movers?

If you are happy with your mover’s service, feel free to tip them generously. If you are not happy with their service for any reason, please let your company know about your experience. As a general rule of thumb, tips can be anywhere between 5%-10% of the total moving cost distributed between all the movers equally.

How do I know if a moving company is legit?

Look for a company that has an official USDOT number, or go online and search reviews. You might also want to check their business certifications before you bite the bullet on this big decision.

Is there a checklist for moving?

Here is one of the most extensive moving checklists that ensure that you do not miss out on anything and stay on your moving schedule. Check it out!

Do you pay movers before or after?

Usually, reputed moving companies do not ask for any payment or deposit up front; all payments are only due on completion of the move. However, if a mover is insisting on advance payments, then that is a potential red flag. You should be better off looking for another moving company.

As mentioned, do give your local movers in the neighborhood a look-see, as they may be the best option for you. Contact us for recommendations; that way you don’t have to worry about fraudsters as we filter out the scammers for you.

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