Starting a business

How to Start a Moving Company

By The Launch Pad TeamPublished June 26, 20269 min read

A moving company can be wildly profitable, but it is one of the most regulated service businesses you can start — especially if you cross state lines. This guide covers the federal USDOT registration and household goods authority, real startup costs, equipment, hourly pricing, and the systems to run it.

How do you start a moving company, step by step?

Register your business, secure the right operating authority and insurance, get a truck and moving equipment, hire and train a crew, set hourly pricing, and book your first moves. Authority and insurance come before any job.

Register your business (LLC) and get an EIN.
Decide local-only or interstate — interstate requires federal registration.
Get your USDOT number and, for interstate, household goods carrier authority.
Secure cargo and public liability insurance and file proof with FMCSA where required.
Get a truck (owned or leased) and moving equipment.
Hire and train a reliable crew on safe, damage-free moving.
Set transparent hourly pricing and start booking local moves.

How much does it cost to start a moving company?

A small moving company typically starts for

0,000–$40,000. The truck, insurance, and federal or state registration are the heavy costs; a labor-only "muscle" startup can begin for much less.

Item	Typical cost
Business registration (LLC) + EIN	$50–$500
USDOT registration + operating authority filing	$300–$700
Cargo + public liability insurance (annual)	$4,000– 2,000
Moving truck (used) or first months of lease	$5,000–$25,000
BOC-3 process agent filing (interstate)	$25– 50
Moving equipment (dollies, straps, blankets, ramps)	,000–$3,000
Crew wages and training (initial)	$2,000–$6,000
Website, branding, and software	$500– ,500

What licenses and insurance do you need?

All movers need a USDOT number; interstate movers must register as a household goods carrier with FMCSA and file cargo and liability insurance. States add their own intrastate authority and bonding requirements.

Moving is heavily regulated at the federal level. Any company that transports household goods across state lines for pay needs a USDOT number with interstate operating authority as a household goods carrier. Important 2026 change: the FMCSA eliminated separate MC, MX, and FF docket numbers as of October 1, 2025 — you now apply once through the Unified Registration System for your USDOT number and select "household goods carrier" as your authority type in a single application.

To get interstate household goods authority, FMCSA requires you to file proof of both public liability (bodily injury and property damage) insurance and cargo insurance, and to designate a process agent in each state you operate through a BOC-3 filing.

For local and intrastate moves, federal rules may not apply, but most states have their own household goods mover requirements — a state-issued intrastate operating authority or permit, a state-mandated cargo and liability minimum, and in some states a surety bond. California, for example, requires its own state household goods carrier permit.

Across the board you will want general liability insurance, commercial auto and cargo coverage, and workers compensation for your crew — moving is physical work with real injury and damage risk. Confirm exact authority, bond, and insurance minimums with FMCSA and your state regulator before booking jobs.

What equipment do you need to start moving?

You need a truck and the gear to move heavy items safely and damage-free: dollies, straps, blankets, and ramps. Protecting customers belongings is what earns reviews and repeat referrals.

A box truck (typically 16–26 ft) — owned, leased, or rented while you scale.
Hand trucks and a four-wheel furniture dolly for heavy and bulky items.
Moving blankets and shrink wrap to protect furniture and finishes.
Ratchet and lever straps, plus tie-downs to secure loads in transit.
Loading ramp and appliance dolly for stairs and heavy appliances.
Tools for disassembly, floor runners, door jamb protectors, and a stock of moving boxes.
Uniforms and a clean, branded truck — presentation wins trust on moving day.

How much should you charge?

Local moves are usually billed hourly: roughly $80–

50 per hour for a two-mover crew with a truck, scaling up with crew size. Long-distance and interstate moves are priced by weight and distance.

For local moves, the standard model is hourly. A two-mover crew with a truck commonly runs $80–

50 per hour, and a three-mover crew

30–$220 per hour, with rates varying by market. Most companies set an hourly minimum (often two to four hours) and may add a travel or trip fee.

Long-distance and interstate moves are priced differently — typically by the weight of the shipment and the distance, sometimes with binding or non-binding estimates that FMCSA requires you to provide to interstate household goods customers.

High-margin add-ons stack up fast: full packing and unpacking, packing materials, specialty items like pianos and safes, and storage. Clear, written estimates protect you and the customer, and consistent on-time, damage-free service is what fills your calendar with referrals.

How do you get your first customers?

Win local search and reviews, then respond to quote requests instantly. Movers compare several companies and book the one that answers fast with a clear, trustworthy estimate.

Set up a Google Business Profile and aggressively collect reviews — movers live and die by ratings.
List on moving marketplaces and lead platforms to fill your early calendar.
Run local SEO and Google Ads for "movers near me" and city-specific terms.
Partner with realtors, apartment complexes, and property managers for steady referrals.
Respond to every quote request within minutes with a clear written estimate.
Ask every satisfied customer for a review and a referral right after the move.

What systems should a moving company set up?

You need fast quote follow-up, professional estimates, job scheduling, deposits and invoicing, and crew coordination. Movers lose the most jobs to slow quote responses and disorganized booking.

Moving is a speed-and-trust business. Customers request quotes from several companies and book the first one that responds with a clear, professional estimate — so your systems need to capture leads, follow up instantly, send polished estimates and invoices, take deposits online, and keep job scheduling and crews organized.

Launch Pad pulls this into one operating system for a moving company: a website that captures quote requests, a CRM that tracks every lead and job, estimates and invoices with online payments and deposits, and AI follow-up that responds to inquiries the moment they arrive. Instead of losing jobs to a missed callback and juggling separate booking and billing tools, you run intake, quoting, scheduling, and payment in one place and focus on moving day.

Frequently asked questions

Do you need a license to start a moving company?

Yes. Interstate movers need a USDOT number with household goods carrier authority from FMCSA, plus filed cargo and liability insurance. Local movers usually need state intrastate authority and insurance instead.

How much do moving companies make?

A small local moving company can gross several hundred thousand dollars a year, with owner profits commonly in the $50,000–

50,000 range. Earnings scale with crews, trucks, and high-margin packing and storage services.

Is a moving company profitable?

Yes. Moving has strong margins because labor is the main cost and add-ons like packing, materials, and storage are high-margin. Good reviews and fast quoting keep trucks booked and profits steady.

Do I need a USDOT number for a moving company?

You need a USDOT number to move household goods across state lines, and you select household goods carrier authority during registration. As of October 2025, FMCSA uses USDOT-only registration — separate MC numbers were eliminated.

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