When it comes the time to move, many people try to do it themselves to save money. It’s not advisable, but there’s simply no other choice when you’re tight on budget. There are many reasons why hiring a professional moving company is the best decision you can make. However, if your bank account prevents you from doing so, you can still combine a DIY move with some professional assistance. The question by most people who do this is: can you hire movers by the hour to help load or unload a truck? That and many other considerations will be answered at the end of this blog post.
Can I Hire a Moving Company to Load or Unload my Truck?
Good news: the answer is yes. A bit of bad news: Not every mover offers this service. Since a good bunch of homeowners would push for a DIY move but find out later that it’s too much work, movers have created a convenient solution of providing services specific to a client’s needs.
That being said, such services are typically paid by the hour. This means you will have to pay a flat rate for every hour the movers work on your truck loading/unloading process. Depending on the size of your inventory (weight and number of items), it can take professional lifters two hours at best to up to eight hours for larger households.
Reasons to Hire Movers to Do the Heavy Work
Despite knowing that a moving company shouldn’t cost a lot for specific jobs, one might still be adamant about hiring them. If you’re that keen on saving money, here are several reasons why hiring movers can actually help your expenses in the long run.
1. Prevent Damage to Your Belongings
Before you arrive at your new house, you’ll want to make sure that your furniture and belongings arrive safely and are in the best shape possible. This is especially true for older pieces of furniture or others that have fragile details, such as glass tabletops. Having done the job hundreds of times over, furniture movers help you avoid suffering extensive damage to your possessions. To add, most movers provide valuation coverage for any damage done to possessions under their care.
2. Manual Labor Can Increase the Risk of Injury
Moving heavy furniture is no easy feat. While you might think that this work will save your budget, it definitely won’t protect you from accidents. It’s even worse when you’ve hired friends since you risk them getting hurt as well. Professional movers are physically fit, well-equipped, insured, and adequately experienced in lifting heavy objects without hurting themselves. So, if you want to save your back and your wallet at the same time, let the movers do the job for you.
3. Things Get Done Faster
There’s no denying that moving heavy furniture is a time-consuming task. Unfortunately, there’s no way to speed up the process and still be safe, especially when you’ve got no experience. Even if you and your friends lift and carry these objects out of your home, it will take more time for them to get reassembled once they’re inside the new house since you might not be familiar with putting some parts together. With movers at hand, everything gets done faster and more efficiently.
4. Save You Money
Oops, your eyebrows are raising. How can you save money if you’re paying movers? Well, if you look at the bigger picture, every other reason above keeps you from spending extra. Combine all your move-related expenses and do the math. Moving services might cost $100 per hour on average, but time is money, so make sure that every minute counts towards getting things done efficiently.
Consider hiring movers as an investment in yourself and your family. You might be spending a bit more now to ensure convenience and safety for everyone involved in your home removals, but tallying up the costs of hiring professionals will show how it’s cheaper than suffering injuries or paying huge fines in the process.
Extra Tips for Hiring Reliable Movers
Alright, so you’ve finally concluded that it’s better to hire movers to load and unload your truck. Good choice! However, you ought to know that not all moving companies are the same. Some operate faster and provide better support to their customers. To avoid a regrettable moving experience, here are some tips you should know on how to find a credible one:
- First of all, ensure that your movers are licensed and insured. This means they should be registered to the FMCSA with an active USDOT number along with proper authorization from the state department. Moreover, insurance helps assure that your belongings are protected and covered in case things go south.
- Read online reviews from previous customers. These people’s experiences will be your experience, too, if you proceed with the said mover. Steer clear of companies with many negative reviews.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Many people end up with regrets because they don’t clarify concerns regarding the service with their movers. Don’t end up the same!
All in all, hiring a moving company, even just for loading and unloading the track, is a secure way of handling your move. Good luck with the rest of it. Cheers!