The biggest difference between a moving company and a moving broker is the moving company performs the actual services of moving, has employees, trucks, and moving equipment to perform your move. A moving broker is a middle man of sorts that takes an order or a move and then sells the move to a moving company.

Every reputable moving company should have proper licenses as well as a DOT number. A great place to check if a moving company has a valid license is the FMCSA website and search the company by using the DOT number. Our DOT number: 522128

It is important to know the level of insurance coverage that your moving company has. Usually, on the COI all of the insurances will be listed as well as the primary insurance agent's contact information. COIs should also be presented to management companies prior to a move. Often times management companies may want to be listed as an additional insured party on the mover's COI.

Most reputable moving companies offer at least two types of insurance coverage for moves. The industry-standard insurance usually covers $0.60/Pound per piece. The next level of insurance would be a declared value insurance or upgrading from $.60/pound to a higher valuation. If you are planning to move expensive or high-value items, it is always recommended to ask your own agent as well as other insurance companies for quotes regarding coverage for contents on a move.

Most reputable moving companies will ask for 20% at the most to reserve a moving date or a moving project involving many dates. Any amount higher than 20% is usually a red flag and the follow-up questions should be asked, "Why is the deposit amount so high?"

Things can change with moving dates in a blink of an eye sometimes. It is important to know the various policies and fees regarding changing your moving date with a moving company. Most of the time, moving companies will require specific deadlines of notification for a moving date change.

Often times during the peak season of moving, companies will subcontract other movers or companies to perform moves on their behalf. It is important to know whether the company you plan to contract for your move will have adequate and experienced movers performing your move. A good follow-up question would be, "Does your company subcontract move to other movers or contractors?"

This is very important to know, as most moving companies thoroughly train their movers before sending them into the field. You will want to make sure that your movers are at least trained and have some experience under their belts.

In a case where your moving plans change last minute or you may need temporary storage, also known as Storage in Transit or SIT; It is important to know whether or not this moving company can provide this service on short notice.

While this may be an obvious question, it is a very important question to ask. Most reputable movers will give a typed or written estimate with all of the estimated charges. This is an important time to also ask if there are any extra fees or costs that are not listed on the estimate.

The nice part of this question is that the question is open-ended. This will give you a chance to ask about particular items and gather as much information about how the moving company will protect the various contents involved with your move.