Average Cost of Moving Labor

Hiring moving labor falls somewhere between a DIY move and opting for a full-service move. In fact, it may be the ideal option for your upcoming move if you simply cannot scrounge up enough manpower from your friends and family to get the job done. Hiring labor only moving service can actually save you money, while still enjoying the benefit of having your belongings handled by professionals.

With that said, you may be wondering how much this type of service will set you back. The average cost of moving labor is between $60 and $80 per hour for two movers, with a two-hour minimum in most cases. Though, there’s much more to labor only moving services than just average cost ranges.

What is Moving Labor?

The easiest way to explain what moving labor is to break down the moving process into four distinct steps. Whether this is your first or tenth time moving, these steps should be familiar to you.

1. The packing stage. During a move, the packing process is the most time-consuming and extensive period because it involves having to pack up an entire household.
2. Loading the moving truck. The stage is when all of the furniture, appliances and moving boxes are lifted, moved, and loaded into the back of a moving truck. This is the part of the moving process where moving labor tends to be the most necessary, as accidents on a moving day can potentially lead to personal injury or property damage.
3. Transportation of household goods. This phase involves your items being physically transported from your current home to your destination home. It may take anywhere from a couple of hours to several days, depending on the distance.
4. Unloading of the moving truck. This is the final step in the moving process when the delivered items are unloaded at the new address. Like step two, this stage is very physically demanding and requires the skill to safely unload all of your belongings and place them in the appropriate rooms. As such, moving labor is essential during this phase to successfully complete your move.

If you opt for hiring a full-service moving company, your movers will handle all four of these steps. While this option removes much of the stress that comes with moving and allows you to focus on more important tasks, it comes at a hefty price tag. With DIY or self-moves, you’ll be responsible for all of the aforementioned steps – which often ends up being more difficult than most expect.

This is where moving labor comes in. Put simply, moving labor services are professional movers without the truck. They can assist you with the packing, loading, and unloading, leaving you to only take care of the transportation process.

Why Hire Moving Labor?

Now that you know what moving labor entails, what exactly are the benefits involved in this type of service? Fortunately, there are a number of advantages to hiring moving labor when you’re considering a DIY move.

Affordability: By limiting your movers’ time to only the tasks that you need to be done, you can tailor the services to your needs and only pay for what you want. In fact, you can end up saving between 40 and 50 percent when you opt for moving labor instead of full-service movers. The physical transportation of your goods tends to be the most expensive part of moving. By eliminating this step, you can enjoy significant cost savings.

Reliability: When your friends and family aren’t available, it’s a major relief to know that you can count on reliable professionals to help you move.

Convenience: In addition to reliability, moving labor offers convenience when either your friends aren’t available or you simply cannot gather enough helping hands on your own. Moving help is really just a simple phone call away and it doesn’t get more convenient than that.

Flexibility: One of the major advantages of hiring moving labor is the fact that you decide the level of assistance that you pay for. Whether you just want your movers to handle the heavy lifting or need help packing up your home, you enjoy the flexibility of tailoring the services to your individual needs.

Safety & Insurance: Hiring professional moving labor not only guarantees the safety of your prized possessions, it also ensures your own safety and that of your family. Paying for labor only services means that you’ll basically eliminate any risk of personal injury or property damage during the moving process.

In the off-chance that something does go awry, your professionals are properly insured and you will be compensated appropriately.

What is the Average Cost of Moving Labor?

Like local moving services, moving labor companies generally charge by the hour. With this in mind, you can expect to spend anywhere from $60 to $80 per hour, for two movers when hiring moving labor only. Though, the cost of hiring moving laborers will depend on a number of factors including the duration of the move, your specific provider, the location of your home, specialty items, and any additional moving services that are requested.

The more that you understand how the cost of hiring moving labor is formed, the better chance you’ll have at keeping your costs as low as possible. That said, keep these considerations in mind when it comes to budgeting for moving labor:

• Each additional mover will cost you more. For example, if you hire two movers at $60 an hour, one additional mover will cost you an extra $30 per hour totaling $90 per hour for three movers.
• Most moving labor companies have a two-hour minimum. So, the average cost of moving labor becomes $120 to $160 for two movers.
• Billing time typically begins the moment that the crew arrives at your home.
• Quality moving labor providers won’t charge you any hidden fees or spring unpleasant surprises on you.
• Average work hours are typically charged in 15-minute increments.
• The moving company may, or may not, charge a travel fee for the time it takes for the movers to reach the job location.
• The movers come equipped with all the necessary equipment and supplies, which is included in the total price.
• In general, the aforementioned average moving labor rates are the same regardless of the services requested.

Moving Labor Services

The main services that moving labor companies offer their customers include packing, furniture disassembling and reassembling, loading, unloading, unpacking, and even truck driving. Let’s take a look at each of these services in further detail.

• Packing and unpacking. Undeniably, packing is the most stressful and time-consuming part of moving. If you weren’t able to enlist the help of your friends, you may be behind on your packing scheduling or just generally overwhelmed with the task ahead.In this case, hiring moving labor to pack up your home can be the best decision you make for your relocation. To enjoy the ultimate level of convenience, you can opt for unpacking services as well.
• Furniture disassembling and assembly. Oversized furniture items are meant to be disassembled before they are packed and loaded into the moving truck. However, if you don’t have the time or you don’t know how to do it properly, moving labor professionals can get the job done in no time at all. They can also reassemble the items at your destination location if desired.
• Loading and unloading. It’s likely that loading and unloading the moving truck is the most assistance that you’ll need for your move. Not only is the process incredibly physically demanding, but it also requires the necessary skills, tools, and equipment to ensure the safety of your belongings. Why not leave it all to the professionals?
• Truck driving. Some moving labor companies even offer truck driving assistance as one of their many services. In this case, you pack up your belongings and load them into the truck and then they drive it to your intended destination. This service helps you avoid the stress of driving a massive moving truck across the country.

How to Find Moving Labor

Now that you understand what exactly moving labor is, how it can benefit your move, what moving labor services are available, and how much moving labor costs on average, all that’s left is to find quality professional moving labor services in your area.
Fortunately, if it’s moving labor that you need, then you’ve come to the right place. Look no further than Three Movers for all your moving labor needs. Contact us today by calling the number at the top of this page or completing our convenient online request form. One of our moving experts will be in touch with you ASAP to provide you with your free, no-obligation estimate for moving labor services and tell you how you could save up to 20% on your next move!

how much does moving labor cost