When making local moves, many people might think that renting a truck and toiling over a DIY move is their only option.

In actuality, there are plenty of local movers that handle small relocations like moves to college dorms, apartment moves, and similar locations.

The important detail that can help those in need of local movers services is what are the company’s minimums and how those are applied.

Though moving services do apply minimums, most of the time the minimums for smaller, local services are still low enough that make hiring a moving company a cost-effective option.

What Are Moving Minimums?

Minimum fees charged by local movers are basically the lowest fee charged for the company to bring a truck and employees to an area and handle a local relocation.

It is a way that local movers services can ensure they are able to cover their own costs while providing their service and not suffer a loss while having to pay for fuel, employee salary, wear and tear on their vehicles, and other business expenses.

What Minimums Do Local Movers Charge?

Services that handle local moves charge minimums in various ways depending on the company, the level of service they are providing, the distance they will drive the load of items, and multiple other factors.

Hourly Minimum - A common minimum fee policy that smaller local movers services frequently use is an hourly minimum depending on the type of move and the number of workers sent to handle the job. Typically, basic local moves include two movers, the truck, and the loading and unloading of the truck. Hourly fee rates for services are set according to this basic minimum which is the fewest number of hours at the hourly service rate that the two employees and the truck can be contracted to do a local relocation. Services that will handle small, local jobs may have hourly minimums as low as two hours. Services that typically handle larger moves may still do a smaller relocation, but with an hourly minimum of 4 hours or more.
Weight Minimum - Services that specialize in larger moves or long-distance relocations may have a weight limit as well. Weight minimums are commonly set by many local movers at around 2,000 pounds. This means that no matter what the actual weight of the load is, the minimum fee for by-weight service to bring out larger trucks will be that of 2,000 pounds, with heavier loads being charged accordingly. Some moving companies may apply both hourly and weight minimums to their services, too.

Is Hiring A Mover Worthwhile For Small Local Moves?

The answer to that depends on the individual circumstance, and what each customer can and wants to handle on their own.

Customers requiring local movers services must first find out what service minimums apply and then decide whether paying for those services is worthwhile.

If the items can be relocated quickly and easily by renting a truck for a DIY move, finding a few friends to help might be a much more affordable option.

Moving heavier more difficult to maneuver items, even if the total load is under the weight minimum, could still be worthwhile just to allow the professionals to handle it.

Ask About Moving Minimums For Local Moves

When researching local movers, be sure to ask about their moving minimums and how they are charged to avoid any unexpected fee surprises.

An experienced service that handles local moves should be happy to assist potential customers in determining the estimated weight of their belongings and finding the most affordable and effective solution for getting their items relocated.