Most new movers start local: apartments, homes and offices within a metro area. Local moves are governed by your state, and interstate moves bring federal rules. Decide which you are before you advertise, since the paperwork is very different.
- Moves across state lines bring federal household goods rules. Local moves follow your state's rules.
- Many states require a license or permit for intrastate movers. Ask your state transportation or utilities agency.
- Insure the truck, the cargo and the crew.
- Price local moves by the hour per crew size, with a minimum.
1. Decide what you will offer
| Service | Notes |
|---|---|
| Local residential moves | The core work |
| Labor-only loading and unloading | Customer rents the truck |
| Packing and supplies | Add-on per box or per hour |
| Office moves | After-hours, larger crews |
| Junk haul-off and donations | Sell it with the move |
Labor-only moves need no truck, which makes them a low-cost way to start and learn.
2. Check the license and permits
Many states require movers who operate inside the state to hold a state permit or license, often from the transportation department or the public utilities commission. Truck size and weight can bring commercial driver and vehicle rules. Ask your state's transportation agency what applies to the truck you plan to use.
3. Know when federal rules apply
Federal rules for household goods movers are in 49 CFR Part 375. The rule says it applies to a household goods motor carrier engaged in the interstate transportation of household goods, when transporting household goods for individual shippers by motor vehicle in interstate commerce. In plain words: once you move a family's belongings across a state line, federal registration and consumer rules apply. Stay local until you have read them.
4. Register the business and set up taxes
The SBA lists the launch steps in this order: pick a location, choose a structure, choose a name, register, get federal and state tax ID numbers, apply for licenses and permits, open a business bank account, and get insurance. For a moving company working out of a truck, the location is usually your home address and the area you will serve.
- Structure. A sole proprietorship is the simplest. An LLC keeps the business separate on paper. Ask an accountant which fits your state and your plans.
- Tax ID. The IRS gives out an employer identification number (EIN) online, and says you never have to pay a fee for one. Websites that charge for an EIN are not the IRS.
- Self-employment tax. The IRS lists the self-employment tax rate as 15.3%: 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. Income tax comes on top, so set money aside from every job.
- Bank account. Open it before the first payment lands, so every dollar in and out is easy to find at tax time.
5. Pick a name customers can say and find
Your name goes on the truck, the invoices, the Google profile and the yard signs, so pick it once. The free moving name generator gives 36 ideas for your town and style, each with a domain idea, and lists the checks to run before you commit: your state's business name search, a federal trademark search and the domain itself.
6. Get insured before the first job
The SBA describes general liability insurance as cover for financial loss from bodily injury, property damage, medical expenses and defending lawsuits. It says businesses with employees are required to carry workers' compensation, unemployment and disability insurance, and some states ask for more.
Damaged furniture, scraped walls, and injured backs are the claims. Ask your agent about commercial auto, cargo insurance for customers' belongings, general liability, and workers' compensation for your crew. Apartment buildings often ask for a certificate before move day.
7. Gear up and add up your startup costs
No total here on purpose. What you spend depends on what you already own, new or used, and how much work you plan to take on. Price your own list with a local supplier, then put the numbers in the startup cost table of the free business plan generator, which adds them up for you.
- A box truck, or a labor-only start with no truck
- Furniture pads, dollies, an appliance dolly and straps
- Shrink wrap, tape, mattress bags and floor and door protection
- A tool kit for taking furniture apart
- Gloves, back support practices and good boots
The truck is nearly the whole startup cost. Starting labor-only lets you build a crew and reviews before you buy one.
8. Set your prices
Price local moves by the hour for each crew size, with a minimum number of hours and a travel fee. Add packing, supplies and heavy items like pianos as their own lines. The free labor rate calculator sets the cost per crew hour and the break-even calculator shows how many moves a month cover the truck.
9. Find your first customers
- Realtors and apartment managers. Every closing and lease has a move.
- Answer quickly. People book the first mover who gives a clear price. Koira books by text with three open times.
- Reviews. Movers are chosen on trust. Koira asks after every paid move.
- Storage facilities. Their customers are moving in and out.
10. Get paid and keep the customer
A deposit holds the date, since a no-show costs you a crew day. Collect the balance when the last box is in, with pay at the door.
11. Grow past one truck
Add a second crew and a second truck when the calendar is full on weekends and month ends.
Sources
- SBA: Launch your business (the launch steps), checked October 8, 2026
- SBA: Get business insurance, checked October 8, 2026
- IRS: Get an employer identification number, checked October 8, 2026
- IRS: Self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare taxes), checked October 8, 2026
- eCFR: 49 CFR 375.101, who must follow the household goods rules, checked October 8, 2026
Last checked October 8, 2026. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and differ by state and city, so confirm with the agency named before you act.