Texas may not have the greenest landscapes in the country, but it does boast a flourishing economy, especially in the petrochemical, electronics, and energy industries. Hence, you may find yourself planning a long distance move to Texas to look for greener pastures. Should you get a local moving company, or should you set your sights somewhere else? Our experts here at texasmovingusa.com have decided to create a handy guide on the differences between local and long-distance moving companies and why it’s essential to get the right company for your move.

The Fine Line Between Local and Long Distance Moving

How do you know whether your move is local or a long-distance move? In the transport industry, any moves made within the state are considered local. For example, if you are moving to Austin from Houston, it can be viewed as a local move since you are not leaving the state of Texas. Of course, if you are moving to Dallas from Phoenix in Arizona, that is considered as out of state moving.

However, the problem lies with Texas’ unique geography. The state is enormous, with cities spread out, separated by sprawling desserts. With most professional movers, any move less than 100 is considered local, while anything over 100 miles is regarded as long distance. So let’s say you are moving from El Paso to Pasadena. Would that be considered local since both are within the state of Texas? Not necessarily. If your moving company is counting miles, the distance between the two is 800 miles, which means some may consider it long-distance moving.

Local versus Long Distance Moving: Things You Should Consider

For the most part, you may think that it doesn’t matter whether or not your move is considered long distance since all professional long-distance movers offer local moving services and vice versa. However, movers have different protocols depending on whether your move is local or not. Here is a checklist for moving that you should consider while you’re searching for a professional mover.

Moving Costs

Of course, long distance moving costs will always be higher compared to local ones. Out of state moving companies usually charge around $3,000 - $4,000 for full-service long-distance moves. On the other hand, complete local moving services cost around $1,000 - $2,000. Professional moving companies charge by the hour, which means the longer the move takes, the higher your total cost.

The process of moving comes with many unknowns, and delays can happen for a lot of reasons. While this is not a big deal with local moving services, this can have a significant impact on your long-distance move. The farther away from the destination, the higher the risk for delays, and you can end up with a colossal moving bill if you’re not careful. 

If your move is considered long distance, ask the company if they have a charging limit, which means they’ll stop charging after a number of hours are met regardless of delays. Some professional long-distance movers charge flat rates for long distance moves to protect customers from excessive moving costs.

Insurance

Professional movers often offer various tiers when it comes to insurance coverage. In many cases, they provide basic insurance coverage for free, although it doesn’t protect your items 100%. The free insurance coverage is good enough for many local moves; however, you may want to spend a bit more money on full insurance protection for your long distance move. As stated before, longer travel times mean more unknowns, and when it comes to your beloved belongings, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Facilities

Another thing to keep in mind when looking for professional movers is areas of service. Say there’s a local moving company in your area that offers affordable moving costs. They’re pretty known in the area, so they know their way around the roads and have connections within the industry. However, you’re moving out of state, and you find out that they’re not familiar with the area.

When hiring professional moving companies, you should look into their facilities and experience with your destination. Is the company well known in Texas, but they are not well known in Louisiana, which is where you’re moving to? That could be an issue if problems arise. What if there’s a delay at your new home and you find yourself in need of storage facilities for the night? If the company doesn’t have storage facilities outside of Texas, you will end up looking for storage space on your own.

Packing Services

Do you need packing services for your next move? It may depend on how far your destination is. You see, it’s perfectly acceptable for customers to pack items on their own if they are on a budget. They do a good enough job that the items arrive at their destination safely and sound in most cases.

Of course, as we said before, everything changes with distance. The farther away your destination is, the more hours your items will spend on the road.