Frequently Asked Questions

Nope! This is probably one of the most frequent questions we receive from customers, and our answer is, by all means, leave clothes, linens, towels, and anything else that’s soft inside dressers, chests, and trunks. We do, however, recommend that you pack non-clothing items in furniture like bedside tables, buffets, and desk drawers because they can either slide out when we move them or they can damage the interior finish of your piece when we lift and transport them.

Yes, we’re fully licensed by both the Iowa DOT and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the federal agency responsible for regulating interstate carriers and improving highway safety. Our trucks, our cargo, and our employees are also covered by insurance, so if something should go wrong you and your goods are protected.

For local moves we charge hourly plus a flat drive fee to cover our travel time between our shop and the work sites (out and back). Our hourly rates are higher at the end of the week and at the turn of the month (when demand is highest), and so if you have some flexibility and can move mid-week and/or mid-month you’ll save money. For long distance moves, we charge by weight and distance. We’ll perform an on-site or virtual survey to estimate the weight of your belongings, but we’ll use a truck scale to find out the exact weight and charges on move day. You can purchase full repair or replacement coverage with either a local or a long distance job, but that’s an optional extra. Other optional extras including packing, crating, storage, and unpacking.

If you’re scheduled for a beginning of day appointment then the movers will arrive between 8 and 8:30am. If you’re scheduled for a late morning, mid-day, or afternoon arrival, you have an approximately 3-hour arrival window when the crew could arrive. You’ll receive your crew leaders name and cell at the beginning of the day, though, so if you need an update on their progress, feel free to text him or her. You’ll be updated via text as they complete their earlier jobs, and then they’ll get in touch when they’re on the way.

On your spouse’s day off but you have to go in to work! 😉 Our hourly rates are cheaper mid-week and mid-month (since more people want to move at the end of the week and at the end of the month), so if you can move on a Tuesday or Wednesday, instead of a Friday or Saturday, then you could save some money.

Of course, you can call last-minute and we’ll do our best to schedule your move for the exact date and time you’d like. Unfortunately, though, we sometimes book up for particular dates. And, very rarely, whole weeks are booked up on our schedule, especially the last weeks of June and July when peak moving season is at its peaky-est. In general, if you call at least 2 weeks before your move we should have good availability. (If you hope to move on one very particular day in June or July, we recommend calling at least 4 weeks before your move!) If you have some date flexibility, though, a 2-week lead time should be just fine.

If we’re doing the packing, then you really just need to pack your personal items and clothes for the time between your old and new homes and any take care of any items that we’re prohibited by law from moving. You’ll want to take your own essential documents (like passports and birth certificates), high value jewelry, and plants, if you’re moving them. You’ll also need to safely dispose of all household hazardous waste, like waste oil, paints, turpentines, thinners, gasoline, diesel, propane tanks, and any other flammables or explosives. Otherwise, we can take care of the rest.

If you’re doing the packing, then a good rule of thumb is, “If it can fit in a box, it should be packed in a box.” Don’t forget wall art, mirrors, lamps, and especially lamp shades. If those aren’t packed they’re very likely to get damaged on a truck.

Yes, we move pianos, whether they be upright or grand. Piano move pricing is flat rate billed (rather than hourly), and to provide an estimate we’ll need to know the type and size of your piano and the number of steps to be navigated at both origin and destination.

Yes, and yes. We’re unique among small independent movers in that we specialize in long-distance moves. Our top-notch crews will move you anywhere in the country, whether it be Tempe, AZ or Missoula, MT. Along with our trusted partners, we also provide moving services to anywhere in the world.

We do our absolute best to make sure that your move happens on-time and on-budget. Winter weather in Iowa, though, can be both unpredictable and downright unfriendly. In rare circumstances, we could delay a move start, or postpone a move date, to protect the health and safety of our crews. We closely follow the National Weather Services forecasts, and should there be a watch or advisory in your area, we’ll be in touch to discuss options. Should there be a Winter Storm Warning during your scheduled move time, we will very likely need to delay or postpone your move for the safety of our crew and your possessions.

We’d rather not move your plants since an air-conditioned passenger vehicle is a much better way to keep plants alive and safe. If moving your plants on our trucks is your only option, we’ll be happy to attempt to get them safely to your destination. But be forewarned, the backs of moving trucks are often lethal to plants in both mid-winter and mid-summer, and your plants might not make it alive. It should go without saying that we can’t be held responsible for premature plant demise.

Yes, please do! Otherwise they’re likely to get damaged in transit. We’re happy to pack your lamps and lamp shades, as well as your wall art and mirrors, if you’re intimidated by the prospect. (Just let us know you’d like us to do that in advance.) It’s really not that hard, though. For table lamps just find a box large enough for the base, wrap and pad well, seal the box well, and presto you’re done. You should pack the shade, the harp (that’s the two-pronged wire structure that suspends the shade above the bulb), the finial (the decorative nut on top), and the bulb all in a separate box and label it as a shade TOP LOAD ONLY so we know to load it on top of a tier.

You can get specialty mirror boxes from us or from Uhaul or a big box retailer. Just be sure to pad the edges of the painting or mirror well and it’ll be just fine.