Updated October 21, 2026
For local work, how to price moving jobs starts with an hourly rate for a crew and a truck, and then gets accurate through the estimate of hours. The rate is the easy part. The hours depend on inventory, stairs, elevators, parking and distance between the two homes, which is why the survey and the questions matter more than the rate.
Quick answer: Total labor, truck and overhead per hour for each crew size, add profit, and publish an hourly rate per crew. Estimate load and unload hours from the inventory, add drive time between addresses and a travel charge to and from your yard, then add stairs, long carries, packing materials and specialty items. Set a minimum number of hours.
Hear the AI answer and book a move on your own phone, in 1 minute →
| Line, 3 movers + 26 ft truck | Assumption | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Labor | 3 × $20 + 20% burden | $72.00 |
| Truck | payment, insurance, fuel, maintenance | $35.00 |
| Overhead | cargo and liability insurance, office, marketing, software | $40.00 |
| Cost | $147.00 | |
| Rate at 20% profit | $147 ÷ 0.80 | $183.75, use $185 |
Illustrative numbers. Insurance and wages vary widely by market.
Ask for, or walk through, the inventory: rooms, large furniture, appliances, number of boxes, and anything heavy or fragile. Note floors, elevators, distance from door to truck and parking at both ends. Your crew's history on similar moves is the best guide; write down actual hours after every job so the next estimate is better.
| Line | Calculation | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Load and unload | 5 crew hours (2-bedroom, second floor walk-up at origin) | — |
| Drive between homes | 0.75 hours | — |
| Billable job hours | 5.75 × $185 | $1,064 |
| Travel charge (yard to origin and back from destination) | flat 1 hour | $185 |
| Stairs | included in the 5 hours above because it was asked about up front | — |
| Packing materials | wardrobe boxes, tape, mattress bags, at your margin | $85 |
| Estimate | $1,334 |
Give a range, not a single number, when inventory is uncertain, and state the hourly rate so the customer understands how the final bill is calculated.
Long-distance pricing is typically based on weight or volume and distance rather than hours, and interstate moves in the U.S. fall under federal rules on estimates and paperwork (FMCSA). If you do interstate work, check those rules before you change how you quote.
A minimum of two or three hours protects you on small moves that still tie up a truck and crew for half a day. Say it in the first reply so nobody is surprised.
Explain your valuation coverage in the estimate, what it covers and what extra protection costs. Customers who understand coverage before move day are far easier to work with if something is damaged.
Each answer changes the hours, so ask them every time and write down the answers on the estimate. When the move day matches what was described, the bill matches the estimate, and that is what earns reviews.
Peak dates fill up weeks in advance. A small deposit to hold the date, with a clear cancellation policy, protects you from no-shows on days you turned other customers away.
Most families ask several movers for a price at once, and many book whoever sends a clear estimate first. Unmanually is a 24/7 AI Office Manager: it calls new leads back in about a minute, asks the inventory, stairs and parking questions, sends your estimate and books the date, then reconfirms details before move day. You approve anything that spends money. See what it does for moving companies, or run the calculator to see how many hours of estimates and follow-ups turn into minutes of talking.
Add crew labor with payroll costs, truck costs and overhead per hour, then divide by one minus the profit target. Publish a rate per crew size.
Most local movers charge a travel fee or travel time covering the drive from the yard to the first address and back from the last, plus drive time between addresses.
Use an inventory, the number of floors and stairs, elevator and parking conditions, and your crew's actual hours on similar past moves.
Home service businesses answer only about half their calls (Invoca, July 2026), and owners spend about 11 to 16 hours/week on admin. Knowing what to do is the easy part; the money leaks out in the calls you can't take, the quotes nobody chases and the invoices that sit unpaid. Unmanually is a 24/7 AI Office Manager for moving companies that you run by voice from your phone:
Sources: Invoca, July 2026 (52% of home-service calls answered by a person, 60M+ calls); admin hours: Time etc / Censuswide 2023 and Amex SME Barometer 2026.
Unmanually is an AI Office Manager that works 24/7 and that you run by voice from your phone. Leave your mobile number and the AI Office Manager calls you right away, the same way it would call back one of your customers. That call is the demo: it answers, books you a 15-minute time with the founder and follows up.
We use your details only to call you and follow up about Unmanually. Unsubscribe any time.
Pick the one that fits where your business is right now.
$99/month
Your AI Office Manager calls back every lead, books the job and runs your office 24/7, so hours of admin become minutes of talking.
Start Growth$0, no credit card
A website for your business that makes your phone ring, built in 60 seconds. Add the Growth plan whenever you are ready.
Get my free website