Movers in Austin

By Ankush Das, founder and CEO of Snestico · Published

A mover working within Texas must be licensed by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV), and you can look it up in TxDMV's Truck Stop search. Before loading, it must give you a written binding or not-to-exceed proposal and the Texas moving booklet.

Snestico doesn't move your things or recommend a mover. This page sets out the checks Texas's own regulator and FMCSA give, so you can compare any mover you find, and what to plan around the move itself in Austin.

How do you check a mover in Austin?

  • Look the mover up in TxDMV's Truck Stop search: it must hold an active TxDMV certificate
  • Before loading, get a written proposal: binding (the exact price) or not-to-exceed (the most you'll pay)
  • Before loading, the mover must give you "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move in Texas"
  • Leaving Texas? The mover needs a USDOT number from FMCSA too

Moving day in Austin

To park a truck in the street, Austin's right-of-way office takes parking requests through its ROWMAN system: submit at least 3 business days ahead and let the neighbors next to you know. Apartment complexes usually have their own rules for loading zones and move-in times, so ask the office.

Ask movers how they charge for time and travel, and whether stairs or a long carry from the parking spot add to the price.

Moving to or from another state?

For a move to another state, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulates the mover. It must have a USDOT number, which you can look up on FMCSA's site, and give you the booklet "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move". On a non-binding estimate you pay no more than 110% of it at delivery; the rest can be billed after 30 days. Full Value Protection is the default, and you only get the cheaper released value, 60 cents per pound per item, if you waive it in writing.

Before and after the truck

  • Get estimates from more than one mover, in writing, after each has seen what you're moving
  • Keep documents, valuables and medicines with you, not on the truck
  • Photograph every room of the old place empty, and of the new place before you unpack, for your deposit
  • Check the inventory and note any damage on the paperwork before you sign
  • Moving light? Sell big furniture before you go and furnish the new place from the local marketplace

Sources

How this was made: drafted with AI assistance, then reviewed and edited by Ankush Das, who checks every fact against the sources listed before it is published or updated.