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Are You Licensed to Practice as a Moving Company in Dallas?

Household goods motor carriers (moving companies) operating in Dallas and Texas must have an active certificate of motor carrier registration and comply with the motor carrier rules and regulations set out in Chapter 228 of Title 43 of the Texas Administrative Code.

Moving companies in the city can apply for and obtain their certificate of motor carrier from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV). To apply for the certificate, interested persons must first sign up on the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Motor Carrier Division official page. These applicants must have registered with the United States Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and obtain an intrastate USDOT number before creating a profile with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles Motor Carrier Division.

This is because applicants can only use the exact first name, last name, company name, and email address registered with the United States Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to create their profile. Applicants can obtain an intrastate USDOT number online via the United States Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's unified registration system before creating a profile with the TxDMV.

Applicants will receive an email with further instructions after their profile application has been received and approved. Note that profile application review usually takes 24-48 hours to be completed.

When the application is approved, the applicant will be sent an email with their Unique Identifier Number (UIN), which they will need to send to their insurance carrier. This will enable the applicant to submit the required insurance policies online. As a result, applicants must ensure that their insurance company files the necessary insurance for their certificate.

After an applicant's insurance carrier has filed the requisite insurance, the applicant will receive another email asking them to log in to MCCS and pay the required amounts to complete their application process. Once the fees have been paid, MCCS will convert the applicant's UIN to their TxDMV Certificate number. For more information concerning motor carrier registration and how to use MCCS, call TxDMV at (800) 299-1700.

Residents of Dallas must understand that it is their responsibility to ensure that the moving company they intend to hire is licensed. Hiring a moving company that does not have valid TxDMV-issued credentials exposes you to various risks, including loss of properties being moved.

As such, before hiring a moving company to transport household goods or other non-household property in Dallas, you should use the TxDMV's truck stop database to confirm whether the company is licensed. Note that every licensed moving company has an "active" TxDMV certificate number on file.

In addition to obtaining a state-issued certificate of motor carrier, moving companies must meet local business registration requirements. These requirements are usually dependent on the company's organizational structure.

For example, if the moving company is structured as a general partnership or sole proprietorship, it must register locally with the Dallas County Clerk's Office. On the other hand, if the moving company is an incorporated, limited liability company, it must register at the Texas Secretary of State's Office.

Queries concerning moving companies business licenses can be directed to both the Dallas County Clerk's Office at (214) 653-7110 or (214) 653-7099 and the Texas Secretary of State's Office at (512) 463-5555.

How Much Do You Charge Compared with Other Movers in Dallas?

Moving cost in Dallas is influenced by factors like the size and amount of items to be moved, the distance from the take-off point to the destination, and add-on services such as storage and furniture assembly or disassembly.

Before hiring a mover in Dallas, residents must understand that it is their responsibility to specify which items the mover will load and identify any difficulties they will encounter, as this will help them in making an estimate for the job.

Regardless of the size and types of household goods you want to transport, it is advised that you always compare estimates from different movers before selecting the best. By comparing estimates from different moving companies, you can determine the actual cost of the service you need while differentiating between real costs and gratuity fees. This will ensure you do not fall prey to dishonest movers who demand more than the actual cost of moving your household items.

In addition to getting and comparing estimates from different movers, you should also ask each mover you are considering for a copy of their tariff (rates). These are the maximum rates they may charge for moving your household items.

Movers in Dallas calculate their rates using the following methods:

• Hourly Rates: rates are calculated based on the amount of time required to complete the job, including how much time it will take to move from point A to B
• Weight/Distance rates: rates are calculated based on the weight of the item to be moved and the distance the mover will travel to get the job done
• Written binding Rates: here, rates include the cost of all the transportation charges and agreed-upon services.

Dallas's transportation and material moving workers earn an average annual wage of $42,890. The list below compares the hourly average wages earned by these workers in the city against those of transportation and material moving workers in other parts of Texas State as well as several other major cities in the country:

Will You Get a Moving Permit as Required by Dallas Regulations?

There are no specific permit requirements for movers in Dallas. However, moving companies may need a commercial loading zone permit to provide certain services. Loading zones are designated areas in the parking lane for the loading and unloading of deliveries to buildings. As such, movers may need this permit to load or unload deliveries to your building.

Commercial loading zone permits can be purchased at the Parking Customer Service Center at:

In addition to a commercial loading zone permit, movers are generally required to comply with the city's parking rules and regulations when providing their services. These requirements include not violating any official sign, curb marking, or street marking prohibiting, regulating, or restricting a vehicle's parking, stopping, or standing. It also includes carrying proof that the vehicle is registered with the State Department of Highways and Public Transportation.

Other parking regulations that moving companies in Dallas must meet include:

• No parking during a parking ban
• Ensuring that the engine of a vehicle is off, locking the ignition, and removing the key from the ignition before leaving a vehicle
• Ensuring that the vehicle is not parked in a public street, alley, parkway, boulevard, or public place
• Ensuring that the vehicle is not parked in a public street, alley, or other public place for a continuous period longer than 24 hours
• Ensuring that vehicles are parked within limit lines

For more information concerning parking rules and regulations in the city, check Dallas Code of Ordinance Volume 1, Chapter 28, Article XI.

What Kind of Moving Services Do You Offer?

While most moving companies in Dallas provide various services, residents must understand that some of these services require a great deal of expertise. As such, it is always in your best interest to ensure that the moving company you are hiring is competent enough to do the job.

Moving services in Dallas are grouped into five, and they include:

• Local moving,
• Long-distance moving,
• Interstate moving,
• International moving, and
• Small moving.

Local and long-distance involves transporting household items from a location in the city to another location within the city or Texas.

On the other hand, small moves involve moving fewer home belongings on short notice, usually on the same day. Likewise, Interstate and international moving involve moves outside Texas or the United States.

In addition to the aforementioned services, most moving companies in the city also offer various add-on services. These include packing and unpacking, loading and unloading, disassembly and reassembly, and storage.

You should always inquire about the nature of a moving company's services before hiring one in the city. By investigating a moving company's services, you can determine whether they can meet your needs at the time.

Note that you are responsible for providing the moving company with accurate information about the items you want to move. This will prevent disputes over costs after an agreement has been reached.

Listed below are cost estimates for moving services commonly provided by professional moving companies in Dallas:

Do You Provide Packing and Storage Services?

Although there are many moving companies in Dallas, not all of them provide packing and unpacking services as well as storage. As a result, before finalizing any arrangement with a company, it is usually a good idea to check if they provide these services. If the company you intend to hire does not offer these services, do not hesitate to find a moving company that does.

Common packing and unpacking services that movers in Dallas offer include:

• Full packing services,
• Partial packing services,
• Professional box handling and organization, 
• Used box pick-up services.

Besides these aforementioned services, some moving companies in the city also provide storage facilities for your items. This typically happens when you need your items stored at a secondary location before they are taken to the final destination. Reasons why you may require storage include:

• You plan to relocate soon and may no longer be able to access your present apartment
• You are moving to a place with less space to contain your household items
• You want to settle in your new apartment before you unpack your household items

Regardless of why you need storage, it is crucial to ensure that the moving company has the resources to keep your items safe. You should request to see their storage facility and inquire about how they will pack, label, and arrange your items.

You should also inquire about who will offer the packing supplies. This is significant since some moving firms allow customers to supply their own packing materials, lowering the cost of packing the items.

You can sign an agreement with the moving company once you have determined that they have the resources and tools to pack and unpack your belongings as well as provide suitable storage for them.

What is an Appropriate Tip for Your Movers in Dallas?

Tipping service providers, such as movers, after they have performed very well is one way of expressing your satisfaction with their services. Reasons why you may decide to tip movers in Dallas include, but are not limited to:

• They arrive on time to do the job
• They handle your items with care with extra emphasis on delicate ones
• They help move large items from inside your apartment to the truck
• They offer to give an extra hand without billing for it
• They are friendly to you

Although it is common in the city to tip movers $15 to $20 of the total moving cost, people must understand that the decision to tip movers is theirs. As a result, they can decide to tip movers at an hourly average.

Using an hourly average instead of tipping movers 15%-20% of the total cost of the move allows you to compensate movers based on the quality of service you received and the difficulty of providing the service. A good hourly average tip for movers should be $4 to $5 per person.

Finally, in situations where a moving company performs badly or below expectations, you must inform them about their poor performance.

Do You Carry the Necessary Insurance Policy for Movers in Dallas?

In Dallas, movers must have the appropriate insurance coverage in place to protect their customers from financial responsibilities resulting from property damage. Before both parties reach an agreement, it is common for each mover in the city to give copies of the insurance policies and any other evidence of the insurance purchased to their customers. This is especially crucial because transporting objects from one residential address to another is fraught with risks that can result in property damage and work-related injuries.

Transportation and material moving workers are estimated to have accounted for 20 percent of all on-the-job injuries that necessitated time off in the United States in 2018. Even though it is not certain that your mover may get injured while transporting your items, ensuring that they are insured before they do the work is crucial.

You can confirm whether your mover is insured by requesting evidence of insurance purchased by them. Nonetheless, you should always verify whatever evidence you are given by calling the insurance company that issued the document. Queries concerning the right insurance policies a moving company must have before doing business in the city can be directed to TxDMV by calling (888) 368 - 4689.

In addition to carrying the necessary insurance policies, some moving companies may offer to sell you transit insurance, which helps to cover loss or property damage. Note that TxDMV or the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) does not regulate this type of insurance. As such, you should always read the policy carefully to understand your coverage.

Finally, all licensed movers in Texas have a standard liability of 60 cents per pound of cargo. On the other hand, some moving firms may assume a more significant liability level, but this will be discussed and agreed upon by both parties. It is important to note that movers' limits are not the same as insurance, so always ensure your moving firm is covered.

Can You Provide References or Recommendations in Dallas?

When hiring a moving company in Dallas, seek one ready to provide their customers with references or letters of recommendation from satisfied past clients. These moving companies are usually confident about the services they provide, which is what you want. Moving companies that do not provide references or letters of recommendation from satisfied past clients to potential customers are either incompetent or illegitimate. However, some unscrupulous individuals may provide fake references or letters of recommendation to persuade you to hire them. As a result, you should always double-check any reference you are given by contacting these past clients and getting a first-hand review from them.