Leaving Texas: the long-distance moving mistakes that cost families the most

The costly mistakes are made before anything is packed

The biggest long-distance moving mistakes are booking from a price given sight unseen, booking too late for summer, moving things you should have sold, accepting the cheapest protection level without realizing it pays by the pound, putting essentials and valuables on the truck, and signing delivery papers before checking your belongings. Almost all of them are decided in the first few weeks of planning, not on moving day, which means almost all of them are avoidable.

We at IMS Relocation plan long-distance moves from our Carrollton office and carry them through the Mayflower Transit and United Van Lines networks we are an agent for, which together have more than 800 agents worldwide. After many years of moving families out of North Texas, I can tell you the problems at the far end usually started at the near end. Here are the ones we see most.

Mistake one: trusting a number nobody earned

A long-distance move is priced largely on the weight of the shipment and the distance, so an accurate price depends on someone actually seeing what you own. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration lists it as a red flag when a mover or broker gives an estimate over the phone or online, sight unseen, or will not put the estimate in writing. The same list warns about a mover that claims on moving day that you have more belongings than estimated.

Insist on a walk-through, in person or by video, and a written estimate. Verify that the company has a USDOT number and interstate authority, and find out whether you are talking to the company that will load your truck or to a broker who will hand the job to someone else. Our guide on checking a Texas moving company covers the full set of checks.

Mistake two: calling in May for a June move

May through September is peak season, and long-distance capacity fills first. We recommend at least four to six weeks for a standard residential move and six to eight weeks for international moves, and in summer the earlier end is not early enough for popular dates. Families relocating for a new job often learn their start date only a few weeks out, which is all the more reason to get an estimate as soon as a move is likely, even before the date is fixed.

If you have any flexibility, late fall and winter usually offer more choice of dates and can come with savings. The end of the month is busy all year because leases and closings cluster there.

Mistake three: paying to move what you will not use

On a long-distance move, weight is money. The old patio set, the garage shelving, the treadmill nobody uses and the boxes from the last move that were never opened all cost the same per pound as the things you love. Sorting them out after you arrive means you paid to haul them across the country first.

Do the hard sorting before the estimate, so the price reflects what is really going. Think about the new home as well: furniture sized for a large Texas living room may not suit a city apartment, and a riding mower is no use in a condo. Sell, donate or give away what will not fit the new life, and move the rest.

• Furniture that will not fit the new rooms
• Garage and yard equipment the new home will not need
• Duplicate kitchen items and small appliances
• Books, papers and media you have not opened in years
• Anything you would not buy again if you lost it

Mistake four: skimming past the protection line

Federal rules require interstate movers to offer two levels of liability. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, released value costs nothing extra but pays no more than 60 cents per pound per article, while full value protection makes the mover responsible for the replacement value of lost or damaged goods. Full value protection applies unless you sign a statement choosing released value, so be careful what you sign on moving morning.

Under full value protection, movers may also limit their responsibility for items of extraordinary value, which the federal regulator describes as more than 100 dollars per pound, unless you list them on the shipping documents. With us, you declare the value of your goods and choose a protection level at the estimate, and it appears on the estimate and the bill of lading. Our guide on full value protection versus released value explains how to choose.

Mistake five: packing the things you will need on the road

On a local move, a box you need is a short drive away. On a long-distance move, it may be days away and hundreds of miles behind you. Families pack the medication, the school records, the closing documents or the children's favorite blankets onto the truck and spend the first week buying replacements.

Pack a travel kit that goes in your own car or suitcase, and keep it separate from everything the crew will handle. Our standard advice is to keep essentials such as medication and documents apart from the rest of the move, and to carry jewelry, heirlooms and small valuables yourself.

• Medication, prescriptions and medical records
• Passports, IDs, closing or lease documents and school records
• Laptops, chargers and backup drives
• Jewelry and small heirlooms
• A week of clothes, toiletries and basic kitchen items
• Pet food, leashes, carriers and records

Mistake six: forgetting the items no mover can carry

Some things cannot go on a moving truck at all. We cannot move hazardous materials, perishables, live animals, firearms or ammunition, and that covers more of the house than people expect: aerosols, paint, propane tanks, fire extinguishers, bleach and flammable liquids. The federal regulator also notes that packing perishable, dangerous or hazardous materials without your mover's knowledge can limit the mover's liability.

Plan how you will handle each of these weeks ahead. Use up or give away cleaning supplies and paint, empty fuel from lawn equipment, and arrange separately for pets and anything you are legally allowed to transport yourself. Appliances with water or gas connections need to be disconnected before the move and reconnected after; for our moves, that is done by vetted third-party professionals rather than by the moving crew.

Mistake seven: no plan for the cars, the gap or the far end

Most families leaving Texas have more vehicles than drivers. Decide early which car you will drive and which will be shipped, and book vehicle transport with the household move rather than as an afterthought; we arrange auto, boat and motorcycle transport alongside the move. Ask for the expected pickup and delivery windows in writing so you can plan hotels, school start dates and the closing on the new home around them.

Pickup and delivery on a long move are rarely on consecutive days, and plans at the destination can slip. If the new home is not ready, storage can hold your goods until it is. Our existing guide on moving out, storing everything and moving in covers that situation from the Dallas end.

People plan the house they are leaving in detail and arrive at the new address knowing almost nothing about it. Before moving day, find out the rules at the destination: apartment and condo move hours, elevator reservations, HOA restrictions, and where a large truck can legally park. In older city neighborhoods and downtown buildings, a full-size moving truck may not fit on the street or in the dock, so ask your mover how the delivery would be finished if it cannot reach the door.

Line up the practical pieces as well. Have utilities and internet scheduled to start before you arrive, confirm when you will get the keys, and make sure someone will be there for the delivery window. A truck that arrives to a locked house or a building that will not let it unload costs time on both sides, and on a long-distance move that time is hard to recover.

Mistake eight: signing for the delivery before checking it

Delivery day is long and tiring, and the temptation is to sign whatever the driver hands you and start unpacking. Slow down. Be present, or have someone you trust present, check items against the inventory as they come off the truck, and note any visible damage or missing items on the paperwork before you sign. The federal regulator warns against signing a delivery receipt that contains language releasing the mover from liability, and says to strike that language out.

If something is damaged, keep the item and its packaging and photograph everything. Interstate shippers have nine months from delivery to file a written claim, according to the federal regulator, but the sooner you report it, the easier it is to resolve. Our guide on what to do when movers damage or lose something walks through the steps.

How we keep a long move on track

Every long-distance move we run starts with a moving plan and a walk-through, followed by upfront, no-obligation pricing in writing. Once you sign and choose a date, a moving coordinator manages the details, our full-time crews pack and load, and the move is carried through the Mayflower and United networks to the destination. We follow up after delivery to make sure everything arrived as it should. No deposit is needed to schedule a domestic move.

If you are leaving Dallas–Fort Worth, the best first step is an early estimate, even before every date is fixed. It shows you what the move involves, what it will cost and which of these mistakes your plan is still exposed to. For a breakdown of the price itself, read our guide on what drives the cost of a move.

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