In the world of moving labor, you can find two category of movers: moving helpers and pro movers with a special ID number. What is the big difference between the two?
Brotherhood of Movers
Moving helpers are experienced hands who regularly load / unload rental trucks and portable storage containers for the DIY-type clients. Although they are not "professional grade" movers, they are highly effective and recommended for clients who need a team of able-bodied persons to help them with their DIY move.
A moving helper can, at times, be just as effective as a pro mover with a CID number. A lot of moving helpers have years of experience in the moving industry. In that time, some have truly mastered the art of furniture wrapping, picking up and carrying heavy items, and properly loading a rental truck to get the most out of the space available. At times, its really hard to tell the difference between an experienced moving helper and a pro mover with a CID number based on a finished work - unless of course, movers rubber bands are involved.
What is a Pro Mover with a CID Number?
Pro movers with CID numbers are the ones you see loading up big carriers (trucks) like Allied Van Lines, Mayflower Transit, New World Van Lines, North American Van Lines, United Van Lines etc. They are also the ones long distance moving companies turn to when they are picking up or dropping off a load somewhere.
There is a labor pool that companies can access and hire a pro mover. To access this list, moving companies and van line operators pay an annual subscription fee; the company who maintains the list gave me a quote of $900 annually to access it.
How Much Does a Pro Movers Cost?
Pro movers usually charge $200 a day. However, what exactly constitutes a "day" usually isn't clearly defined. We would like to assume its 8 hours, but, as one mover put it, "its until we are done or the job is finished". Unless its in writing, there seems to be a little disagreement between drivers and laborers what a "day" means.
But, as a general rule, you will shell out $200 per pro mover - whether the job takes 2 hours or 8. Which is probably why pro movers are generally used by companies and not the DIY moving client.
In reality, a moving helper can easily become a pro mover with a CID number. They have to register, verify their identity and get a background check. Once they do this, then they get added to a list where van line operators and any other paid member can have access to them.
Moving Helpers & DIY Moving
For the most part, I recommend regular moving helpers to the DIY moving client. It would make very little sense to hire a pro mover for a "day" for something that takes two motivated, experienced moving helpers 2-3 hours to do. However, for moving companies and van line operators, it is usually suggested that they use pro movers with a CID number. Residential moves with a van line or moving company can take a couple of days - might as well hire a helper who can handle 6+ straight hours of packing & loading.
We currently have both types of movers listed on our platform: moving helpers and pro movers. We do not charge an annual subscription fee to access our list. Simply visit our locations section, select a city and browse movers near you.
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