Los Angeles
to New York City

What moves the price

How much you're moving matters most. The 2,935 miles matter less than most people expect. A shipment twice the size costs close to twice as much, while twice the distance adds only a fraction of that. That's because a long-distance truck carries several households at once: you pay for your share of the trailer and the labor at both ends, and loading and unloading take just as long whatever the drive.

Access comes next, and it's where surprise charges usually come from: stairs at either end, an elevator too small for a sofa, a long walk from where a big truck can legally park, or a street that needs a smaller shuttle truck. None of these are unusual, and all of them take extra labor. A mover who hasn't asked you about them hasn't finished pricing your move.

Then there's timing. October through April is the quiet half of the year, and June and July are the busiest months across the industry. Mid-month is easier to book than the first or last few days, when most leases end.

Everything else — packing, a piano or a gun safe, storage between dates, extra valuation coverage — is priced separately and should show up as its own line. If a mover gives you one number with no breakdown, ask for one.

How delivery actually works

A household move doesn't travel like a package. A long-distance trailer carries several shipments and plans its route around all of them, so you get a delivery window rather than a single date. On this route that's usually 7 to 17 days from pickup.

Federal rules require the mover to put that window in writing and to tell you if it's going to be missed. Ask for it before you book. If a company won't put it on paper, take note.

Be careful with a guaranteed date offered casually over the phone. If it isn't in the paperwork, it isn't a promise.

Why this is a range and not a quote

The size of a home doesn't tell you how much is in it. Two families in identical apartments can own three times as much as each other, and a website can't see which one you are. So the number here is a range, and it's wide on purpose: home size alone gives about ±30%, and a room-by-room list of what's coming narrows it to about ±15%.

Under federal rules, an estimate is a written document the mover prepares after seeing what you're moving, and it holds the mover to a number. On a binding estimate, you pay that number. On a non-binding one, the mover can require at most 110% of it at delivery. A number from a website doesn't count as an estimate, which is why we don't call it one.

The written estimate comes after a survey. A short video walk-through on your phone is enough; the FMCSA accepts it instead of an in-home visit.

Settle these before you pay anyone

Get the estimate in writing and check which kind it is. A binding estimate is the price you pay. A non-binding one can go up, but at delivery the mover can require no more than 110% of it. Some movers also offer a not-to-exceed price, which can only come in lower.

Ask what happens if you add things after the estimate. Under 49 CFR 375.403, before loading, the mover has to confirm the original estimate, give you a new signed one, or agree in writing to treat it as non-binding. If they start loading without doing one of those, the original estimate stands, and they can only charge extra for services you specifically asked for.

Ask what your valuation coverage is. The legal minimum is 60 cents per pound per item, which for a 50-pound TV comes to $30. Full value protection costs extra, and it's worth understanding before the move, not after.

Ask for the delivery window, the deposit and the cancellation terms in one written document, not three answers over the phone.