Moving is generally a challenging process that involves a million decisions to be made, including the choice of whether you’ll take over the project yourself or hire a moving company to help or take over your move. Additionally, many homeowners underestimate the immense amount of work that goes into a move—from the initial planning stages to the final unpacking and set-up of your furniture and other belongings. Fortunately, there is an effective way to save yourself from these daunting and strenuous move-related tasks—hiring professionals to plan, organize, and execute the perfect relocation. 

There are two ways to find a moving company you can trust to help you with your moving project: hiring moving brokers or hiring moving companies directly. A moving broker and a moving company are two entirely different entities, but many people confuse one with the other. 

At Coleman American Moving Services, we are dedicated to providing top-quality relocation experiences for our customers all over the world. Whether you find us through a broker or by contacting us directly, we are always ready to help you with the services you need to complete your local, long-distance, or international move. In this article, we will discuss in further detail what moving brokers are, and their difference with moving companies like us—and how you can count on one or the other to organize your upcoming move.

What are Moving Brokers?

In a nutshell, a moving broker’s main job is to connect customers who are planning to move with area moving companies that are licensed, reputable, and available. Because they only serve as the middleman that connects the consumer with these services, brokers have very little to do with the actual move itself, and are not equipped with trucks, moving equipment, storage facilities, or teams of professional movers to work with. 

This also means that brokers can’t answer to your concerns regarding the handling of your belongings or specific moving logistics concerns. Basically, the broker is a sales team that provides you with a quote and bids the job to different moving companies it works with.

How to Find Good Moving Brokers?

Unfortunately, there are many fraudulent moving brokers out there that prey on customers unaware of the risks of hiring them for moving services. Knowing how to find a reputable broker is an important step of the process, as it can save you from losing time and money in a scam.

Choosing the right broker usually means doing a little bit of research to ensure the validity of the broker’s business. When searching for a broker, use the checklist below by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (provided by the US Department of Transportation) to determine the legitimacy of the business:

  • The broker must be registered with the FMCSA
  • The broker must provide you with a list of moving companies they work with
  • The broker only uses FMCSA-registered movers
  • The broker should provide you with FMCSA’s “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move” and “Ready to Move” brochures
  • The broker should provide you with base estimates on the fees of the moving company that will be assigned to you
  • The broker indicates the physical business location, Motor Carrier number, and its status as a broker, not a mover in its advertisement materials

The broker should ask the moving company to do a physical survey of your household items that will be moved if you are located within 50 miles from the moving company or the agent’s location, whichever is closer

Finding a Trustworthy Moving Company

When you partner with Coleman American Moving Services either through a broker or directly with our team, you will be able to gain access to its top-quality moving services, modern facilities, and its team of professional moving consultants, packers, movers, and drivers. We are proud of our team of experienced and highly trained professional movers who can help you plan and execute the move with utmost efficiency. Because we are fully licensed and insured, you can have the peace of mind that your items will be moved securely, protecting you from unexpected additional costs. 

We are also proud of our accreditation with the Better Business Bureau and other industry-related awards and accolades and are dedicated to continuously making our customers happy by consistently improving our moving services. To learn more, give us a call at Coleman American Moving Services today to speak with one of our representatives about our moving solutions, or fill out our online form to get started with a free, in-home moving quote today.