Moving Estimate Template: Hours for Local, Weight for Long Haul

Short answer: A moving estimate template needs two pricing bases, because local and long-distance jobs are priced by different units. Local work is hours times crew size plus a truck fee; long-distance work is weight or cubic feet times distance. Both add stairs and elevator, long carry, packing materials, bulky items, and valuation. On an interstate non-binding estimate, a mover may not collect more than 110 percent at delivery.

Nobody in this trade loses money on the rate. They lose it in the gap between the hours they quoted and the hours the job took. A three-bedroom that was supposed to be seven hours becomes eleven because the elevator was never reserved, the truck could not get past the dumpster, and half the kitchen was still in cabinets when the crew arrived. The estimate is the only place where those things can be caught, priced, and put in writing before anyone lifts a box.

Which pricing basis does the job take, hours or weight?

Pick one at the top of the form, because everything below it changes.

	Local move	Long-distance move
Unit	Hours × crew size	Weight in hundredweight, or cubic feet, × distance
What sets the price	How fast the crew works	How much the shipment actually weighs
Truck	Flat fee or included, often with a travel time charge	Line haul, built into the rate
Risk you carry	Underestimated hours	Underestimated volume
Typical minimum	Stated minimum hours	Stated minimum weight
Where it ends	Same day	Delivery spread of several days

An hourly job and a weight job need different paperwork, so keep two versions of the form rather than one that tries to do both. And say the basis out loud on the first page: “This is an hourly estimate. The final charge is the actual time worked at the rate below” reads very differently to a customer than a single total at the bottom, and it is the difference between a happy delivery and an argument in a stairwell.

What lines belong on a moving estimate?

Line	Unit	Why it stands alone
Crew size	Movers, named as a count	Two movers and four movers are different products
Hourly rate	Per hour for that crew	The customer should see the crew and the rate together
Minimum hours	Stated	A one-hour job still costs you a half day of dispatch
Travel or drive time	Stated method	Shop to origin and destination to shop is real time
Truck fee and fuel	Flat or per mile	Separates equipment cost from labor
Stairs and elevator	Per flight, or per elevator building	The single most underquoted access factor
Long carry	Beyond a stated distance	Parking to door is the hidden walk
Shuttle	Conditional	A tractor-trailer that cannot reach the door is a second vehicle
Packing labor	Hours, separate from moving hours	Packing is a different day
Materials	Per box, roll, bag	Cartons, tape, paper, mattress bags, shrink
Bulky and specialty items	Each, named	Piano, safe, pool table, marble, treadmill
Disassembly and reassembly	Per item	Beds, sectionals, mirrors, wall units
Valuation	Level chosen, and the cost	A regulated disclosure, not an upsell line
Estimate type	Binding or non-binding	Changes what you can collect at delivery
Surcharges	Weekend, month end, peak season	Say it before, never after

How do I turn a walkthrough into an hour count?

By inventory, not by bedroom count. “Three bedrooms” tells you nothing about the garage.

Walk every room and record: box count, large furniture items, anything requiring disassembly, anything requiring a crate or a blanket-and-shrink, and everything already packed versus everything still in a cupboard. Then walk the path the crew will walk, at both ends, and time it.

The math is four blocks, and each one is measured separately:

• Load time. Your crew’s real rate for wrapping, carrying, and stacking a truck, taken from your own job records rather than from a chart.
• Drive time. Origin to destination, at the time of day the move happens, plus the shop legs at each end.
• Unload time. Usually faster than loading, because there is no wrapping and no packing puzzle, but time your own crews rather than assuming a fixed ratio.
• Setup and teardown. Pads on floors, door jamb protection, railing wrap, ramp out, and the walkthrough at the end.

Then add the honesty line: customer packing status. A customer who says they will be packed and is not costs you two hours, and that is the most common overrun in the trade. Put it on the estimate as a condition with a rate attached: hours beyond the estimate are billed at the stated hourly rate, and packing performed by the crew on move day is billed as packing labor plus materials.

How do I estimate weight or cubic feet for a long-distance move?

With a cube sheet, then a conversion.

Go room by room, assign each item its cubic footage from your own inventory list, and total it. The long-standing industry conversion is 7 pounds per cubic foot, so a 1,000 cubic foot shipment estimates at about 7,000 pounds. That figure carries you to a rate, and it is also the number that makes valuation meaningful, so it belongs on the estimate rather than in your head.

Two adjustments matter. Dense loads — books, tools, files, a garage full of hardware — run heavier per cubic foot than the average, and a house full of upholstered furniture and empty wardrobe boxes runs lighter. And on a weight-based interstate move, the actual weight comes from certified scale tickets, empty and loaded, which the customer is entitled to see. Write on the estimate that the final charge is based on the actual scale weight, and that reweighs are available.

What does access do to the clock?

More than the shipment size does, on most jobs.

Access factor	What it does	How to price it
Ground floor, truck at the door	The baseline everything else is measured against	Included
Stairs	Each flight slows every single trip, both directions	Per flight, per location
Elevator building	Waiting, sharing with residents, padding the car	Flat per building, plus stated wait terms
Elevator not reserved	Crew stands still on your clock	A condition, not a charge — get the reservation confirmed
Long carry	Every item takes a longer walk, both ends	Beyond a stated distance, per additional increment
Shuttle	Truck cannot reach the address at all	A separate vehicle and a full reload
Narrow doors, tight turns, low ceilings	Hoisting, door removal, sometimes a refusal	Note it, and quote hoisting separately
Parking permits	Some cities require them and enforce them	Pass-through, plus who obtains it

Two items on that list are schedule risk rather than price. Most managed buildings require a certificate of insurance on file and a reserved freight elevator window, and a crew that arrives without one gets turned away at the desk. Put both on the estimate as customer responsibilities with a deadline, and confirm them the day before. A lost move day is the most expensive line item that never appears on any invoice.

Which items get pulled out of the general inventory?

Anything that needs a different technique, a different number of hands, or a different specialist.

• Upright and grand pianos. A grand comes off its legs onto a board, and it is a different crew size and a different rate than a spinet.
• Safes. Price by weight class and by stairs, and be honest about the point at which you decline.
• Pool tables. Disassembly is one job and re-leveling at the destination is a specialist’s job, so say which one you are doing.
• Marble and stone tops. Moved vertically, crated, and never laid flat.
• Large mirrors, glass tabletops, and artwork. Crating priced per item.
• Treadmills, gym equipment, and large aquariums. Disassembly, drainage, and weight.
• Appliances. Whether you disconnect and reconnect gas or water, and whether you will at all.

Then list what does not go on the truck at any price: fuels, propane tanks, paint, aerosols, ammunition, cleaning chemicals, perishables, and live plants on long hauls. Items of extraordinary value need to be declared and listed, and jewelry, documents, and cash should travel with the customer.

What has to be in writing about valuation and estimate type?

The two disclosures that decide what happens when something breaks or the price moves.

Valuation is not insurance, and customers confuse the two constantly. Under FMCSA rules for interstate moves, released value protection is included at no additional charge and limits the mover’s liability to 60 cents per pound per article — a 25 pound television lost or destroyed is $15. Full value protection costs more and covers replacement value, and it is the default if the customer does not choose released value in writing. FMCSA’s liability and protection guidance sets out both, and the estimate should show both with the customer’s selection initialed.

Estimate type is the second. A binding estimate guarantees the price for the services and quantities listed. A non-binding estimate does not, but it is constrained: on an interstate move, a carrier may not collect more than 110 percent of a non-binding estimate at delivery for the services and quantities shown, and the balance must be deferred at least 30 days. Say which type you are issuing, in those words. Intrastate moves are regulated by the state rather than by FMCSA, so check your own state’s rules on what the estimate has to contain.

Payment terms belong right underneath. In this trade the money is usually due before the truck is unloaded, which makes the paperwork on move day matter more than it does almost anywhere else. That timing is the whole game in getting customers to pay, and it works far better when the terms were on the estimate they signed.

How do I set a crew-hour rate that survives a slow day?

Cost the truck day, not the man hour, then divide.

Add up what one truck with one crew costs you for a day: wages plus payroll burden for every mover, the truck payment, commercial auto and cargo insurance, maintenance and tires, fuel, DOT compliance and licensing, dispatch and phone, advertising, and the yard or warehouse. That is your daily nut, and it is due on days with two jobs and days with none.

Then divide by billable hours, and be brutal about that number. A crew that clocks nine hours and bills six has three hours of shop time, fueling, breaks, and driving between the yard and the first address. Pricing as though nine hours are billable is the arithmetic behind a busy summer that ends with nothing in the account.

Set the price by margin. If a truck day costs you $1,120 and you want to keep 30 percent of the revenue, divide by 0.70 and the day needs to bill $1,600. Adding 30 percent to cost gives $1,456 and a margin near 23 percent. Across a season with two trucks running, that gap is a truck payment.

Two more inputs belong in the rate. Seasonality: the last week of the month, weekends, and summer are when demand concentrates, and a stated peak surcharge is more honest than quietly raising the rate. And claims: a percentage of jobs generate a damage claim, and a business that has never priced for that is one dining table away from a loss. Those costs are ordinary and deductible, which is part of what self-employed tax deductions covers.

Published averages for hourly moving rates are worth a look only as a sanity check. Local labor markets, insurance costs, and how much of your area is walk-up buildings move the real number more than any national figure.

What does a filled-in moving estimate look like?

A local two-bedroom apartment move: third floor walk-up to a ground-floor house, four movers, customer packing their own boxes. Rates are placeholders; use your own truck-day cost.

ESTIMATE #MV-2026-0925 Ironwood Moving Co. · USDOT and state license on file Origin: 415 Foster Ave, Apt 3B · Destination: 27 Linden Court Prepared July 24, 2026 · Valid 21 days · Move date: Saturday, August 8

This is a non-binding hourly estimate. Final charges are based on actual time worked.

#	Description	Basis	Amount
1	Moving labor — 4 movers, 26 ft truck, pads, dollies, floor and jamb protection	Est. 7.0 hrs @ $245.00/hr	$1,715.00
2	Travel time — yard to origin and destination to yard	1.0 hr @ $245.00/hr	$245.00
3	Stair carry — origin, 3rd floor walk-up	2 flights above ground	$140.00
4	Long carry — origin, no loading zone available, approx. 140 ft from legal parking to entry	1 increment	$95.00
5	Disassembly and reassembly — 2 bed frames, 1 sectional, 1 wall unit	4 items	$160.00
6	Materials — 6 wardrobe boxes, 2 mattress bags, 1 TV carton, shrink wrap and tape	Itemized	$148.00
7	Specialty — upright piano, origin 3rd floor walk-up, 4-mover carry	1 item	$475.00
8	Saturday and month-end surcharge	8% of labor	$156.80
	Estimated total	8.0 billable hours	$3,134.80

Hours beyond the estimate are billed at $245.00 per hour in 15-minute increments. The most common causes of overrun are packing not completed at crew arrival, elevator or parking not secured, and items not disclosed at the survey.

Customer responsibilities before the crew arrives: all boxes packed, taped, and labeled; refrigerator emptied and defrosted; parking secured at both addresses; and any building certificate of insurance filed with management. Packing performed by the crew on move day is billed as packing labor plus materials.

Valuation: released value protection is included at no charge and limits liability to 60 cents per pound per article. Full value protection is available at the rate shown on the attached form. Select one and initial below. No selection defaults to full value protection.

Not transported at any price: gasoline, propane, paint, aerosols, ammunition, cleaning chemicals, perishables, and live plants. Jewelry, documents, cash, and medication should travel with you. Items of extraordinary value must be declared and listed.

Not included: gas or water appliance disconnection and reconnection, electrical or plumbing work, hoisting through windows or balconies, storage, pool table re-leveling, parking permits, and repair of pre-existing damage.

Conditional: if the truck cannot legally park within reach of either address on move day, a shuttle vehicle is required and is quoted separately before it is used.

Payment: due in full at destination before unloading is complete. Accepted methods listed below.

What happens to the paperwork after the truck is empty?

The estimate becomes a bill of lading and an invoice, and the day’s costs — fuel, tolls, pads, shrink, cartons, permits, and the truck itself — become the record that decides what the season actually earned. In a trade with fixed equipment costs and seasonal revenue, keeping that record clean is not administration, it is how you find out which jobs were worth taking. The rules on how long to keep tax records are worth knowing before anyone cleans out the office.

Keel is an iOS app that runs entirely on your device: no account, no bank connection, no cloud, no login, and an App Store privacy label that reads Data Not Collected. Standing at the destination with the last box in the hall, you can raise the invoice from your phone in about a minute with your logo, your numbering, your brand color, and a payment link the customer scans as a QR code before the crew leaves, which in a trade where money is due at delivery is most of the battle. Fuel stops, tolls, and carton purchases get photographed and read on device by Apple Intelligence, and the year exports as a single file. Free covers unlimited invoices, receipts, and mileage; Keel Pro is a one-time $249.99 Lifetime purchase rather than a subscription. You can get it on the App Store.

Frequently asked questions

How do movers calculate an estimate?

By two different units depending on distance. A local move is priced as hours times crew size, plus a truck fee, travel time, and access charges. A long-distance move is priced by the shipment’s weight in hundredweight or its cubic feet, multiplied by distance. Both add stairs, long carry, packing labor and materials, specialty items, and the valuation level the customer selects.

What is the 110 percent rule on a moving estimate?

It applies to interstate non-binding estimates. A carrier may not collect more than 110 percent of the non-binding estimate at delivery for the services and quantities shown on it. If the bill exceeds that, the mover must release the shipment on payment of 110 percent and defer the balance for at least 30 days. A binding estimate guarantees the listed price instead.

How do I convert cubic feet into weight for a long-distance quote?

Build a cube sheet room by room, assign each item its cubic footage, and total it, then apply the industry conversion of about 7 pounds per cubic foot. A 1,000 cubic foot shipment estimates near 7,000 pounds. Adjust upward for dense loads like books, tools, and files. On interstate moves the final charge comes from certified scale tickets.

What should a moving estimate say about stairs and elevators?

Price stairs per flight at each address and elevator buildings as a flat charge, because both slow every single trip. Then add the conditions: many managed buildings require a certificate of insurance on file and a reserved freight elevator window, and a crew turned away at the desk loses the day. Put those on the customer’s responsibility list with a deadline.

Is moving valuation the same as insurance?

No. Valuation is the level of the mover’s liability, not an insurance policy. Released value protection is included at no charge on interstate moves and limits liability to 60 cents per pound per article, which is $15 for a 25 pound television. Full value protection covers replacement value at additional cost and applies by default if the customer does not choose released value in writing.

How do I set an hourly rate for a moving crew?

Cost the whole truck day: wages plus payroll burden for every mover, truck payment, commercial auto and cargo insurance, maintenance, fuel, compliance, dispatch, and advertising. Divide by the hours you honestly bill, not the hours the crew clocks, since shop time and yard-to-job driving are unpaid. Then divide by one minus your target margin rather than adding a markup to cost.

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This article is general information, not professional or tax advice.