Moving Labor vs Full-Service Movers: Which to Hire

With labor-only help, the crew loads, unloads, or both, and everything else is yours. A full-service company handles the whole move, and many will pack for you too. If your move is local and you can drive a truck, labor-only is a good fit. If it is long distance, or no one can drive, or you cannot manage the planning, full-service is usually the better choice.

The real choice is how much of the move you want to run yourself. This guide compares the two fairly, shows a middle option, and tells you where we fit.

What labor-only movers do

A labor-only mover sells people and their time. The crew shows up, carries your things out, builds the load in the truck, and carries it back in at the other end. You pay for hours of labor.

Here is what you still handle yourself:

• Renting the truck or booking a container, and picking it up and returning it.
• Driving, or having someone you trust drive.
• Packing the boxes before the crew arrives, unless you hire packing help.
• Planning the route, the parking and the timing.

U-Haul's labor marketplace, Moving Help, is built on the same idea: the customer packs and drives, and hired helpers do the loading and unloading. We are listed there, and you can also book us directly. We cover the rental side in the guide on hiring movers to load your own rental truck.

What full-service movers handle

A full-service company takes on the move from start to finish. Exactly what is included changes from company to company, so read the quote line by line. In general it can include:

• The truck and a driver, so you do not rent or drive anything.
• A crew to load, drive and unload.
• Packing, wrapping and sometimes taking furniture apart.
• Planning the day, and the long drive if the move is far away.

Quotes differ by company, so ask each one what it includes. Having more of the work sit with one company can make the day easier to plan.

Side by side

Price comes up first, and a fair answer needs your details. Labor-only is paid by the hour, so a small job can be small. But you also pay for the rental, fuel and any supplies, and the driving is on you. A full-service quote bundles more into one number. We will not guess at a figure for another company. The honest way to compare is to give each one the same list of rooms, stairs and heavy items and ask what the quote includes. You can see our own hourly labor rates on the moving-cost page.

When labor-only is the better fit

Labor-only tends to fit when:

• The move is local, in the same area.
• You are comfortable driving a rental truck, or someone you trust is.
• You only want help at one end, such as unloading when you arrive.
• You have the truck or container booked already and need strong backs.
• You want to choose the truck size, the pickup time and the day yourself.
• You can pack and want to keep control of the order and the timing.

When full-service is the better fit

Here is where we would point you to a full-service company.

• Long distance. If the move runs hundreds of miles, a company that drives it for you saves you the drive. Our work is local and regional, within 75 miles of Raleigh.
• No one to drive. If you cannot drive a large rental, or no one you trust can, you need a company that brings the driver.
• You cannot manage the logistics. If the truck pickup, the route, the parking and the timing are too much to run yourself, let a company run them.
• Very little time to plan. One company handling the truck, crew and packing is simpler than lining up three pieces.
• A move you do not want to touch. If you want someone else to pack every room, a full-service company can do that as part of the job.

None of these is a flaw in labor-only help. They are jobs that need more than labor.

Ways to mix and match

You can also mix the two approaches: keep the parts that are easy to do yourself and hire help for the heavy part. Some combinations:

• Friends plus a crew. Friends pack and carry boxes; a crew handles the heavy furniture. See the guide on how to move without owning a truck for the transport options.
• Book a container, hire a crew to load and unload it. PODS, U-Box, U-Pack and 1-800-PACK-RAT haul the container themselves. We load it at one end and unload it at the other. We are not affiliated with any of them.
• Labor plus packing. Ask for packing help for the kitchen or the fragile rooms, and pack the rest yourself. Packing is quoted on its own, separate from the hourly moving labor. There is more on our packing service page.
• Ask us to bring a truck. We can bring one on request. It is quoted for your job, not priced on a list. Many customers rent their own, and either way works.

Questions to ask any mover before you book

These work for either type. Write the answers down.

1. What exactly does the quote include: the truck, the driver, the crew, packing, supplies, fuel?
2. Is the price an estimate or a fixed number, and what can change it?
3. How many movers will come, and for how many hours?
4. What happens if the job runs longer than planned?
5. Are stairs, long carries, elevators or heavy items counted in the quote?
6. Is there a minimum, and does a travel charge apply?
7. How and when do I pay?

Where Moving for Jesus fits

We are a moving-labor company in the Zebulon–Wendell area, and we serve anywhere within 75 miles of Raleigh. We do loading, unloading, home and apartment moving help, and packing, quoted separately. You can book loading only, unloading only, or both.

If you want labor-only help, see our home moving service. If a full-service company is the better fit for your move, hire one. We would rather you pick the right plan.

Tell us about your move and we will say honestly whether labor-only fits, and give you an estimate of the crew and hours. The quote form asks for the service, the town or ZIP for each stop, your date, and whether you need us to bring a truck or have one. Joey texts you back. Requesting a quote costs nothing and does not hold a date.