Trusted Local Moving in Tampa

The best way to make sure the Tampa local moving company you hire is reputable is by doing your research. Look to independent reviews through Google, or independent organizations like the Better Business Bureau and ensure they are established enough to be registered and accredited.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, or FMCSA, requires all commercial carrier vehicles that meet certain requirements to have a Department of Transportation (DOT) number. You can look up your moving company’s number on the FMCSA website, or simply ask them for it. Also ask your mover for their insurance information, and the industry associations they belong to, or the accreditations they have. Any reputable moving company will be more than happy to provide this information to you. If they hesitate, consider it a red flag.

The biggest red flag will be in your quote process. Moving companies are required to do a home walkthrough, in order to give you an accurate quote prior to moving day. If a moving company is not transparent about their pricing, or will not commit to a specific number, you should look elsewhere.

When choosing a home mover, it’s best to do your research before trusting your valuable personal belongings to just anyone. Suddath is backed by numerous awards, accreditations and our involvement in the community with organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa.
 
When our fully background-checked crew moves your belongings, you can be sure they will be treated with the utmost care and delivered back to you with as little hassle as possible – and always for the agreed-upon price. Hiring Suddath comes with no surprises; only the confidence of having a trusted and experienced mover on your side, with well-trained staff who are properly equipped to move all your belongings.
 
Our van operators, helpers, packers and office movers are trained in-house at our own Suddath University. They are taught skills in our specialized packing and crating methods, safety practices, home protection methods and more, benefitting from the industry knowledge we’ve gained over the past century. Each crew member is required to complete 25 hours of classroom training and 256 field hours of mentored training before they ever step into your home.

One of the first things you should know is that valuation coverage is not insurance. Valuation coverage is an agreement between you and your moving company over claims and their liability for those claims. Moving companies are obligated under federal law to offer it to you – if they do not, it may be a sign that they are a disreputable or “rogue” mover.
 
Essentially, it means that if your goods are lost or damaged and they are at fault, the mover agrees to pay that agreed-upon amount. For example, Suddath offers standard Released Value Protection (RVP) valuation coverage at $0.60 per pound of your shipment.
 
As part of the moving process, you will want to explore if valuation coverage will work for you, or if you’d like to insure your goods through an insurance company – by law, your mover cannot sell you insurance, and you will have to go through a dedicated company.

Learn more about your valuation coverage options in our blog post on the subject.

We advise that you start the moving process as early as possible, beginning with researching and vetting local moving companies. Ideally, this would happen no later than two months before your desired move date.
 
However, don’t fret if you have less time than that before you need to move – Suddath is skilled in helping people and families move locally, and we can help you navigate your timeline with an optimized move plan.
 
As a general starting place, we have created a detailed moving checklist to help you understand what tasks you should be thinking about, and when. When you begin working with Suddath, and your dedicated move coordinator, they can help customize this timeline and checklist for your unique moving needs.

Absolutely. As a local Tampa moving company, Suddath has 85,000 square feet of climate-controlled space. That means that even on the hottest Florida day, our warehouse will never be warmer than 78 degrees. Alongside household goods, we are also trusted by several local and national companies to store medical supplies, food, and other sensitive products.

Our warehouse staff is trained in properly crating your goods to avoid damage, and it will be consistently tracked using our industry-leading warehouse technology, High Jump. Our warehouse is also protected year-round by a state-of-the-art security system.

Suddath is always happy to give customers a tour of our warehouse and show you how and where your goods would be stored. Simply inquire with your move coordinator, and they will arrange a time for you to visit our warehouse.