7 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Portland Moving Company
Experienced Portland moving crew transports protected furniture safely during residential move, emphasizing reliable service, insurance, and professional moving expertise.
If you have collected three quotes for a Portland-area move and the prices are noticeably different, the next right step is not to pick the lowest one. The dollar number on a moving quote tells you almost nothing about what the day will look like. The seven questions below tell you what each company is actually selling, who is going to show up, and whether the bill at the end is going to match what you were quoted at the start. Use them as a literal script when you call.
Why the Cheapest Quote Is Usually the Most Expensive Move
The lowest moving quote almost always reflects something missing. Undertrained crew, no insurance beyond the federal minimum, hidden fees that appear on moving day, or a company that subcontracts the work to whoever picks up the phone first. The cheapest mover at booking often becomes the most expensive mover at the end of the day, when scratched walls, broken furniture, or a doubled bill require sorting out.
The seven questions below get past the dollar figure to what each company is actually selling. Use them as a literal script when calling movers. A mover unwilling to answer specifically is a mover unwilling to commit to specifics on move day.
Question 1: Are You Licensed and Insured? Can You Show Documentation Now?
The right answer is yes, with documentation available immediately. In Oregon, intrastate household movers must be registered with the Oregon Department of Transportation. Interstate movers must have a USDOT and MC number from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
A legitimate mover provides:
Their Oregon DOT registration number
Their USDOT number, which should be visible on the side of their trucks
Proof of liability insurance
Proof of cargo insurance
Workers’ compensation coverage for their crew
Red flag answer: “I will send it later” (often never sent), vague claims about being “fully insured” without specifics, or “I subcontract that out” (which passes liability to a third party with unclear coverage).
Good answer: Documentation provided to you in writing or by email before the move, with verifiable carrier names and policy numbers. If a mover is willing to send everything before you book, that contractor has their paperwork in order.
Question 2: Is the Crew Made Up of Your Employees or Day Labor?
The right answer is full-time or part-time employees, not casual day labor. The difference matters because employees have training, accountability, and a financial interest in the company’s reputation. Day labor crews change every day, often have no specific moving training, and have no relationship with you beyond the day they show up.
Red flag answer: “We use a workforce” (vague), “It depends on the day” (means day labor), or refusal to specify how the crew is assembled.
Good answer: Clear identification of the crew as company employees, with the company taking responsibility for their training and conduct. Some companies will even tell you which specific crew is assigned to your move. That level of accountability is what you want.
Question 3: How Do You Handle Damage Claims?
The right answer is a clear, written damage claim process. Federal law requires moving companies to offer basic liability coverage of 60 cents per pound for items damaged during a move. That means a 50-pound flat-screen TV that breaks during the move is covered for $30. Most movers offer additional coverage at extra cost, and you should know your options before move day.
Red flag answer: “We never have damage” (statistically untrue for any company), “Insurance handles it” (vague), or no clear process for filing a claim.
Good answer: A documented damage claim process, with timelines for submitting claims and a specific person at the company who handles them. Better answers describe the levels of coverage available beyond the federal minimum, so you can decide whether to pay for extra protection on high-value items.
Question 4: How Do You Charge: Hourly, Flat Rate, or by Weight?
The right answer is clear and matches the move type. Local moves in Portland are typically charged by the hour, with a stated minimum and a stated rate. Long-distance and interstate moves are typically charged by weight or a binding flat rate based on a pre-move survey.
For an hourly local move, the question to ask is: when does the clock start and stop? Does it start at the warehouse, at your origin, or when the truck leaves? Does drive time count? Does packing time count?
Red flag answer: refusal to provide an hourly rate over the phone, vague “we will figure it out on the day” responses, or unusually low rates that probably hide additional fees.
Good answer: A specific hourly rate, a stated minimum (typically 2 to 4 hours), a clear definition of when the clock starts and stops, and a written quote that includes any travel charges from the warehouse to your origin.
For reference: Butterfield Moving publishes its hourly rate at $146.95 with a 3-hour minimum. That kind of transparency is unusual in the moving industry. Most companies will not quote rates without an in-home estimate first.
Question 5: What Is and Is Not Included in Your Quote?
The right answer is a written line-item breakdown showing exactly what the price covers. Common items missing from low quotes:
Travel time from the mover’s warehouse to your origin
Packing materials (boxes, paper, tape, bubble wrap)
Specialty item handling (pianos, gun safes, large appliances, treadmills, fitness equipment)
Furniture disassembly and reassembly
Long carry charges, which apply when the truck cannot park near the door
Stair charges (some companies add fees per flight)
Elevator wait time at high-rise buildings
Storage between the origin and the destination
Insurance beyond the federal minimum
Red flag answer: a single bottom-line number with no breakdown. The mover either has not estimated your move carefully or is hiding costs that will appear as change orders later.
Good answer: A detailed quote showing every line item, including what is and is not included. You should be able to compare two quotes line-by-line and tell exactly where the dollar differences come from.
Question 6: Have You Moved in This Specific Type of Property Before?
The right answer demonstrates relevant experience for the property type involved. Portland has a wide range of property types: downtown high-rises with elevator restrictions, older Sellwood and Mt. Tabor homes with steep stairs and narrow doorways, hillside homes in the West Hills with limited truck access, and newer Hillsboro and Beaverton subdivisions with wide streets and standard layouts.
A mover who has worked in similar properties knows what to expect. What tools they need, how long the carry will take, and whether the truck can fit. A mover who has never seen a 1920s Portland Craftsman is going to discover all the surprises on moving day, which adds hours to your bill and stress to your schedule.
Red flag answer: Vague claims about experience without specific examples relevant to your property type.
Good answer: Specific examples of similar properties, including familiarity with property-specific challenges (elevator scheduling for high-rises, stair-furniture math for older homes, hillside truck-positioning for West Hills moves).
Question 7: What Reviews Should I Check, and What Are the Negative Reviews About?
The right answer is to be honest about negative reviews and to specify where the company can be reviewed. Every moving company has some negative reviews. The question is whether the negative reviews reveal a pattern (consistent damage complaints, billing disputes, no-shows) or one-off issues that any company encounters.
Red flag answer: “We have only good reviews” (statistically improbable for any service business with real volume), defensiveness about negative reviews, or refusal to point you to specific review platforms.
Good answer: Openness about where the company is reviewed (Google, Yelp, BBB), willingness to discuss negative reviews and how the company responded, and confidence that the overall pattern reflects the work.
For reference: Butterfield Moving has Google and Yelp listings linked from its website footer. Patrick is up front about the realities of running a small company, including the occasional negative review when something goes wrong.
How to Compare Mover Quotes Apples-to-Apples
Get all your quotes in writing. Lay them side by side. For each line item, mark which mover includes it and at what price. The lowest bottom-line number often reveals itself as the most expensive once missing items are added back in.
A worked example. Mover A quotes $800. Mover B quotes $1,100. After itemizing:
Mover A’s $800 does not include packing materials ($150), furniture disassembly ($200), or travel time from the warehouse ($100). True cost to match Mover B’s scope: $1,250.
Mover B’s $1,100 includes everything. True cost: $1,100.
Mover B is actually $150 cheaper for the same work. This pattern shows up constantly when Portland homeowners line up quotes carefully.
The cheapest quote is rarely the best deal, and the highest quote is not always the best either. The right mover is the one whose answers to these seven questions match what your move actually requires.
FAQs
Three is the right number for most Portland-area moves. Two is not enough to spot pricing outliers. Four or more are rarely better and start to waste your time. Get three quotes from companies that meet the licensed-and-insured threshold, then use the seven questions above to compare them on substance, not just price.
It is normal for some movers and not others. A small deposit (10 to 25 percent of the estimated total) is reasonable for hourly local moves and helps the mover commit a crew to your date. Be cautious of any mover demanding a large deposit or full payment before the job. That is a red flag for a low-volume operation or worse, a moving scam.
Ask the mover to walk through the quote line-by-line and explain what is included. Most low quotes turn out to exclude packing materials, travel time, specialty handling, or other items that the higher quotes include. Once you compare on the same scope, the price gap often disappears or reverses.
For local Oregon moves, check the Oregon Department of Transportation’s motor carrier registration database. For interstate moves, check the federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration database using the company’s USDOT number. Both are searchable online by company name. A mover whose registration cannot be verified is not the contractor you want.
For local moves within the Portland metro area, a local mover is almost always the better option. Local movers know the streets, building requirements, seasonal patterns, and property quirks. National chains often subcontract local work to local crews anyway, with an added markup. For long-distance moves crossing multiple states, national carriers have more relevant infrastructure.
The damage claim process depends on the coverage you have. Federal default coverage is 60 cents per pound, which is light for most household items. If you purchased additional coverage (full-replacement value or specific item coverage), the process and reimbursement amount are governed by that policy. File the claim in writing within the timeline specified by the mover. Photos of the damage and copies of the original quote help.
The seven questions above turn a phone call about price into a real evaluation of who you are hiring. Movers who answer specifically, send documentation, and explain their charges clearly are the ones who will treat your move with the same care. The dollar figure is the last factor, not the first.
Comparing moving companies in Portland or Hillsboro? Butterfield Moving provides free, itemized estimates at the published rate of $146.95 per hour, with a 3-hour minimum. Call (503) 506-4149 to schedule.
