MovingRated Guide
Moving day checklist: what to do before, during, and after the truck arrives
Moving day tends to collapse the entire stress of a relocation into a single 10-hour window. The checklist below is designed to keep you from reaching the end of it realizing something critical was missed.
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The week before: the decisions you can't make on moving day
Moving day is execution day. The decisions — what goes, what doesn't, how it's packed, which mover is handling it — should be locked a week out. If you're still making those decisions the morning of, you'll be making them badly.
Confirm your moving company the week before. Verify the pickup window, the crew size, and the truck size. If anything has changed since the original estimate — you added furniture, you got a couch, a new dishwasher arrived — call and update them. Weight additions discovered on moving day lead to price adjustments you weren't prepared for.
Confirm access at both ends: parking for the truck, elevator reservations if applicable, and building move-in rules at the destination if you're moving to an apartment or condo. Many buildings require a certificate of insurance from the moving company — request it in advance.
The night before: the essentials bag
Pack a separate bag — one that does not go on the truck — with everything you'll need for the next 48-72 hours. This is your essentials bag, and its contents vary by household but should include: phone chargers and charging cables, medications, toilet paper and soap (the bathroom box is always the last one found), a change of clothes, snacks, pet food and supplies if applicable, critical documents (IDs, moving contract, insurance cards), and cash for tips.
The essentials bag travels with you in your car, not on the truck. This matters: if the truck is delayed by a day, or if you arrive before the truck, you have everything you need.
Also: charge your phone fully. You'll be making calls all day.
Morning of the move: before the truck arrives
Do a final walkthrough before the movers arrive. Check every room, every closet, every cabinet, every drawer, the attic if applicable, and the garage. Moving day has a way of surfacing forgotten items — the spare key hanging behind the pantry door, the cleaning supplies under the sink, the holiday decorations in the closet shelf.
Strip your bed and put the sheets and pillows in a clearly labeled bag. Take down any remaining wall art and wrap it yourself if it's valuable. Remove items from walls — nails, hooks, anchors — if you're responsible for wall repairs at your old place.
Disconnect appliances that are going on the truck: washer (drain it), dryer (disconnect the duct), refrigerator (defrost it the night before if you haven't). If movers arrive and the refrigerator still has ice in the freezer, you're looking at a delay.
When the movers arrive: what to do in the first 30 minutes
Meet the crew lead and do a walkthrough of the entire space together before loading begins. Point out fragile items that need special handling, identify anything that is NOT going on the truck (what you're taking in your car, what's being donated and picked up separately), and clarify any access issues (tight stairwell, low doorframe, narrow hallway).
Ask the crew lead to show you the inventory sheet they'll be using. In most professional moves, each item gets a numbered tag and a corresponding notation on the sheet. The notation records the item's condition at pickup — any pre-existing damage should be documented here. If a scratch on your dresser isn't noted at pickup and it appears on delivery, you have no recourse. Walk through the notation with the crew lead for any item of significant value.
During loading: stay present and stay out of the way
Your job during loading is to be available — not in the truck, not in the crew's path, but present enough to answer questions. The crew knows how to load a truck; they've done it more times than you have. Let them work.
Keep a mental note (or a list on your phone) of high-value items as they're loaded: the box with electronics, the wardrobe box with suits or dresses, anything in a sealed box that isn't labeled. If something doesn't make it onto the truck and you don't notice until you're unpacking, the documentation is thin.
Keep children and pets in a separate room or in your car. Moving day with a dog underfoot or a toddler on the stairs is a safety hazard for the crew and a logistical problem for you.
Before the truck leaves the old address
Do a final walkthrough after loading is complete. Every room, every closet, the attic, the garage, the backyard shed. This is not the time to trust your memory — physically walk into every space and look at the corners, not just the center of the room. Items left behind are common and retrievable at this stage; they are expensive or impossible to retrieve after the truck is gone.
Check the bill of lading before signing. The bill of lading is your contract — it should list the pickup address, the delivery address, the estimated price or weight-based rate, the delivery window, and any special services (packing, disassembly, storage). Do not sign a bill of lading with blank fields.
Hand over your keys. Photograph the empty space with a timestamp if you're responsible for the condition of the property. Leave a note for the new occupants with anything useful (where the circuit breaker is, when trash day runs, the WiFi password for the smart appliances if you left them).
At the destination: the first 30 minutes
Arrive before the truck if at all possible. Unlock the space, identify where large furniture should go (the couch can't go back through the front door after it's in the wrong room), and confirm parking for the truck.
When the truck arrives, repeat the walkthrough process with the crew. Point out where major items should land — this is your one chance to place furniture before it's set. Moving furniture after unloading costs time and often money.
Check each item off the inventory sheet as it comes off the truck. This is tedious but important: any discrepancy between the inventory sheet and what actually arrives is the foundation of any damage or loss claim.
Inspect before you sign the delivery receipt
Before you sign the delivery receipt, inspect every item that was noted as fragile, valuable, or at-risk on the inventory sheet. Open the boxes with electronics. Check furniture for damage. Note any damage on the delivery receipt before signing — once you've signed without noting damage, your claim is harder to substantiate, though not impossible within the 9-month window for most moves.
Photograph any damage immediately, before the crew leaves. If you can document the damage with the item in the same position it was in when unloaded, that's better evidence than a photo taken an hour later after you've moved things around.
Tip the crew based on the quality of the work. For a local move, $20-$50 per mover is a reasonable range; for a long-distance move, $100+ per mover is appropriate for excellent service. Cash tips are standard and always appreciated.
Frequently asked questions
- Should I be home when the movers are packing and loading?
- Yes. You should be present for the entire loading process, available to answer questions, and available to sign the inventory sheet and bill of lading. Leaving movers unsupervised in your home creates liability questions if items are damaged or missing, and removes your ability to correct documentation errors before the truck leaves.
- How much should I tip movers?
- Tips are not required but are customary for good service. For a local move, $20-$50 per mover is typical. For a long-distance move or a particularly challenging move (multiple flights of stairs, heavy specialty items, a long day), $100+ per mover is appropriate. Tip in cash at the end of the move, not in advance.
- What should I do if I find damage after the movers have left?
- Document the damage immediately with photographs. For interstate moves, you have 9 months from delivery to file a claim with the mover. For intrastate moves, timelines vary by state but are typically 30-90 days. File as soon as possible — delays make claims harder to support. Include the inventory sheet documentation, photographs, and any receipt for the damaged item's original purchase price.
- What should go in my essentials bag (not on the truck)?
- Phone and chargers, medications, a change of clothes, toilet paper and basic toiletries, snacks and water, cash, critical documents (ID, passport, moving contract, insurance cards), pet supplies if applicable, and anything else you'd need if the truck was delayed by 48 hours. The essentials bag should travel in your vehicle, not on the moving truck.
- Can I pack my own boxes and have the movers transport them?
- Yes — this is common and typically saves money since packers charge by the hour. However, movers often won't accept liability for damage to items in boxes you packed yourself if there's no evidence of external damage to the box. If you pack your own boxes, pack them well (items shouldn't shift when the box is shaken), label them clearly, and note them as "Owner Packed" on the inventory sheet.