A moving company business plan is the document a lender, an SBA-backed bank or an investor uses to decide whether a business that sells crew hours and truck days can cover its fixed costs before the cash runs out. Moving is a utilization business, so the plan has to show how many billable truck-days the company will sell, at what price, against what overhead.
This guide gives the section-by-section template first, then a full moving company business plan sample for a two-truck Austin startup in which every number comes from one financial model. It closes with startup costs by fleet size, break-even math, and the licensing and insurance rules a Texas mover has to meet.
What a Moving Company Business Plan Has to Prove
Each reader goes to a different number first. Build the plan around the one your reader will check.
| Reader | First question | Number they check |
|---|---|---|
| Bank or SBA lender | Can fixed costs and truck payments survive a slow winter? | Break-even utilization, cash low point, owner equity |
| Truck financier | Does cash flow cover the loan on the collateral? | Down payment, monthly debt service ($2,285 in the sample) |
| Investor or partner | Does the model scale past two trucks? | Revenue and contribution per truck-day |
| The founder | Launch lean or launch full? | Fixed cost per month |
Moving Company Business Plan Template: The 10 Sections
| Section | What to write | Length | What reviewers flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Executive summary | Services, fleet, three-year revenue and EBITDA, funding request, cash low point | 1 page | Revenue without a funding amount or payback date |
| 2. Company description | Entity, owners, location, registrations, insurance | ½ page | No USDOT, TxDMV or insurance status |
| 3. Market analysis | Demand in your service area, local pool size, competitor price bands | 1–2 pages | National industry totals with no local math |
| 4. Services and pricing | Service lines, rate card, accessorial charges, contribution by line | 1 page | Prices that ignore the tariff or the crew cost |
| 5. Marketing and sales | Channels, cost per lead, close rate, cost per booked job | 1 page | Marketing budget that does not reconcile to bookings |
| 6. Operations | Capacity in truck-days, scheduling rules, fleet, claims handling | 1–2 pages | No capacity ceiling behind the revenue |
| 7. Management and staffing | Roles, wages, who dispatches, who quotes | ½ page | Owner doing three jobs with no cost shown |
| 8. Financial plan | Assumptions, unit economics, 3-year P&L, Year 1 by quarter, scenarios | 2–3 pages | Tables that do not add up across sections |
| 9. Funding request | Itemized uses, operating reserve, contingency | ½ page | No reserve for the first winter |
| 10. Risk analysis | Quantified downside cases and triggers | 1 page | Generic risks with no dollar impact |
Moving Company Business Plan Sample: TransState Relocations LLC
TransState Relocations LLC is a fictional Austin, Texas mover. All figures are in 2026 dollars. Year 1 runs from the March launch through the following February. The assumptions in the financial plan drive every table, so figures reconcile from section to section.
1. Executive Summary
TransState Relocations LLC launches in Austin with two used 26-foot box trucks and two three-person crews. It sells four services: hourly local residential moves, full-service pack-and-move jobs, small-office moves and long-distance moves out of Central Texas. The fleet grows to three trucks in month 13 and four in month 25, each time only after utilization supports it.
| Metric | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trucks in service | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Jobs completed | 226 | 484 | 687 |
| Average truck utilization | 47% | 67% | 71% |
| Revenue | $452,300 | $1,008,500 | $1,488,300 |
| Gross margin | 39.8% | 40.0% | 40.3% |
| EBITDA | ($123,900) | $51,000 | $153,300 |
| EBITDA margin | -27.4% | 5.1% | 10.3% |
The plan requires $285,784: $89,446 before the first job and $196,338 to carry operating losses and the third-truck down payment to the cash low point in month 14, including a 15% contingency. Monthly EBITDA first turns positive in month 14. Cumulative operating cash flow turns positive during Year 4 at the Year 3 run-rate of about $81,000 a year.
TransState competes on three points: written estimates built from a video survey, W-2 crews under full commercial insurance, and a service mix tilted toward full-service and small-commercial jobs, which earn two to three times more per truck-day than hourly local moves.
2. Company Description
TransState is a Texas limited liability company formed with a Certificate of Formation (Form 205, $300 filing fee) and owned 70/30 by a founder-general manager and an operations partner. The founder spent eight years running crews and dispatch at a regional residential mover. The LLC is taxed as a partnership; an S-corporation election is modeled again in Year 3, when pre-tax income reaches $102,500.
- Facility: 3,500 sq. ft. light-industrial flex unit north of Austin with two bays and a truck yard, $5,400 a month (about $18.50 per sq. ft. per year)
- Fleet: two used 26-foot box trucks at $68,000 each, financed 80% over 60 months at 9.5% (combined payment $2,285 a month)
- Registrations before the first job: USDOT number, TxDMV household goods number, FMCSA operating authority for interstate work, UCR, BOC-3 process agent, tariff on file with TxDMV
- Insurance: auto liability and cargo filed with TxDMV and FMCSA, general liability, workers’ compensation for all crew
- Franchise tax: revenue stays below the $2.65 million no-tax-due threshold in all three years, so only the annual Public Information Report is filed
3. Market Analysis
U.S. moving services generate about $23.4 billion a year across roughly 9,100 businesses, growing 2.8% a year from 2020 to 2025 (IBISWorld). The demand side is weaker than the revenue figure suggests: the share of Americans who changed residence in a year fell to 7.8% in 2023, the lowest since the Census Bureau began tracking it in 1948 (U.S. Census Bureau, CPS). Renters move at about four times the rate of owners.
TransState therefore assumes a flat market and takes share from competitors. It weights its mix toward renters, employer-paid relocations, senior moves and small offices, which depend less on home sales. Moves cluster from May through September and around lease dates at the start and end of each month. The model’s seasonality index puts June through August about 30% above the annual average and December through February 27–30% below it.
| Local pool (illustrative core service area) | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Households within about 25 minutes of the yard | 250,000 | Replace with ACS households for your ZIP codes |
| Annual household move rate | 9% | Assumption near the Census mover rate, adjusted up for a renter-heavy metro |
| Moves per year | 22,500 | 250,000 × 9% |
| Share hiring professional movers | 35% | Assumption; the rest rent a truck and recruit helpers |
| Professionally moved households | 7,875 | 22,500 × 35% |
| Blended local ticket (hourly + full service) | $1,331 | Weighted from the service-line table |
| Local professional-move revenue pool | $10.5 million | 7,875 × $1,331 |
| TransState Year 3 local jobs | 536 | 6.8% of professionally moved households |
A 6.8% share of the local pool is the number a lender will test. It is plausible in a fragmented market, but it also means the plan needs about 536 local households to choose TransState over an independent mover, a franchise or a rental truck in Year 3.
| Competitor type | Typical rate, 3 movers + truck | Strength | Opening for TransState |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise and van-line agents | $190–$260 per hour | Brand, booking systems | Price varies by location; offer a written estimate with a firm hours range |
| Independent movers, 1–5 trucks | $150–$210 per hour | Lower price | Slow quotes and thin insurance; win on response time and certificates of insurance |
| Labor-only and app-based helpers | $70–$120 per hour for two helpers | Cheap for small jobs | No truck, limited liability; target higher-value items and stairs-heavy moves |
| Rental truck, do-it-yourself | $20–$60 per day plus mileage | Lowest cash price | Wins on one-bedroom apartments; TransState does not chase these on price |
The rate bands above are typical 2026 Austin–Dallas ranges; confirm them with eight to ten mystery-shop quotes before locking your rate card. TransState prices a three-person crew with truck at $195 an hour, in the upper middle of the band.
4. Services and Pricing
| Service line | Job mix | Average ticket | Direct cost | Truck-days per job | Contribution per truck-day | Revenue share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Local residential, hourly | 60% | $1,040 | 55% | 1.0 | $468 | 31% |
| B. Local full-service (pack and move) | 18% | $2,300 | 57% | 1.0 | $989 | 21% |
| C. Small office, 1,500–3,000 sq. ft. | 9% | $3,200 | 58% | 1.0 | $1,344 | 14% |
| D. Long-distance (150+ miles, interstate) | 13% | $5,200 | 68% | 3.2 | $520 | 34% |
Long-distance is 13% of jobs and 34% of revenue, yet it ties up a truck for 3.2 days and earns $520 per truck-day, barely more than hourly local work. Full-service and small-office jobs earn $989 and $1,344 per truck-day. TransState caps long-distance at about a third of revenue and sells packing and office work first.
| Rate card | Price | Minimum |
|---|---|---|
| 2 movers + truck | $155 per hour | 3 hours |
| 3 movers + truck | $195 per hour | 3 hours |
| 4 movers + truck | $235 per hour | 4 hours |
| Packing crew, 2 packers, no truck | $120 per hour | 3 hours |
| Stairs, per flight above the first | $60 | — |
| Long carry over 75 ft, per 50 ft | $75 | — |
| Upright piano | $350 | — |
| Grand or baby grand piano, two specialists | $750 | — |
| Safe, 300–600 lb | $300 | — |
| Packing materials | Cost plus 35% | — |
Texas requires household goods carriers to file a tariff with TxDMV that sets maximum charges for their transportation services, so every accessorial above is written into the tariff before launch. Local jobs are estimated from a video survey and billed on actual time. Full-service, office and long-distance jobs get a written estimate with the scope listed line by line.
5. Marketing and Sales Plan
Marketing costs $2,000 a month plus 5% of revenue, with $9,000 spent before launch.
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marketing spend | $46,617 | $74,427 | $98,415 |
| Share of revenue | 10.3% | 7.4% | 6.6% |
| Cost per booked job | $246 (including pre-launch) | $154 | $143 |
| Channel | Cost per lead | Close rate | Cost per booked job | Share of Year 1 bookings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Local Services and search ads | $45–$90 | 18–25% | $200–$450 | 35% |
| Lead marketplaces | $25–$80 | 10–15% | $170–$800 | 10% |
| Realtors, property managers, leasing offices | None | 40–55% | $50–$100 referral fee on completed jobs | 20% |
| Google Business Profile and reviews | None | 25–35% | $30–$80 in staff time | 20% |
| Past customers and referrals | None | — | $20–$50 credit | 10% |
| Commercial outreach (office managers, commercial brokers) | — | — | $300–$700 | 5% |
Weighting the midpoint of each channel by its share of bookings gives a blended cost per booked job of about $208, which matches the plan’s $206 excluding pre-launch spend. Lead marketplaces are capped at 10% of bookings and used only for line A.
- Speed to lead: every inquiry gets a call or text within five minutes during business hours; movers’ leads typically collect three to five quotes, and the first credible response often wins the survey slot
- Estimate: video or in-person survey, written estimate within 24 hours, $200 deposit applied to the final bill
- Off-peak pricing: 10% off Tuesday–Thursday moves between the 10th and 25th of the month to flatten the weekly and monthly demand curve
- Reviews: a review request goes out two hours after job completion; the target is 75 Google reviews at 4.8 or higher by month 12, roughly one per three jobs
6. Operations Plan
Capacity is measured in truck-days: 26 working days per truck per month. Billable utilization is the share of those days actually sold. The model ramps utilization from 32% to 64% through Year 1, 62% to 72% in Year 2 and 68% to 76% in Year 3 before applying the seasonality index, and caps any month at 90%.
| Rule | Setting |
|---|---|
| Crew | One lead at $24 an hour and two movers at $19, all W-2; payroll tax and workers’ compensation add 20% |
| Paid versus billable hours | Paid hours run 12% above billable hours (yard time, return trip) |
| Variable truck cost | $0.85–$1.10 per mile for fuel, tires and maintenance; $62 per local job |
| Fleet expansion trigger | Add a truck after two consecutive months with deseasonalized utilization of 60% or more (billed truck-days divided by that month’s seasonality index) |
| Downtime cover | Rent a 26-foot truck at $120–$220 a day plus mileage when a truck is out of service |
| Claims budget | 1.5% of revenue, with a documented photo walkthrough at loading and delivery |
BLS reports a median of $38,220 a year for hand laborers and material movers (Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025) and a median near $19 an hour for the hand-laborer occupation (OEWS). TransState’s $19 mover rate sits at the national median; in Austin and Dallas–Fort Worth, plan for $17–$22 for movers and $22–$28 for crew leads.
| Where a truck-day loses money | Typical size | Control |
|---|---|---|
| Unbillable yard, travel and return time | 10–12% of paid hours | Bill travel at 50% beyond 25 miles; dispatch by cluster, not by order received |
| Idle mid-week days | Tuesday–Thursday utilization 15–25 points below Friday–Sunday | 10% off-peak pricing; sell commercial moves into weekdays |
| Long-distance return legs | Up to 1.2 of the 3.2 truck-days per job | Book return loads before dispatching; quote return empty miles into the price |
| Late cancellations and no-shows | 3–6% of bookings | $200 deposit, forfeited inside 72 hours |
| Underestimated scope | One unbilled hour on a flat quote costs $195 | Video survey with a stairs, long-carry and heavy-item checklist |
| Damage claims | 1–2% of revenue | Training, padding standards, claims reserve |
7. Management and Staffing
| Role | Start | Monthly cost, loaded | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Founder and general manager | Launch | $6,720 | Estimates, hiring, claims, finance |
| Dispatcher and sales coordinator | Launch | $4,256 | Lead response, scheduling, deposits |
| Crew leads (2) and movers (4) | Launch | Variable, in direct costs | Field execution, loading documentation |
| Operations and sales hire | Month 25 | $4,032 | Commercial accounts, second dispatcher shift |
| Outsourced bookkeeping and tax | Launch | $500 | Payroll, books, franchise tax report |
Loaded cost adds 12% to salaried roles for payroll tax and benefits. The general manager’s salary rises 5% a year and the dispatcher’s 4%.
8. Financial Plan
Key assumptions
| Item | Assumption |
|---|---|
| Fleet | 2 trucks Year 1, 3 from month 13, 4 from month 25; used trucks at $68,000, $72,000 and $76,000, financed 80% over 60 months at 9.5% |
| Price and cost growth | Prices +4% a year; direct costs +3.5% a year |
| Seasonality index | March 0.89, April 1.01, May 1.19, June 1.33, July 1.33, August 1.29, September 1.13, October 0.93, November 0.77, December 0.71, January 0.71, February 0.75 |
| Insurance (auto liability, general liability, cargo, umbrella) | $2,900 a month with two trucks, +$1,000 a month per added truck (about $11,000 per truck for auto liability and $12,800 for the other coverages) |
| Rent, software and phones, accounting, miscellaneous | $5,400, $950, $500 and $700 a month; rent +4% a year from Year 2 |
| Depreciation | Straight line over 8 years |
Unit economics, local hourly job (line A)
| Line | Per job | % of revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue (5.3 billable hours at $195) | $1,040 | 100.0% |
| Crew labor (5.96 paid hours × $62 × 1.20) | $443 | 42.6% |
| Truck variable cost | $62 | 6.0% |
| Card fees | $30 | 2.9% |
| Claims reserve | $16 | 1.5% |
| Supplies | $22 | 2.1% |
| Contribution | $467 | 44.9% |
Revenue by service line
| Service line | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Local residential, hourly | $141,000 | $314,300 | $463,900 |
| B. Local full-service | $93,500 | $208,600 | $307,800 |
| C. Small office | $65,100 | $145,100 | $214,100 |
| D. Long-distance | $152,700 | $340,500 | $502,500 |
| Total revenue | $452,300 | $1,008,500 | $1,488,300 |
| Jobs (A / B / C / D) | 136 / 41 / 20 / 29 | 290 / 87 / 44 / 63 | 412 / 124 / 62 / 89 |
Three-year profit and loss
| Line item | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $452,300 | $1,008,500 | $1,488,300 |
| Direct costs (crew, truck, fees, claims, supplies) | $272,500 | $604,600 | $887,900 |
| Gross profit | $179,800 | $403,900 | $600,400 |
| Fixed operating expenses (staff, rent, insurance, software, marketing, accounting) | $303,700 | $352,900 | $447,100 |
| EBITDA | ($123,900) | $51,000 | $153,300 |
| Depreciation | $17,000 | $26,000 | $35,500 |
| Interest on truck loans | $9,600 | $12,900 | $15,300 |
| Pre-tax income | ($150,500) | $12,100 | $102,500 |
| Gross margin | 39.8% | 40.0% | 40.3% |
| EBITDA margin | -27.4% | 5.1% | 10.3% |
| Pre-tax margin | -33.3% | 1.2% | 6.9% |
Year 1 by quarter (launch in March)
| Quarter | Jobs | Revenue | Utilization | EBITDA | Cumulative cash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1, March–May | 44 | $87,800 | 36% | ($39,800) | ($46,600) |
| Q2, June–August | 70 | $139,300 | 57% | ($21,800) | ($75,300) |
| Q3, September–November | 59 | $118,600 | 49% | ($29,000) | ($111,200) |
| Q4, December–February | 53 | $106,600 | 44% | ($33,200) | ($151,300) |
Cumulative cash falls further to ($170,700) in month 14, after the third truck’s down payment, then recovers. Commercial customers on net-30 terms tie up about $12,000 of receivables at Year 2 volume and $17,600 at Year 3 volume; the 15% contingency covers this.
Downside cases
| Scenario | Year 1 revenue | Year 2 EBITDA | Year 3 revenue | Year 3 EBITDA | Peak cash need* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base case | $452,300 | $51,000 | $1,488,300 | $153,300 (10.3%) | $170,700, month 14 |
| Fast ramp (utilization +8%) | $488,500 | $75,000 | $1,569,500 | $182,100 (11.6%) | $155,500, month 13 |
| Slow ramp (utilization -15%) | $384,500 | ($2,000) | $1,279,600 | $79,600 (6.2%) | $252,500, month 25 |
| Crew wages +10% | $452,300 | $8,700 | $1,488,300 | $91,200 (6.1%) | $236,100, month 25 |
| Price war (rates -8%) | $416,200 | ($25,600) | $1,369,200 | $40,200 (2.9%) | $299,800, month 36 |
*Operating cash need after launch, excluding the $89,446 pre-launch spend. In the price-war case cash never recovers within three years.
9. Funding Request
| Use of funds | Amount |
|---|---|
| Texas LLC formation (Form 205) | $300 |
| FMCSA operating authority | $300 |
| BOC-3 process agent | $50 |
| UCR registration (0–2 vehicles) | $176 |
| TxDMV registration and insurance filings (2 vehicles) | $320 |
| Truck down payments (2 × 20% of $68,000) | $27,200 |
| Moving equipment (pads, dollies, hand trucks, ramps, straps, wrap) | $12,500 |
| Truck lettering, uniforms, signage | $4,200 |
| Insurance down payment | $8,700 |
| Software, website, call tracking, Google Business Profile setup | $6,500 |
| Facility deposit and first two months of rent | $16,200 |
| Pre-launch marketing | $9,000 |
| Legal, tariff drafting, accounting setup | $4,000 |
| Pre-launch subtotal | $89,446 |
| Operating cash low point (month 14) | $170,729 |
| Contingency, 15% of the low point | $25,609 |
| Total funding request | $285,784 |
Interest on any borrowed working capital is not included and would add to the Year 1 and Year 2 loss. Lenders under the SBA 7(a) program typically look for owner equity in the deal and collateral in the trucks, which TransState holds as 80%-financed equipment.
10. Risk Analysis
| Risk | Dollar impact in the model | Early warning | Response |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slow ramp | Year 3 EBITDA -$73,700; funding need +$81,800 | Deseasonalized utilization below 50% at month 9 | Delay the third truck; pre-sell commercial contracts; launch lean |
| Price pressure | Year 3 EBITDA -$113,100; funding need +$129,100 | Quote-to-book rate below 18% for two months | Hold the hourly rate; discount by weekday, not by headline rate |
| Crew wage inflation | 10% raise: Year 3 EBITDA -$62,200 | Three crew resignations in a quarter | Rate review every six months; retention bonus tied to claims-free months |
| Claims above budget | Each extra 1% of revenue costs $14,900 at Year 3 volume | Claims above 2% of revenue in a quarter | Retraining, photo documentation, packing standards |
| Truck out of service in July | Five days is about $7,000 in revenue and $2,800 in contribution | Missed maintenance interval | Rental backup costs $600–$1,100 for the same five days |
| Winter trough | Year 2 winter (months 21–24) loses about $9,600 of EBITDA | Cash below one month of fixed costs | Schedule truck maintenance, training and commercial moves into winter |
| Registration or insurance lapse | Cannot legally operate | Renewal dates inside 60 days | Calendar every filing date; insurer files TxDMV and FMCSA forms |
How Much Does It Cost to Start a Moving Company?
Startup cost depends on fleet size and whether you lease a warehouse on day one. The two-truck sample needs $285,784 in total because it funds both the launch and the first operating winter. These are 2026 planning ranges; get three quotes on each item.
| Launch model | Pre-launch cost | Operating reserve | Total capital |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lean owner-operator: 1 used truck, parking yard, owner on the crew, no dispatcher | $40,000–$50,000 | $40,000–$70,000 | $80,000–$120,000 |
| Two-truck company (sample) | $89,446 | $196,338 | $285,784 |
| Four trucks from day one with warehouse | $150,000–$190,000 | $300,000–$400,000 | $450,000–$590,000 |
| Cost item | 2026 planning range | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Used 26-foot box truck, 2–3 years old | $55,000–$85,000 | $68,000 |
| New 26-foot box truck | $95,000–$130,000 | — |
| Down payment | 10–25% | 20% |
| Truck loan interest rate | 8–13% | 9.5%, 60 months |
| Moving equipment per truck | $5,000–$8,000 | $6,250 |
| Light-industrial flex rent, Austin area | $15–$22 per sq. ft. per year | $18.50 |
| Dispatch and CRM software | $300–$600 per month, plus $25–$40 per truck for telematics | $950 including phones |
| Auto liability, new venture, per truck per year | $8,000–$16,000 | $11,000 |
| General liability, cargo and umbrella, per year | $6,000–$14,000 | $12,800 |
| Workers’ compensation | $6–$14 per $100 of payroll | $9, inside the 20% burden |
How Profitable Is a Moving Company?
The sample earns a 40% gross margin and a 10.3% EBITDA margin at four trucks, and loses money for most of the first 13 months. Planning ranges for a well-run local mover at maturity are about 8–15% EBITDA; the spread comes almost entirely from utilization and overhead, not from the hourly rate.
Moving Company Break-Even Analysis
Break-even utilization is the share of truck-days that must be sold to cover fixed costs and truck payments. At two trucks with a dispatcher and a leased facility it sits at 91%, which no new company reaches. Each added truck spreads the same overhead across more days.
| Fleet | Fixed costs plus truck payments, per month | Truck-days needed per month | Break-even utilization |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 trucks (Year 1 prices) | $25,711 | 47.5 of 52 | 91% |
| 3 trucks (Year 2 prices) | $28,703 | 51.0 of 78 | 65% |
| 4 trucks (Year 3 prices) | $35,826 | 61.2 of 104 | 59% |
| 2 trucks, lean launch (owner dispatches, $1,500 yard instead of a $5,400 facility) | $17,555 | 32.4 of 52 | 62% |
The lean launch cuts fixed costs by $8,156 a month, about $97,900 in Year 1, at the price of no packing area and no dedicated dispatcher. It is the better way to start when initial capital is below the $285,784 the full plan needs.
Revenue and Contribution per Truck-Day
At Year 1 prices the blended job brings $2,002 of revenue over 1.29 truck-days, or $1,557 of revenue and $619 of contribution per truck-day before marketing ($541 after the 5% marketing charge). Track these two numbers weekly.
What Moves EBITDA Most
| Lever, at Year 3 volume | Change in annual EBITDA |
|---|---|
| Price +1% | +$14,100 |
| Utilization +1 point | +$5,100 |
| Crew wage +$1 per hour (about +3.7% direct cost) | -$32,900 |
| Claims +1% of revenue | -$14,900 |
| Rates -8% | -$113,100 |
One point of price is worth about 2.8 points of utilization, and a $1 raise for the crew needs about a 2.3% price increase to break even. Both are reasons to protect the rate card and fill weak days with off-peak pricing rather than blanket discounts.
Licenses, Registration and Insurance for a Moving Company in Texas
A Texas mover needs state registration for any household goods move, and federal registration as well once a job crosses state lines.
| Requirement | Who needs it | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas LLC (Form 205) | Any LLC | $300 | Filed with the Texas Secretary of State |
| TxDMV Number (household goods) | Every carrier moving household goods for pay in Texas, regardless of vehicle weight | $100 application; $10 per vehicle a year ($20 biennial); $100 for the liability filing; $100 for cargo filings | Annual or biennial only; no 7-day or 90-day option; a tariff must be on file; documented procedures for supervising registered sex offenders are part of the application. See the TxDMV motor carrier page |
| USDOT number | Interstate carriers; also issued alongside the TxDMV Number | Free | Apply through FMCSA |
| FMCSA operating authority (MC) | Interstate household goods carriers | $300 per authority type, non-refundable | FMCSA is moving registration to a new platform; confirm the current application path on fmcsa.dot.gov |
| BOC-3 process agent | Interstate carriers | $20–$75 | Filed by a process agent |
| UCR | Interstate carriers | Tiered by fleet size; the 0–2 vehicle tier was $176 for 2026 | Register at ucr.gov and renew each year |
| Insurance | Minimum | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Federal public liability, household goods carriers | $750,000 | FMCSA; filed on Form BMC-91 or BMC-91X |
| Federal cargo, household goods carriers | $5,000 per vehicle and $10,000 per occurrence | 49 CFR 387.303; filed on Form BMC-34 |
| Texas intrastate liability, vehicles rated under 26,000 lb | $300,000 | TxDMV |
| Texas intrastate cargo | $5,000 per vehicle; $10,000 aggregate across shippers | TxDMV |
Minimums are not what customers ask for. Property managers and commercial clients usually require a certificate of insurance with $1 million of general liability, and high-value long-distance loads need cargo limits far above $10,000.
Texas lets most private employers choose not to carry workers’ compensation, but property managers and commercial customers often require proof of coverage, and crews lift for a living. The sample carries it for every crew member.
Estimates and Consumer Rules
Interstate moves fall under 49 CFR Part 375. A mover must give the customer a written estimate before executing an order for service and state whether it is binding or non-binding. On a non-binding estimate the mover may not demand more than 110% of the estimate at delivery. Within a 50-mile radius of the mover’s place of business, the estimate must rest on a physical or virtual survey unless the customer waives it in writing. Interstate household goods carriers must also offer arbitration for loss and damage disputes and hand customers the FMCSA booklet on their rights and responsibilities when they move (Protect Your Move).
Texas intrastate rules differ: Texas Transportation Code Chapter 643 requires household goods carriers to file a tariff of maximum charges, so build the accessorial schedule into it before launch and check how TxDMV handles tariff changes before raising rates.
Texas Franchise Tax and Entity Choice
For the 2026 and 2027 report years the Texas no-tax-due threshold is $2.65 million of annualized total revenue, and the standard rate is 0.75% of taxable margin above it. Below the threshold an LLC still files a Public Information Report, due May 15 (Texas Comptroller). A mover with $1.49 million of revenue in Year 3 pays no franchise tax. At $102,500 of pre-tax income, an S-corporation election is worth modeling against a reasonable owner salary.
