Movers in Texas charge about $95 to $145 per hour for a two-person crew on local jobs, and a two-bedroom interstate move from Texas is estimated at $2,800 to $6,700. Intrastate movers in Texas are licensed by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division, while any company moving household goods across state lines must hold FMCSA operating authority. Peak demand runs October to April, when quotes sit at the top of those ranges. BestMovers.info compares 182 licensed carriers serving Texas, with pricing data as of May 2026.
Compare moving companies, Federal Records, and moving resources for Texas. BestMovers.info publishes no numeric score, star rating or ranked order.
Compare licensed Texas movers in one minute.
No obligation. Your quote request may be shared with up to 4 moving companies that may serve your requested route.
Get matched with licensed movers based on your route and move details.
.
.
Texas regulates intrastate household-goods movers through the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV). Every Texas mover must hold an active TxDMV Motor Carrier Registration with the "Household Goods" authority before they can lawfully take a deposit. The TxDMV "Truck Stop" portal is free and lets you verify licensing in under a minute.
Texas has had the highest net inbound migration in the country every year since 2015 according to U-Haul, U-Pack, and IRS migration data. That keeps inbound capacity tight and inbound prices roughly 10–18% higher than equivalent outbound lanes — a 2BR from California to Austin generally costs more than the same 2BR going the other direction.
The state is geographically huge. A "local" Houston-to-Austin move (~165 mi) is regulated as intrastate by TxDMV, not as a federal interstate move, even though the drive is longer than New York to DC. Make sure your estimate uses a TxDMV-compliant tariff, not a fabricated "long distance" rate sheet.
Top-tier van lines win here. Inbound capacity is tight and brokers can be unreliable on tight delivery windows; a binding-not-to-exceed price from a household-name van line is worth the 5–10% premium for any 2BR+ load.
Established regional carriers with a TxDMV number, a real address, and 5+ years on the road consistently beat van-line pricing on local hourly work. Crews of 3 are usually a better value than crews of 2 on anything larger than a 1BR.
Outbound TX lanes are cheaper than inbound, and consolidator/container services (PODS, U-Pack) are very competitive on TX to CA, TX to CO, and TX to FL where backhaul demand is steady.
I-610 and I-45 traffic patterns mean Friday afternoon loads regularly add a billable hour. Tuesdays book at the lowest effective rate.
Inbound from CA, NY, and IL is the hottest lane in the country — lock in interstate quotes 4–6 weeks ahead.
Largest pool of registered movers in the state; the most price-competitive metro for local hourly.
Strong military/PCS market — SDDC-approved carriers are worth shortlisting if you have eligibility.
Verify any Texas intrastate mover's TxDMV number using the free "Truck Stop" lookup. For interstate moves originating or terminating in Texas, cross-check the carrier's USDOT and MC numbers through FMCSA SAFER.
Texas has a wide-open moving market, which is great for price competition and dangerous for consumers who don't vet. The TxDMV's annual enforcement reports list dozens of cease-and-desist actions every year against unlicensed operators — most of them sourced from Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and Google Local Service Ads that haven't been carefully verified. The single best thing you can do before booking is search the company's legal name in the TxDMV "Truck Stop" tool and confirm an active Household Goods authority.
On interstate moves into Texas, plan further ahead than you would in most states. The U-Haul Growth Index has had Texas in its top three inbound states every year of the last decade, and Austin, Dallas, and Houston all show interstate carrier capacity reaching effective sell-out 3–4 weeks before peak summer dates. If you wait until two weeks out, you will pay 20–30% more or be forced into a lower-tier carrier.
Local-hourly economics in Texas favor the consumer right now. Diesel prices are below the national average, labor floors are reasonable (BLS May 2024 OEWS shows Texas roughly at the national mean for SOC 53-7062), and the dense pool of registered carriers keeps competition real. Two binding quotes and a third for benchmarking is the right shopping pattern — a single quote almost always overpays.
If you're moving on the Gulf Coast between June and November, treat hurricane risk as a real underwriting question, not a footnote. Confirm in writing that the carrier's cargo and liability insurance covers named-storm cancellations, partial loads in transit, and warehouse storage at the origin. Reputable carriers will produce a certificate of insurance in 24–48 hours; if they hesitate, walk away.
The South calendar sets Texas pricing: October–April is peak, May–September is the discount window, and the gap between them is 15% to 25% on an identical job.
Two crew members at standard rates run roughly $120/hr in most of the state, with downtown high-rise jobs and gated communities pulling toward the upper end. A typical 2-bedroom interstate move out of Texas settles around $4,750, though distance and packing services swing that meaningfully.
Local quirks worth pricing in: summer heat, hurricane-season reschedules along the coast, and a heavier flow of inbound retirees. None of these are dealbreakers, but they show up in the final bill if you don't ask about them upfront.
Verification in Texas runs through the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division. A mover operating inside Texas must hold a motor carrier certificate of registration issued by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. The authorisation is a TxDMV motor carrier certificate of registration. Interstate carriers additionally need active FMCSA authority, which you can check on SAFER by USDOT number.
Ask each Texas company whether the quote is binding, non-binding, or binding-not-to-exceed, and get the answer on the estimate itself.
Texas runs its heaviest volume October–April, and its 12 covered metros feed most of that demand out of and around Austin. Population sits near 30.5 million, which is what sets how deep the local crew pool actually is in May–September.
Selection for Texas starts from licensing, not marketing. A company is listed here when it is headquartered in Texas or its record shows coverage of the state, and when we can describe it from sourced fields: federal registration, operating authority, founding year, and service coverage. We publish no numeric score and rank nobody first.
Which company suits your move is a question of scope and date, not of a score: BestMovers.info publishes no numeric score, star rating or ranked order. The pricing model behind the estimates on this page is dated May 2026.
Two movers, ground-floor access, standard packing. Peak season in Texas is October–April.
| Home size | Local move | Interstate move |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $285–$725 | $1,540–$4,020 |
| 1 Bedroom | $380–$870 | $2,100–$5,226 |
| 2 Bedroom | $570–$1,305 | $2,800–$6,700 |
| 3 Bedroom | $760–$1,740 | $4,060–$10,385 |
| 4 Bedroom | $1,045–$2,320 | $5,460–$14,405 |
| 5+ Bedroom | $1,330–$2,900 | $6,720–$18,090 |
The FMCSA motor carrier census lists 6,462 registrants carrying household goods whose physical address is in Texas, and 1,498 of those are classified by FMCSA as interstate operations. That figure counts companies whose federal registration lists a Texas address, which is not the same as the number of companies that will serve a move in Texas. An interstate move into or out of Texas can be performed by a carrier registered in any state.
FMCSA motor carrier census, Company Census FileData as of 2026-08-10
IRS tax return data for filing years 2022 to 2023 records 259,354 returns moving out of Texas to another state, and 314,258 moving in, a net gain of 54,904 returns. A return approximates a household rather than a person. The same filings cover 456,898 individuals leaving and 568,302 arriving.
The states receiving the most Texas households were California (24,970 returns), Florida (20,050 returns) and Colorado (14,923 returns).
Arrivals came mainly from California (44,417 returns), Florida (24,196 returns) and Louisiana (15,068 returns). These figures count all filers who changed address, not only those who hired a moving company.
IRS SOI state-to-state outflow fileIRS SOI state-to-state inflow fileData as of tax filing years 2022 to 2023
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division regulates household goods movers operating inside Texas, and sits within the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Movers are licensed under Texas Transportation Code Chapter 643. Moves crossing the Texas state line fall under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration instead, a separate authorisation with separate requirements.
Source: Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division
A mover doing work inside Texas must hold the TxDMV motor carrier certificate of registration, issued by Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division. It exists specifically for household goods movers, whatever its title. The requirement sits in Texas Transportation Code Chapter 643. An interstate carrier holding only a federal USDOT number is not authorised for Texas intrastate work by that number alone.
Source: Agency licensing page
Texas publishes carrier records through the TxDMV Truck Stop motor carrier lookup; confirm a registration by name or USDOT number there, or by calling the consumer helpline. For a move leaving Texas, check the company's USDOT record in FMCSA SAFER as well. Holding one authorisation does not imply the other.
Verify by phone: 888-368-4689Verify by email: truckstop@txdmv.govFMCSA SAFER
Complaints about a move inside Texas go to Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division through TxDMV Complaint Management System, truckstop@txdmv.gov, Consumer helpline 888-368-4689. A complaint about a move that crossed the Texas state line goes to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration through the National Consumer Complaint Database instead.
Texas complaint channelFMCSA National Consumer Complaint Database
Moves crossing a state line are authorised by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration under a USDOT number and interstate household goods operating authority. A Texas state licence does not cover that work, and the federal record is the one to check: confirm the USDOT number is active and authorised for household goods before paying a deposit.
Last verified against agency pages: 2026-08-09
A move that leaves Texas is an interstate move and falls under federal authority, so the company needs active operating authority for household goods rather than only a Texas licence. A move that stays inside Texas is different: it is regulated by Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division, and the company needs TxDMV motor carrier certificate of registration. Check which kind of move you are booking before you compare quotes, because the two are verified in different places.
Texas publishes no lookup, so a licence is confirmed by calling Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division on 888-368-4689.
The out of state checklist sets out what changes when the move crosses a line, and the moving checklist sets out the weeks before it.
Labor-only is the entry point in Texas: you supply the truck, the crew supplies the muscle. Two movers for a small apartment usually total $285 to $580, since the $95 to $145 hourly band still applies.
Full service earns its price on 3+ bedroom homes, stairs at both ends, or any interstate job you are not driving yourself. It runs roughly two to three times labor-only, and that covers blankets, dollies, fuel, and the truck.
The container route splits the difference. Providers such as PODS, U-Pack, and 1-800-PACK-RAT drop a unit at the curb. You load on your schedule, the company drives. On a Texas interstate move the container route is usually cheaper than a full-service van line, because you are supplying the loading labor the carrier would otherwise charge for. Bestmovers.info holds no container rates, so price the provider quote for your own lane and dates. The catch is the delivery window, which is set by the provider rather than promised to you, and limited recourse for damage during loading, since you packed it.
These companies have a verified headquarters or documented company location in Texas. Placement is based on documented location information, not a numeric ranking.
Large national footprint with 80+ branches but uneven customer satisfaction across markets. Get the all-in price (including fuel and equipment fees) in writing before booking.
All My Sons Moving & Storage is headquartered in Texas according to its published company location.
Global mover with strong international corporate-relocation business. Domestic US moves are available but not the primary focus.
Crown Relocations is headquartered in Texas according to its published company location.
Einstein Moving Company LLC files from Brown Lane in Austin, Texas, active on the federal census with 80 power units, seven non-commercial units, 182 drivers and an MCS-150 filed 27 March 2026. The registration is filed as intrastate only for non-hazardous cargo and the federal record carries no MC, MX or FF docket and no interstate operating authority. That is what the federal file shows and it is stated as a description of the filing, not as a finding about the company's right to operate: an intrastate Texas operation does not require interstate authority. A docket number circulated in secondary sources for this brand was not located on the federal record and is therefore not stored. The company publishes this USDOT number in its own footer together with a Texas Department of Motor Vehicles number, and it publishes a separate Florida registration for its Tampa operation; the Texas registration is the primary record this profile describes and the Florida registrant is disclosed separately as a related registration rather than merged into it. The state numbers are state identifiers and are not recorded as federal registrations. No federal safety rating was located for this registration, which is neither a positive nor a negative signal. The company states it was founded in 2012.
Einstein Moving Company is headquartered in Texas according to its published company location.
United Van Lines agent and one of the largest Texas-based movers. Consistent on-time performance and strong claims handling.
Imlach & Collins Brothers is headquartered in Texas according to its published company location.
Global relocation operator with offices on six continents. Best fit for international relocations rather than purely domestic US moves.
Santa Fe Relocation is headquartered in Texas according to its published company location.
These companies publish broad nationwide moving service and are shown separately from companies based in Texas.
International Van Lines services overseas destinations in addition to US interstate work. What it is licensed to do federally is set out in the federal record on this page rather than described here.
International Van Lines publishes broad nationwide moving service on its own site. It is shown separately from companies based in this area and its presence here is not evidence of a local office.
Mayflower Transit is the second large UniGroup brand alongside United Van Lines and runs full-service interstate moves through an agent network under its own federal registration.
Mayflower Transit publishes broad nationwide moving service on its own site. It is shown separately from companies based in this area and its presence here is not evidence of a local office.
North American Van Lines is part of SIRVA and moves interstate household goods through an agent-affiliate network. The federal registration shown here belongs to the van line, not to the local agent that loads the truck.
North American Van Lines publishes broad nationwide moving service on its own site. It is shown separately from companies based in this area and its presence here is not evidence of a local office.
United Van Lines is the largest brand under UniGroup and publishes the annual National Movers Study. It offers shipment tracking and a published claims process; we hold no dataset that compares its claims outcomes with other carriers.
United Van Lines publishes broad nationwide moving service on its own site. It is shown separately from companies based in this area and its presence here is not evidence of a local office.
Wheaton World Wide Moving shares a parent company with Bekins and moves interstate household goods through an agent network under its own federal registration.
Wheaton World Wide Moving publishes broad nationwide moving service on its own site. It is shown separately from companies based in this area and its presence here is not evidence of a local office.
Eight weeks out: get three written quotes. Two should be in-home or video surveys. One online quote is fine for comparison only — it will rarely be the binding number.
Six weeks out: book the carrier. Ask for binding-not-to-exceed pricing in writing. Confirm valuation coverage (released vs. full-value protection — there is a real difference if a TV gets dropped).
Four weeks out: order packing supplies if you're self-packing. Boxes go on sale at U-Haul and Home Depot in late winter and late summer.
Two weeks out: confirm parking, building COIs, and elevator reservations at both ends. Texas buildings vary wildly here — some need 72 hours notice, some 30 days.
One week out: pack a personal essentials box (medications, chargers, three days of clothes, toilet paper, coffee, scissors, the lease/closing folder) and keep it with you, not on the truck.
Move day: walk the truck before driver pulls away. Sign the Bill of Lading only after the inventory list matches. First week in the new place, file any damage claim within nine months — that's the federal interstate window.
Texas pricing varies city by city. Downtown cores with high-rise residential typically run 10–20% above the state median because of COI requirements, freight elevator wait time, and tighter parking. Suburban single-family moves usually land near the median. Rural pickups outside metro service areas often add a per-mile travel fee from the nearest depot.
Intrastate household-goods movers in Texas are licensed by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division. A mover operating inside Texas must hold a motor carrier certificate of registration issued by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. The authorisation is a TxDMV motor carrier certificate of registration.
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier DivisionResearched and written by Grant Holloway · Reviewed by Amanda Brooks · Last reviewed August 2026
How we evaluate moving companies: we verify federal registration and operating authority against FMCSA records, record carrier or broker classification, note state licensing where a state regulator publishes it, and state the limits of what we could source. No numeric score, star rating or ranked order is produced from those checks. Read full methodology