Any household movers in the forum?

If you are as new as your profile says, I would recommend you get on-board with MTS (Mergenthaler Transfer and Storage) and see what it is like with them for a year. They have a household good division and they work with Atlas Van lines and United. I honestly don't know their corporate structure, and they may own a stake in the prior two companies.

What I do know about moving companies is that they readily hire new CDL grads and pay them per mile driven & hourly for doing the labour intensive work. Some companies run coast to coast, others specialize in working with military families and their PCSs. They box up household goods and then put them in big wooden storage boxes so they are consolidated for transfer (almost like LTL where they get moved around until they hit their final destination). Labour intensive work. Aside from that, you probably want to look into the "Ask an Owner Op" folder if you own your own truck and really just want to start your own business.

 

Look into Atlas Van Lines.. Or Graeble Relocation Worldwide. Graeble has a terminal in Orlando.

 

I worked at Graebel for about a week and hated it. Couldn't wait to get back to freight/LTL after about 3 days of the bedbugging industry.

 

If you want to get into just getting paid better than starting pay with one of the mega carriers, I would look into LTL. They started me around $50k/year after I got out of CDL school. There is more than enough info/people you can ask here about what it is like doing freight.

I have never done household goods moving, but I would imagine it is very physically demanding. The fact that you are now dealing with someone's personal belongings and not general freight also is something I would not want to deal with. There are more than enough property owners that want their prized posessions moved and boxed a certain way and will hover over you while you are working to ensure it gets done the way they specified it. If you can deal with that, almost all moving companies hire newbs cause their job environment is unique and driver retention is more challenging for them.

 

In the late 70's North American Van lines started their own training program, then sold newbies their used tractors for their New Products Division out of Ft. Wayne In. I dont know if they are even in buisness anymore.

 

I'm a driver for superior movers I started about a month ago after three years of freaking reefer division with couple of medium size companies my friends owns the company we currently have 8 trucks my exp is that for sure it's a lot of work but worth it I'm making owner operator wages been a company driver I get 40 cents per mile and 40 cents for cubic feet of everything you load from fl to wa I do coast to coast my trip average from east to west about 2 weeks but I grossed in my pocket $6000 from there I pay my helpers and expenses I stay with about $3500 one I have learned that this is one of the best pay industries on trucking. Ps my trailer have 4000 cu.ft and load two trailers from Florida to wAshington state plus all miles pay is like making 15000 miles every two weeks hopes this help keep in touch good luck!!