Decide what kind of help the move needs
Before comparing prices for a move in or around Fargo, settle what you are actually buying. Local help comes in roughly three shapes, and each puts a different share of the work, and of the risk, on you.
- Full service. A company brings the truck and the crew and, if you ask, the boxes and the packing. You are paying for its time, its equipment and its handling from one door to the other.
- Labor only. You rent the truck or a container, and a crew loads and unloads it. The driving and the vehicle are yours.
- Mostly yourself. Friends, a rented truck, and perhaps paid help for the heaviest pieces.
A mix is possible too: a crew for furniture and appliances, and you for the boxes. When you ask for quotes, name the shape you want so each company prices the same job. Ask each one how damage is handled under that arrangement, and whether the answer changes when the truck is yours rather than theirs.
North Dakota's statute on household goods carriers
Under N.D.C.C. chapter 39-31, a common household goods carrier may not operate within North Dakota without a household goods carrier permit from the Department of Transportation. The application must contain proof of registration with the Secretary of State and either proof of workers compensation coverage or an affidavit of nonemployment, and the department must require public liability insurance before granting the permit.
Put this question to every company you call, and write its answer on the quote: "Does this move call for a North Dakota household goods carrier permit, and if so, what is your permit number?"
A quote you can hold others against
Ask for the quote after someone has seen your belongings, in person or on a video call, including closets, the basement, the garage and any shed. Ask for it in writing, showing:
- how many people will come, and whose truck it is and what size;
- whether the price is hourly or a set amount, and when the clock starts and stops;
- extra charges for stairs, elevators, a long walk from the truck, or taking furniture apart and putting it back together;
- packing materials, either included or priced per item;
- the deposit, how it is paid, and what happens if you cancel or change the date.
Then ask what could change the final number, and have that answer added to the quote itself. Two quotes are easier to compare when they describe the same rooms and the same large pieces.
While you have each company on the line, ask for proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation, and ask what its own coverage pays if an item is damaged or lost. Then call your homeowners or renters insurer and ask what your policy covers while your belongings are on a truck or in storage.
Getting the large items ready
Some pieces need work before the crew walks in, and doing it ahead keeps the clock from running while you finish.
- Washer and dryer. Disconnect them yourself or ask whether the crew will. Drain the hoses into a bucket and tape them to the machine. If the dryer runs on gas, ask who should disconnect and cap the line.
- Refrigerator and freezer. Empty them, defrost the freezer, and wipe both dry. Ask the mover whether it takes units with ice makers or water lines, and who disconnects the line.
- Beds, tables and desks. Take apart what you can. Bag the hardware for each piece, label the bag, and tape it to the largest part.
- Screens and computers. Keep the original cartons if you still have them; if not, ask whether the mover supplies cartons for screens and at what price.
- Mirrors, glass tabletops and framed art. Ask whether the mover wraps or crates them, and what that adds.
The garage and the things a truck may refuse
A garage can hold items a mover may decline to carry: fuel, propane cylinders, paint, solvents, fertilizer, lawn and pool chemicals, and loose batteries. Ask each company for its own list before move day, and plan how you will take, give away or dispose of what is on it. Ask, too, how the mover wants a lawn mower or other small engine prepared.
Keys, addresses and utilities
- Arrange for the utilities at the new address to start before you arrive, and for those at the old one to stop after you leave.
- Change your mailing address with the post office, your bank and your insurer.
- Confirm with the landlord or seller exactly when you get keys, and plan the truck's arrival around it.
- Photograph each room of the empty home you are leaving before you hand the keys back.
Fargo's drinking water
Fargo's 2025 Water Quality Report lists total hardness of 134 ppm, or 7.83 grains per gallon, and total dissolved solids of 400 ppm.
Move day, in order
- Be home when the crew arrives, and go over the quote, the scope and the permit answer with the crew lead.
- Agree where the truck will stop, and keep a clear path from the door to the curb.
- Point out the fragile pieces and anything that is staying behind.
- Before the truck pulls away, open every cupboard, closet and drawer.
- At the new place, tape a room name on each door that matches the labels on the boxes.
- Look over furniture as it comes off the truck, and write any damage on the paperwork before you sign it.