Plan the move backward from the day
A household move has a fixed point, the day the truck comes, and most of the work leads up to it. Writing that date at the bottom of a page and working upward from it can turn a heap of chores into a sequence: who to call first, what to measure, what to sort, what to pack and what to keep within reach. The steps below follow that order for a South Bend move.
What the Indiana Department of Revenue says about carriers
The Indiana Department of Revenue says that, per Indiana Code (IC) 8-2.1-22, carriers transporting household goods or passengers for hire must obtain a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity from the Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR), and must renew that authority every year by November 30.
The certificate question
Early on, before you put down any deposit, ask every company you contact the same thing: "Does this move call for an Indiana Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, and if so, what is your certificate number?" Give each company its own sheet of paper. On it, record how the company names itself on paper, where it is based, who took your call and what that person said about the certificate. If you want to look into a reply further, ask DOR's Motor Carrier Services how to do it.
On the same call, ask for proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation. Then phone your homeowners or renters insurer and ask what your own policy covers while your belongings are with a mover.
Well ahead: estimates you can compare
A mover can only price what it knows about. Invite each company to see the household for itself, at the house or over a video call, and leave nothing out of the tour: storage under the stairs, the rafters of the garage, the back corner of the basement. Say which pieces need extra care or extra hands, for instance an upright piano, a gun cabinet, a marble tabletop or a treadmill.
When the written estimates arrive, check that each one shows:
- the date and the time window for arrival;
- how many movers and trucks are coming;
- whether the price is hourly or a set amount, and what that amount covers;
- packing, materials, crating and furniture disassembly on separate lines;
- any charge for stairs, an elevator or a long walk from the truck;
- the deposit, how it is paid and what happens to it if you change the date.
Ask each company what could raise the final bill, and ask it to write that answer on the estimate.
Well ahead: measure and sort
Measure the big pieces: the sofa, the beds, the dressers, the table and any appliance that is coming with you. If you can visit the new place first, measure its doors, its stair turns and the narrowest hall. A piece that looks tight is a question for the mover: can its legs, doors or headboard come off, and what would that add?
Then go room by room and decide what stays behind. Anything you sell, give away or discard is one less thing to wrap, carry and unpack. A crew may decline to load some things, so find out from each company what those are and decide early how you will move or get rid of them.
South Bend/St. Joseph in NOAA's engineering weather data
NOAA engineering weather data for South Bend/St. Joseph (elevation 774 feet) gives a 1% summer design temperature of 88°F with a mean coincident wet-bulb temperature of 73°F, and a 99% winter design temperature of 3°F.
The last days: packing
Work from the edges of daily life inward. Shelves, storage bins and seasonal clothing can go into cartons first, and the coffee maker, the toothbrushes and a few plates can wait until the final evening. Match each box to what goes in it: a carton of books or canned food can be hard to lift if it is a big one, while pillows and lampshades fit a big one well. Reinforce the bottom of every carton with tape before filling it. On the side of each box, not just the lid, mark the room it belongs in, then add a running number and keep a list of those numbers.
Keep back one bag that rides in your own car. Fill it with what you would need if the truck ran late: prescriptions, important papers, the new keys, phone cords, clothes for tomorrow and something to eat.
The morning of the move
- Prop the doors, lay down a runner on floors you care about, and clear the way to the curb before the crew knocks.
- Hand the crew lead a copy of the estimate and ask whether today's plan matches it.
- Check that the company name on the day's paperwork matches the one on your estimate.
- Tag what is staying, so it does not end up on the truck by mistake.
- Arrange for a friend or a sitter to take the children and pets for the day if you can.
- Once the rooms look empty, check them again: shelves inside closets, the dryer, the space under the sink, the attic hatch.
- Read each page the crew asks you to sign, and keep a copy for yourself.
Unloading and the first evening
Get to the new place ahead of the truck if you can, and put a sign on each room that uses the same names as your carton labels. Station yourself near the door with your numbered list and a pen. As each carton passes, cross off its number; as each piece of furniture passes, look it over. Anything scratched, broken or missing goes on the delivery paperwork before you sign it, with a phone photo to back it up. Before the crew leaves, find out how the company handles a claim and what paperwork it asks for.
Make up the beds before anything else, open the bag from your car, and leave the rest of the cartons for the next day.
South Bend's drinking water
The City of South Bend's drinking water quality annual report says the South Bend Water Utility uses groundwater from the St. Joseph Tributary Valley System and the St. Joseph and Hilltop aquifers, with nine wellfields whose wells range from 104 to 237 feet below the ground surface and a treatment plant at each wellfield.
South Bend's water quality parameters, from analysis of water from all treatment plants in 2025, show hardness ranging from 302 to 474 ppm with an average of 377 ppm; the city gives average hardness as 22 grains per gallon.
Accounts and addresses
Call the providers for power, gas, water and internet with a shutoff date for the old place and a start date for the new one, so neither home sits without service on the day. Have the post office forward your mail, and send your new address to the bank, the payroll office at work, your insurer and anyone else who bills you.