Amazing expirience! The agent is very professional and friendly. Definitely recommend!!
Insurance for Florida Moving Companies and Small-Item Movers
Call or text 813-302-7151
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We serve clients across Florida and work with multiple insurance carriers to help individuals, families, and business owners compare coverage options that fit their state and industry requirements.
We serve clients across Florida and work with multiple insurance carriers to help individuals, families, and business owners compare coverage options that fit their state and industry requirements.
7 months ago
Excellent service and very professional staff. They made the process easy, answered all my questions, and helped me find the right coverage. Highly recommended!
3 months ago
I’ve worked with Ray for years and he’s always reliable and has been able to help my clients in need! I can always count on him to provide the best insurance advice and service
7 months ago
Great service, and always looking out for my commercial insurance. Thank you Ray
3 months ago
Great insurance agent to work with. Ray is the best!
3 months ago
Reviews reflect individual customer opinions and experiences. They do not guarantee specific coverage, pricing, service timing, or claim outcomes.
One owner picks up a sofa bought on Facebook Marketplace, moves two appliances across town and finishes the day with a small apartment. Another company sends crews in three box trucks to pack and move a whole house. Both carry customers’ property, but their routes, crews, vehicles and the value on board can be very different.
We start with the moves you actually do: what you pick up, who loads it, how far it goes, how you charge and whether you pack or store. That keeps a small-item mover from being written up as a full household mover, and keeps a growing mover from being described too narrowly.
Describe a move from booking to final delivery
A useful submission follows one job from the first customer request to the signed delivery receipt. The agency will want to understand:
- Whether jobs involve single items, apartments, homes, offices, marketplace purchases or a mix
- Who packs, disassembles, loads, drives, unloads and reassembles property
- Whether the company charges by the item, hour, trip, mileage or full move
- The normal number of stops and the farthest destination accepted
- The vehicles and trailers used for each type of job
- The largest realistic value carried in one vehicle
- Whether property is stored overnight or transferred between vehicles
- Whether employees, day laborers or subcontract crews are involved
- Whether the business arranges moves for others or performs every move itself
These facts separate vehicle liability, physical damage, customer-property, workplace and contract questions. They also reveal whether an occasional service has become a regular part of the business.
Florida mover registration and required insurance
If you move household goods for pay from one place in Florida to another, the Florida Moving Act (chapter 507, Florida Statutes) applies to you. Under Florida Statutes s. 507.03, movers and moving brokers must register with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and renew every two years. Your registration number goes in your ads, your estimates and contracts must say you are registered, and each truck needs a sign on the driver’s side door.
To register, you show proof of the coverage required by Florida Statutes s. 507.04:
- Household goods liability: at least $10,000 per shipment for loss or damage to household goods caused by the negligence of the mover or its employees or agents. A mover with two or fewer vehicles may instead keep a $50,000 performance bond or a $50,000 certificate of deposit in a Florida bank.
- Motor vehicle liability (bodily injury and property damage combined): at least $50,000 per occurrence for a commercial vehicle of 26,000 to under 35,000 pounds gross weight (vehicles under 26,000 pounds follow the regular Florida auto minimums), $100,000 from 35,000 to under 44,000 pounds, and $300,000 at 44,000 pounds or more.
- Moving brokers: a $50,000 performance bond or certificate of deposit.
The same section says a mover may not limit its liability for household goods to less than 60 cents per pound per article. These are state minimums, and customers or building managers may ask for more.
Chapter 507 covers moves that start and end in Florida. A move that crosses state lines falls under federal rules, and FMCSA insurance filing requirements call for $750,000 in liability plus cargo coverage for household goods carriers. If you only haul single items like marketplace purchases or store deliveries, ask FDACS whether your work counts as a household move. If you also haul away old furniture and cleanouts, see our junk removal and hauling insurance page.
“Moving company” can hide a much smaller business
We once helped a one-person moving business whose application looked odd at first because it had no employees or subcontractors. The owner wasn’t doing full household moves alone. The business handled small jobs, often one or two items or Facebook Marketplace purchases. Once we explained the real workflow, the operation made sense to the underwriter.
That works both ways. A small-item mover shouldn’t be forced into a description that implies crews, packing and whole-house moves. A company that has added employees, storage, packing or bigger moves shouldn’t keep using the description from its first year.
The truck and the customer’s property are separate
Commercial auto handles liability when you cause a crash and, if you choose it, damage to the trucks you list. It does not cover everything in the back. Customers’ belongings are a cargo question, and your dollies, pads, ramps and hand tools are business equipment. Read commercial auto vs. motor truck cargo insurance for the difference.
Tell us your largest realistic load, not your average one. A mover who usually carries one inexpensive item but sometimes moves a grand piano needs to plan for the piano. Your contract, valuation terms, exclusions and paperwork all affect how a customer’s claim is handled.
If you use a box truck, list the body, GVWR, lift gate, ramp and anything added after purchase. A lift gate that was never reported and valued can leave a real gap after a loss. The box truck insurance guide and our page on adding a vehicle, trailer or equipment explain more.
A typical small-move day
Picture an owner with a cargo van who does local jobs: a dresser from a seller’s home to a buyer’s apartment, two boxed appliances from a store to a house, and a last pickup that has to stay in the van overnight.
The first two jobs carry customers’ property on the road. The overnight hold adds a storage and security question. If the owner hires a helper for the appliances, we need to know whether that person only lifts or also drives. If the owner rents a box truck for a bigger job, the rental agreement and hired auto coverage should be reviewed before pickup. One day can touch several policies even when the owner calls every job a small move.
Drivers, helpers and subcontracted moves
Crews change with the size of the job. Someone hired to carry furniture may end up driving when the owner gets tired. If a person might drive, get us their driver information before they get the keys. Keep a current driver file, written rules on who may drive and a process for reporting accidents.
Calling a crew member a 1099 contractor doesn’t answer who supplies the truck, who runs the job or whose insurance applies. If another mover takes an overflow job, write down who contracted with the customer, whose truck and crew do the move, who has the customer’s property and what insurance the agreement requires. A certificate shows what a policy has; it doesn’t change the policy or satisfy every contract term.
What movers pay for commercial auto
In real quotes our agency has run for Florida businesses, annual commercial auto premiums for a single vehicle have ranged from:
- Cargo van, Florida minimum limits: $900 to $7,000 a year
- Cargo van, $1,000,000 limit: $7,000 to $24,000 a year
- Box truck, Florida minimum limits: $400 to $6,000 a year
- Box truck, $1,000,000 limit: $5,500 to $35,000 a year
Cargo coverage for customers’ goods is separate. Your real price depends on your vehicles, drivers, limits and claims. See our commercial insurance cost guide for more ranges.
What to send us for a quote
- Legal business name, FDACS mover registration number and years in business
- How your work splits among single items, homes, offices, packing and storage
- Driver list with license numbers and roles
- Vehicle and trailer list with VINs, weights, values and parking address
- Photos of trucks, cargo areas, ramps and lift gates
- Normal and longest trip, and any overnight or out-of-state moves
- Highest value of customer property in one truck, and how you document it
- Your customer contract, valuation terms and any certificate requests
- Employees, helpers, day workers and subcontractors
- How you rent trucks and approve drivers for them
- Current policy declarations and loss runs
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to register with the state to run a moving company?
If you move household goods for pay within Florida, chapter 507 requires registration with FDACS, renewed every two years. You must show proof of at least $10,000 per shipment in household goods liability (or a $50,000 bond or certificate of deposit if you run two or fewer vehicles) plus motor vehicle liability.
Is a cargo van enough for a moving business?
The vehicle should fit the work, the weight and your largest load. A cargo van may fit a local small-item business, while bigger moves may need a box truck. The application has to describe the real service either way.
Does cargo coverage protect our dollies and moving pads?
No. Customers’ property and your own equipment are different categories. List dollies, pads, ramps, straps and tools for equipment coverage.
What if we rent a truck for one big move?
Tell us before the job. We need to look at the rental contract, the truck size, the driver, and hired auto liability and damage to the rental. Don’t rely on a guess at the rental counter.
Do we need to report a move to another state?
Yes. Interstate household goods moves fall under federal rules, which call for $750,000 in liability plus cargo coverage and an FMCSA filing. Tell us before you book the job.
About the Author
Raymundo Guzman
I’m Raymundo Guzman, an independent insurance agent and the owner of Covered by Guzman. I help business owners across Tampa Bay and central Florida find commercial auto, general liability, workers’ compensation, and related business coverage that matches how they actually operate, comparing options across the carriers available to me rather than selling one company’s product.
Independent Insurance Agent · License #W512374 | NPN #18906048 · 813-302-7151
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Tell us about your vehicles, drivers and the work you do, and we will come back with real options. Call or text 813-302-7151.
