Movers & Co provides labor only moving services in Lancaster, PA for people who already have the vehicle. You supply the rental truck, the portable container, or the trailer. We supply the trained crew, the equipment, and the loading plan, billed by the hour instead of as a full service move.
This is the cheapest way to use a professional mover, and it is the right call more often than the industry likes to admit. If you have already reserved a truck, or a container is sitting on your driveway, there is no reason to pay for transport twice.
Why Pay for a Crew When You Already Have the Truck
How it is packed decides what survives
A rental truck loaded badly shifts on the first turn. Weight goes over the axle, tiers get tied off, and the doorway stays clear. Friends helping out do not know that, and the damage shows up two hundred miles later when you open the door.
Four hours instead of a whole Saturday
A trained pair moves faster than five volunteers, because nobody is deciding what to do next. You are paying by the hour, so the crew that works quickly is also the crew that costs less.
Nobody you know gets hurt
Staircases, appliances, and pianos are where friends and family get injured, and where you end up liable for it. Our movers are employees who lift for a living and are covered by workers compensation while they do it.
The gear arrives with the crew
Dollies, four wheelers, straps, blankets, and door protection come on the truck with us. Most rental counters charge for a fraction of that, and most people find out they needed it halfway through the day.
Licensed, Insured, and Easy to Verify
Plenty of labor is sold on marketplaces by people with no license, no insurance, and no company behind them. Here is who we are.
USDOT Number
3195256
MC Docket Number
1290652
Pennsylvania PUC License
8923115
Insurance
Liability and workers compensation carried on every job
This matters more on a labor only job, not less. If an uninsured helper is hurt on your staircase, or puts a dolly through your drywall, you are the one holding it. Look up our federal record at FMCSA.gov using the USDOT number above.
Labor Only Jobs We Take in Lancaster
Eight ways people use us without a Movers & Co truck involved.
Loading a rental truck
You drive, we load. The most common labor only job in Lancaster, and the one where the loading plan matters most because the truck is going a long way.
Unloading at the other end
You arrive, we carry it in and place it room by room. Often booked separately from the load, sometimes weeks later.
Portable containers and pods
Any brand of curbside container, loaded to the walls and strapped in tiers so nothing shifts while it is lifted onto a truck.
Both ends of a DIY move
Crew at the old place, crew at the new one, with you driving in between. Cheapest way to move a house with professional handling at both doors.
Rearranging inside a home
New rug, new layout, or a room being painted. No truck involved, just four hands and the right equipment for one afternoon.
Unloading a delivery
Furniture, appliances, or a freight drop left at the curb because the carrier does not bring items inside. We take it from the sidewalk to the room.
Storage unit load and unload
Filling or emptying a unit, including the reshuffle when the thing you need is at the back of it.
Business and event labor
Temporary hands for an office shuffle, a renovation, a floor reset, or setting and striking an event.
Tell us the job, the address, and how many hours you think it needs.
What We Bring and What You Supply
The single most common cause of a labor only job going wrong is a misunderstanding about this. So here it is in a table before you book.
| Item | Who provides it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Trained crew | Us | Employees, background checked, sized to the job |
| Dollies and four wheelers | Us | Appliance dolly included when the job needs one |
| Straps and tie-offs | Us | Used to secure every tier inside your truck or container |
| Moving blankets | Us | For wrapping furniture during handling |
| Basic tools | Us | For disassembly and reassembly of standard furniture |
| Truck, trailer, or container | You | Any size or brand. Reserve it before you book us |
| Fuel, mileage, and tolls | You | You are the one driving it |
| Boxes and packing paper | You, or ask us | We can supply materials or pack for you as an add-on |
| Parking or a permit | You | Downtown Lancaster streets often need one |
| Damage protection on the vehicle | You | Through your rental agreement or your own policy |
Reserve the vehicle first, then book the crew around its pickup window. Truck availability is tighter than crew availability at the end of the month, and a crew waiting at a rental counter is still on the clock.
When Labor Only Saves You Money, and When It Does Not
Labor only is the right choice
- You have already reserved a truck or a container is on the driveway
- You only need help at one end, usually the unload
- The distance is long and you would rather drive than pay for transport
- The job is a few heavy items rather than a whole house
- Nothing needs to leave the property, such as rearranging or a room being painted
- You have time and hands, and just want the risky lifting done properly
Full service is probably cheaper overall
- Once you add the rental, fuel, mileage, and the pads you have to buy
- When the house is large enough to need two trips in a rented truck
- When you would be driving a 26 foot truck you have never driven before
- When both ends need a crew anyway, which is most of the labor cost
- When the schedule is tight and a second trip would push you past your keys date
- When the load includes items you would rather someone else be responsible for
Ask us to price it both ways. We will tell you honestly if a full service local move works out cheaper for your house, because a labor job that turns into a bad day is not worth the booking to us either.
How a Labor Only Booking Works
- Tell us the job
Call (717) 690-1106 or send the form with the address, the vehicle you have, and roughly what is being moved.
- Crew size and hours
We recommend a crew and an hour estimate for the work. Two movers is the usual starting point, more when there are stairs or heavy items.
- Confirm your vehicle window
You lock in the rental pickup or the container delivery. We schedule around it so nobody is standing around waiting.
- Walkthrough on arrival
The crew leader walks the property with you, agrees the loading order, and flags anything that will not fit or should not go.
- Protection and prep
Door and floor protection down, furniture blanketed, and anything needing disassembly taken apart before it moves.
- Load or unload
Packed to the walls, weight over the axle, tiers strapped, and a clear path kept to the door for the last items.
- Final check
We walk it with you before we leave, confirm nothing is left behind, and close out the hours worked.
How We Load a Rental Truck or Container
You are driving this load. Here is what we actually do to it before you pull away.
Weight over the axle
Heaviest items go forward, low, and centered. A tail-heavy rental truck handles badly on 283 and worse on a highway ramp.
Tiers, not piles
The load is built in vertical tiers, each one strapped to the rail before the next starts. This is the step almost every DIY load skips.
Appliances secured upright
Refrigerators and washers stay upright, padded, and strapped, with drums and doors dealt with before they go on.
Furniture broken down
Bed frames, table legs, and shelving come apart, which saves both space and the corners of everything around them.
Mattresses and mirrors on edge
Vertical against a wall of the load, not flat under weight where they bend and crack.
Fragile last and high
Boxes marked fragile ride on top of solid tiers, never under a dresser and never loose in the middle of a floor.
Containers packed to the walls
A portable container gets lifted and moved, so gaps are the enemy. It is filled tight and strapped in sections.
A clear path to the door
The final few feet stay walkable so the last items in are the first items out at the other end.
Who Is Responsible for What, Stated Plainly
Labor only changes the liability picture, and most companies leave that vague until something is broken. Read this part before you book anyone, us included.
What sits with us
- Our crew’s safety while they are working, through workers compensation
- Our own conduct and handling while we are carrying your items
- Damage to your property caused by us during the job, raised with your coordinator
- Loading your vehicle to a proper standard, tiered, strapped, and weighted
What sits with you
- The vehicle itself, through your rental agreement or container contract
- Goods while they are in transit in a vehicle you are driving
- Any damage waiver offered with the vehicle, which is worth reading before you sign
- Anything loaded or added after our crew has left the property
That middle line is the important one. On a full service move the goods are in our custody the whole way, and valuation applies. On a labor only job you take custody the moment you drive off, so check what your rental agreement and your homeowners or renters policy actually cover before the day. Ask us and we will tell you exactly where our part stops.
Heavy and Awkward Items on a Labor Only Job
Some items are worth booking labor for on their own, without a move happening at all.
Pool tables and gym equipment
Awkward weight distribution and a long carry. Slate tops and multi-station machines are a crew job, not a favor you ask a neighbor.
Appliances
Getting a refrigerator through a doorway, up a basement stair, or onto a truck without marking the frame or the floor.
Oversized furniture
Sectionals, armoires, and anything that came in before a doorway was narrowed by a renovation.
Artwork and mirrors
Handled and positioned in the load rather than propped somewhere and hoped for.
Pianos
Uprights and grands need the right crew and equipment, so these run through piano moving rather than as general labor.
Gun safes
Weight, route, and floor loading are surveyed first. Handled through gun safe moving.
Tell us about these at booking rather than on the day. A crew of two sent for boxes cannot safely take a slate pool table down a staircase, and the honest answer at that point is that we have to reschedule.
Prep That Cuts Your Hours Down
You are paying by the hour, so every one of these puts money back in your pocket.
Before the crew arrives
- Everything boxed, taped, and labeled. Loose items are carried one at a time
- Boxes stacked near the door of each room, not spread across the floor
- Hallways, stairs, and the path to the vehicle completely clear
- The truck or container parked as close to the door as the street allows
- Beds stripped and drawers emptied of anything breakable
- Decide before we arrive what is not going, and move it out of the way
- One person available to answer questions and confirm the loading order
- Pets and small children away from the doorway and the ramp
What we will not load
- Propane, fuel, paint, aerosols, and other flammables
- Perishable food, plants, and live animals
- Cash, jewelry, and documents, which should travel with you
- Anything already loaded unsafely by someone else that we would be signing off on
Labor Only for Lancaster Businesses
Hourly crews without the paperwork of a full relocation project.
Office shuffles
Desks, storage, and workstations moved within a building, with no vehicle needed.
Delivery unloads
Freight dropped at a dock or a curb and carried to where it is actually going.
Floor resets
Retail fixtures and shelving repositioned overnight so you open on the new layout.
Renovation clearing
Rooms emptied ahead of contractors and put back once the work is signed off.
Event set and strike
Tables, staging, and equipment in and out on a fixed window.
Warehouse and stock
Pallets, racking, and stock relocated inside a facility or between two of yours.
A full site relocation with trucks, a scope, and building paperwork runs through commercial moving instead. Labor only suits the jobs that are smaller than that but still too heavy for staff.
Where We Send Labor Crews
- Address
- 1698 Temple Ave, Unit 1
Lancaster, PA 17603 - Phone
- (717) 690-1106
- contact@moversandcompany.com
- Hours
- Mon to Fri: 8:00 AM to 12:00 AM
Sat: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Sun: 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Need the truck as well as the crew? That is residential moving for a house, or long distance moving if you are leaving Pennsylvania.
Labor Only Moving FAQ
Do I have to provide the truck myself?
Yes, that is what makes it labor only. Any rental truck, trailer, or portable container works, and the brand does not matter to us. If you would rather not drive, we can quote the same job as a full service move with our truck and crew instead.
How is labor only priced?
By the hour, based on crew size, with a minimum number of hours. Because the vehicle and the fuel are yours, there is no transport component, which is why it comes in below a full service move on paper. We give you the rate, the crew, and the expected hours before you book.
How many movers do I actually need?
Two is the usual starting point for an apartment or a partial job. Stairs at either end, a large house, or heavy items usually mean three or four, and a bigger crew often costs less overall because the hours drop. Tell us what is going and we will recommend rather than upsell.
Are my belongings covered while I drive the truck?
Not by us, and you should be careful of anyone who says otherwise. We are responsible for our handling and for our crew while we are on your property. Once you drive away you have custody of the load, so check what your rental agreement, its damage waiver, and your own homeowners or renters policy cover before the day.
Can you load a portable container sitting on my driveway?
Yes, and it is one of our more common labor jobs. Containers get lifted and transported, so they are packed tight to the walls and strapped in sections. Have the container delivered before your booking window rather than on the same morning, because delivery times slip.
Do you bring dollies, straps, and blankets?
Yes, all included with the crew. You do not need to buy pads at the rental counter or borrow a hand truck. What you do need to supply is boxes and packing materials, unless you ask us to bring those too.
Can I book just a couple of hours to move one heavy item?
Yes. Single item jobs, in-home rearranging, and delivery unloads are all normal bookings, subject to the minimum. Pianos, gun safes, and slate pool tables are quoted separately because they need specific equipment and crew.
What happens if my rental truck or container is late?
Tell us as soon as you know. We will hold the crew where the schedule allows, but a crew standing on your driveway is still working hours, so the honest answer is that a delay can cost you. Booking the vehicle for the day before, where the rental terms allow it, removes the risk entirely.
More questions? See our full FAQ or contact us directly.
