The trucking industry is short an estimated 60,000 drivers, a number projected to exceed 160,000 by 2030. For every 100 job openings in the U.S., there are only 92 available workers. And the moving industry's busiest months start in May — 10 weeks from now.
If you're a moving company owner reading this in late February or March, you're already behind on hiring for peak season. The companies that staff up in March and April dominate summer. The ones scrambling in June are overpaying for undertrained crews.
This guide covers the full hiring pipeline: where to find workers, what you need to pay to be competitive, compliance requirements you can't skip, and the retention tactics that keep your best people after peak season ends.
The Labor Market Reality
The numbers are not in your favor. Here's what you're working with:
- National driver shortage: 60,000+ drivers short, projected to hit 160,000 by 2030 — per the American Trucking Associations
- Overall labor gap: 0.92 workers available for every 100 open jobs, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- Industry turnover: 48% in the trucking sector in 2024, per the ATA. Large fleets see rates above 90%.
- On-site requirement: Nearly 80% of transportation workers must work fully on-site — you can't compete with remote-friendly industries on flexibility
- Average worker age: The average over-the-road driver is 46 years old. The average new driver being trained is 35. The industry is aging.
90% of local chambers of commerce report worker shortages holding back their economies. The moving industry is competing for the same physical labor pool as construction, warehousing, landscaping, and delivery services. Your job posting is one of thousands.
Where to Find Movers
Not all channels work equally for hourly physical labor roles. Here's what works, ranked by effectiveness for moving company hiring.
1. Employee Referrals (Best ROI)
Referral hires are better by every metric. According to SHRM's 2024 data:
- Hire rate: 30% of referred candidates get hired, vs. 7% from job boards
- Retention: 45% of referral hires stay 4+ years, vs. 25% of job board hires
- Company-wide impact: Companies with referral programs have 46% average retention vs. 33% for those using only career sites
How to make it work: Pay a referral bonus — $200-$500 per hire who makes it past 90 days. Tell your current crew. Make it simple: "Know someone who can lift and show up on time? Bring them in, and if they last 90 days, you get $300."
2. Craigslist (Best for Urgent/Seasonal Hiring)
Craigslist remains surprisingly effective for blue-collar hiring. Industry data shows 45% of hourly job openings are filled through non-traditional channels — Craigslist, Facebook groups, and walk-ins. One case study showed cost-per-hire of $23 on Craigslist vs. $126 on Indeed Premium.
Post in the "labor/moving" category. Include the pay rate (not "competitive wages"), the schedule, and whether the job is seasonal or permanent. Posts cost ~$45 in major markets. You'll get same-day responses.
3. Indeed (Broadest Reach)
Free job posting gets you into general search results. Sponsored listings start at $5/day or $150/month and dramatically increase visibility. Pay-per-click model means you're charged when candidates engage.
For moving company roles, use "mover" or "moving helper" as the job title — not "material handler" or "logistics associate." Hourly workers search for what they know.
4. Facebook Groups and Marketplace
Local community groups and Facebook Marketplace job listings reach people who aren't actively on job boards. Post in neighborhood groups, community boards, and local "jobs" groups. Free, fast, and effective for local hiring.
5. Temp Agencies (For Immediate Needs)
Staffing agencies like PeopleReady, Labor Finders, and Aerotek can provide workers within 24-48 hours. You pay the agency a markup (typically 30-50% above the worker's wage), but it's the fastest way to fill gaps during peak season. No long-term commitment — scale up and down as needed.
What You Need to Pay
Pay below market rate and you'll either get no applicants or get people who don't last a week. Here's what competitive pay looks like in 2026.
By Role (BLS May 2024 Data)
| Role | Entry (10th %ile) | Median | Experienced (90th %ile) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crew member / laborer | $14.32/hr | $18.12/hr | $24.51/hr |
| Local driver (non-CDL) | $14.22/hr | $21.22/hr | $38.28/hr |
| CDL driver (heavy truck) | $18.58/hr | $27.62/hr | $37.88/hr |
Sources: BLS OEWS 53-7062, 53-3033, 53-3032
The minimum you should pay: Start entry-level movers at $16-$18/hour in most markets, $18-$22 in high-cost areas. Anything below $15/hour and you're competing with fast food — which offers air conditioning and no risk of back injury.
The ZipRecruiter Benchmark
ZipRecruiter's February 2026 data shows the mover pay distribution:
- 25th percentile: $33,500/year ($16.11/hr)
- Median: $37,827/year ($18.19/hr)
- 75th percentile: $40,500/year ($19.47/hr)
- 90th percentile: $47,000/year ($22.60/hr)
To attract experienced movers, you need to pay at or above the 75th percentile — $19-$20/hour minimum. Below median, you'll get first-time workers who need training and may not last.
The Hiring Timeline for Peak Season
About 60-70% of all U.S. moves happen between May and September. If you wait until demand spikes to hire, you're already too late.
| Month | What to Do |
|---|---|
| March | Post job listings. Start interviewing. Run background checks. |
| April | Hire and begin training. Pair new hires with experienced crew for ride-alongs. |
| May | New hires should be fully operational. Peak season begins. |
| June-August | All hands on deck. Overtime is normal (50-60 hour weeks). |
| September | Demand tapers. Evaluate seasonal hires for permanent roles. |
Seasonal positions typically last 6-10 weeks during peak. The best seasonal hires become your permanent crew — if you make the offer before someone else does.
Compliance: What You Can't Skip
Hiring movers isn't just posting a job and shaking hands. Federal and state requirements apply, especially if your drivers operate commercial vehicles.
For CDL Drivers (Interstate or Heavy Trucks)
- DOT Physical: Every CDL driver needs a current medical examiner's certificate (MEC) from a provider on FMCSA's National Registry. Valid up to 24 months. Requirements include 20/40 vision, hearing at 5 feet, and blood pressure at or below 140/90 for a 2-year cert. Full standards at 49 CFR 391.41.
- Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse query: Required before hiring AND annually for all current CDL drivers. Check the FMCSA Clearinghouse for any violations.
- Pre-employment drug test: Negative result required before the driver operates a commercial motor vehicle.
- Motor vehicle records (MVR): Must obtain from each state where the driver held a CDL in the past 3 years.
- Safety performance history: Must request from each DOT-regulated employer in the past 3 years (49 CFR 391.23).
Drug Testing Requirements (All CDL Drivers)
Six types of testing are required under 49 CFR Parts 382 and 40:
- Pre-employment — before operating a CMV
- Random — minimum 25% of drivers annually for drugs, 10% for alcohol
- Post-accident — alcohol within 8 hours, drugs within 32 hours
- Reasonable suspicion — based on observed behavior
- Return-to-duty — after a violation
- Follow-up — ongoing monitoring after return-to-duty
Marijuana accounts for roughly 52-60% of all positive tests in the Clearinghouse. Even in states where marijuana is legal, CDL drivers cannot use it. Federal law overrides state law for commercial drivers.
For Non-CDL Movers
There's no federal background check requirement for non-CDL moving helpers. But state requirements vary — some states mandate background checks for household goods movers. Best practice: run a criminal background check and MVR for anyone operating a company vehicle, regardless of whether it's legally required.
Writing Job Posts That Work
Most moving company job posts are terrible. They're vague ("competitive pay"), list requirements without selling the opportunity, and read like compliance forms.
What to include:
- Pay rate — the actual number. "$17-$21/hour depending on experience" gets 3x more applicants than "competitive wages."
- Schedule: "Full-time, Monday-Saturday. Peak season overtime available (50-60 hrs/week at time-and-a-half)."
- Physical requirements: Be upfront. "Must be able to lift 75+ lbs repeatedly and work on your feet 8-10 hours."
- What you offer: Tips (if crews receive them), advancement opportunity, paid training, benefits (if any).
- Growth path: "Start as a mover. Top performers move to crew lead ($22/hr) within 6 months. CDL training available."
The growth path is the hook. Most hourly workers don't expect career progression. If you offer it, you stand out from every other manual labor posting on the board.
Retention: Why They Leave and How to Keep Them
Replacing an hourly worker costs about 16% of their annual salary, according to SHRM. For a mover earning $37,000, that's roughly $5,900 per departure — in recruiting costs, training time, and lost productivity while the new hire gets up to speed.
With 48% industry turnover, a 10-person crew means replacing 4-5 people per year. That's $24,000-$30,000 in annual turnover costs that most movers never track.
Why Movers Quit
- Physical burnout: 83% of Gen Z frontline workers report experiencing burnout. Over a third would leave a job due to physical or mental health impacts.
- Better pay elsewhere: Warehousing, construction, and delivery services all compete for the same workers — sometimes at higher pay with less physical strain.
- No advancement path: If there's no visible next step, experienced movers leave for companies that offer one.
- Unpredictable schedules: Not knowing your hours next week makes it impossible to plan your life.
- No benefits: Most small moving companies offer minimal or no health insurance, PTO, or retirement. Workers will leave for a company that does — even at the same hourly rate.
What Actually Works for Retention
1. Create a visible career ladder.
Mover → Crew Lead → Driver → Dispatcher/Estimator → Operations Manager. Post the path. Show the pay at each level. When a crew member knows that $22/hour as crew lead is 6 months away, they stay.
2. Offer a retention bonus.
Retention bonuses of 10-25% of annual base salary are standard across physical labor industries. For a $37,000/year mover, that's $3,700-$9,250. Structure it as a seasonal completion bonus: "Stay through September 30, get a $2,000 bonus." It costs far less than replacing someone mid-season.
3. Add basic benefits.
Health insurance is the single biggest differentiator for retention in small companies. Even a basic plan that covers the employee (not family) signals that you're a real employer, not a gig. PTO — even 5 days/year — matters to hourly workers who currently get zero.
4. Make schedules predictable.
Post next week's schedule by Thursday. Every week. Workers who know their hours in advance are less likely to pick up shifts elsewhere — and less likely to no-show.
5. Invest in safety.
Moving is the most dangerous occupational group in the U.S. — 1,391 fatalities in transportation and material moving in 2024. Laborers and material movers had 20,990 musculoskeletal disorder cases. Proper lifting training, back braces, quality dollies, and not overloading crews aren't just safety measures — they're retention measures. Workers who get hurt on the job don't come back.
The CDL Pipeline: Your Long-Term Advantage
The industry needs 1.1 million new drivers over the next decade — about 110,000 per year. Companies that build their own CDL pipeline instead of competing for existing CDL holders have a structural advantage.
How to do it:
- Identify your best crew members after 6 months
- Offer to pay for CDL training ($3,000-$7,000) in exchange for a 12-18 month commitment
- Structure it as a forgivable loan — stays 18 months, the loan is forgiven. Leaves early, they owe the balance.
- The mover gets a $20,000/year raise (from $37K laborer to $57K CDL driver). You get a loyal driver who knows your operation.
This approach is cheaper than hiring an experienced CDL driver at market rate, and the retention is dramatically better because you invested in them.
The Bottom Line
Hiring for a moving company in 2026 is harder than it's been in a decade. The labor market is tight, the work is physically demanding, and you're competing with industries that can offer remote work, climate control, and better benefits.
The companies that staff well do these things:
- Start hiring in March for peak season, not June
- Pay at or above the 75th percentile ($19-$20/hour minimum for movers)
- Use referrals as the primary channel (30% hire rate vs. 7% from job boards)
- Post real pay rates in job listings
- Create a visible career ladder from mover to management
- Offer retention bonuses and basic benefits
- Build a CDL pipeline instead of competing for existing drivers
Peak season waits for no one. The crews you build in the next 8 weeks determine whether summer 2026 is your best revenue quarter or a scramble of missed jobs and overtime penalties.
Managing crew schedules, job assignments, and payroll across peak season? MoverGrid handles crew management, job tracking, and dispatch — so you can focus on keeping your best people busy and your customers happy.