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Tacoma movers with a lift-gate truck, based down I-5 in Rochester.
Caravan Moving LLC is a licensed Washington moving company that serves Tacoma regularly, for moves across town, up to Seattle and down to Olympia. You get a free written estimate before any work starts. We have no Tacoma office: the 24-foot lift-gate truck and a crew of two to four come up I-5 from Rochester, about 50 miles away by road. Local moving, long distance moving and commercial moving all start with a free estimate in writing.
Pricing
How moving companies price a move in Tacoma, WA.
Every licensed in-state moving company, whether it's based in Tacoma or Rochester, works to the same Washington tariff, Tariff 15-C, for moves inside the state. A move of 55 miles or less is priced by the hour. The miles counted are the ones your shipment travels from pickup to delivery, so the drive up from Rochester doesn't enter into it.
Inside Tacoma and next door
Hilltop to South Tacoma, or the Stadium District to University Place, is a short trip, so it's priced by the hour under Washington Tariff 15-C, within the minimum and maximum the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission sets.
Tacoma to Olympia or Lacey
About 30 miles down I-5, so still hourly. See movers in Olympia and movers in Lacey for that end.
Tacoma to Federal Way or Seattle
Federal Way, a separate city in King County, is about 12 miles up I-5. Downtown Tacoma to downtown Seattle is about 35 miles, so hourly for most addresses. For the Seattle end, see movers in Seattle.
Longer moves and out of state
Past 55 miles inside Washington, the price is set by weight and distance. Interstate moves run under our own federal authority, MC 1781177, so your things stay on our truck with our crew. Long-distance and interstate has the detail.
Older Tacoma houses and hillside apartments
Much of the North End is housing from the late 1800s and early 1900s, and a Victorian or Craftsman house there can mean narrow stairs and tight landings. Newer apartment buildings stand around the Proctor business district.
The Stadium District and Hilltop both sit on high ground above Commencement Bay. Older houses and apartment buildings there can mean front steps and a sloped walk to the truck.
South Tacoma is known for single-family houses, from Craftsman bungalows to mid-century ramblers. Northeast Tacoma saw much of its building in the 1980s and 1990s, with pockets of older ranches and split-levels along winding streets. Fircrest and University Place are separate cities next to Tacoma, and moves there are priced the same way.
At the walkthrough we look at the stairs and how close the truck can park to the door.
- Walk-up apartments, condos and buildings with elevators
- Whole-house moves across Tacoma, Fircrest and University Place
- Gun safes, refrigerators, washers and treadmills raised level on the lift gate
- Packing service, just the kitchen or the whole house
- Loading and unloading only for a rental truck or container
Office moves and single pallets with no dock
Office and shop moves in Tacoma mean desks, filing cabinets, break-room appliances and sometimes gym equipment, with the heavy pieces going up on the lift gate. If the move has to happen outside business hours, ask when you book.
Freight and pallet hauling runs under Motor Freight Permit CC071873, separate from our household goods authority. It suits the delivery big freight carriers dislike: one pallet going to an address with no forklift and no dock. The pallet rides down level on the lift gate and lands on the driveway.
- Office, shop and small-business moves
- Filing cabinets, desks and break-room appliances
- Single pallets to houses and businesses with no dock
Booking
What happens after you call.
The owner answers
Tell us the Tacoma address, where you're going, the date, and where a 24-foot truck can park at each end: a driveway, the street or a building's loading area.
We see what you're moving
State law requires a visual inspection before any quote: in person, or by video for smaller jobs.
A written estimate, free
Before any work. If the job grows on the day, a supplemental estimate is written and signed before the crew carries on.
The truck comes up from Rochester
If your building has move-in hours or an elevator to reserve, tell us when you book so the arrival can be planned around them. Blankets, straps and dollies come on the truck, and you walk the rooms and the truck with the crew before close-out.
Tacoma questions
What people ask before booking.
Do you have an office in Tacoma?
No. Caravan Moving LLC is based at 7016 187th Ave SW in Rochester, and the truck and crew drive up for Tacoma jobs.
How much do movers cost in Tacoma?
A move inside Tacoma, or from Tacoma to Olympia, Lacey or most Seattle addresses, is 55 miles or less from pickup to delivery, so it's priced by the hour under Washington Tariff 15-C. The hours depend on how much there is to move, plus stairs, elevator waits and the length of the carry to the truck, so the real number comes from a free written estimate. How pricing works explains binding and non-binding estimates.
Are you local movers for Tacoma if you're based in Rochester?
Yes, as far as pricing goes. Washington measures only the distance your things travel from pickup to delivery. A move from the Stadium District to University Place is a local, hourly move even though our truck starts the day in Rochester.
Can you move a gun safe into an older house with stairs?
Often, yes. Tell us the safe's make, model or weight, and describe the path at both ends, including front steps and basement stairs. The lift gate raises it level onto the truck, and the walkthrough is where we plan how it gets up or down the stairs.
How soon can you move us?
Usually the same week, sooner in slower months. If it has to be today, call: you'll get a straight answer on the first call, either yes and a time, or no and the earliest real slot. Emergency and same-day moves explains how that works.
Moving in or out of Tacoma
Send both addresses and get the estimate in writing.
We look at what you're moving, in person or by video for smaller jobs, then write the estimate before anything is loaded. It costs nothing, and it's the same process whether you're going across Tacoma or out of state.
WA UTC Permit THG072095 · USDOT 4476646 · MC 1781177