What's included
- Pre-Move Walkthrough & Inventory — 7 steps
- Packing Fragile & High-Value Items — 7 steps
- Truck Loading Order & Protection — 7 steps
- Delivery & Unload Verification — 7 steps
Pre-Move Walkthrough & Inventory
What the crew lead does at the customer's home before anyone starts packing or loading.
- Arrive at least 10 minutes before the scheduled start. Introduce yourself and your crew to the customer by name.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Walk through every room with the customer. Note what's going, what's staying, and anything that needs special handling — glass tabletops, antiques, electronics, heavy safes.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Photograph any pre-existing damage on furniture, walls, doorframes, and floors before your crew touches anything. Time-stamped photos protect you on claims.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Confirm the inventory list matches what you quoted. If there's significantly more than expected, call your office before proceeding — don't just absorb extra hours.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Identify the path from each room to the truck. Note tight turns, stairs, low ceilings, narrow doorways, and whether doors need to come off hinges.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Check the truck parking situation. Confirm you can get close enough, there's room for the ramp, and you won't block neighbors or fire hydrants.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Brief your crew: who's packing which rooms, what needs special protection, loading order, and any customer concerns. Everyone knows the plan before the first box gets taped.Notes: _______________________________________________
Packing Fragile & High-Value Items
The step-by-step procedure for wrapping and boxing items most likely to generate damage claims.
- Lay clean packing paper on the nearest flat surface. Never wrap items on the floor where they can get stepped on.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Glasses and stemware: wrap each piece individually in packing paper, stuff the inside with crumpled paper, stand upright in a dish-pack box with dividers. Never stack glasses on their sides.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Plates and bowls: wrap individually, stack on edge (not flat) in the box with paper between each piece. Plates stacked flat put all the weight on the bottom plate — on edge, the force distributes evenly.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Mirrors and framed art: wrap in paper, then moving blanket, then place in a mirror box. Mark "FRAGILE — GLASS" on two sides. If no mirror box, sandwich between two flat pieces of cardboard taped together.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Electronics: if original boxes are available, use them. If not, wrap in moving blankets, place in appropriately sized boxes with padding on all six sides. Label all cables before disconnecting.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Fill all empty space in every box with paper or packing material. Nothing should shift when you tilt the box. If it moves, it breaks.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Label every box with room destination and contents. "Kitchen — fragile — glasses" not just "kitchen." The unload crew at the destination needs to know what they're handling.Notes: _______________________________________________
Truck Loading Order & Protection
How to load the truck so nothing shifts in transit and the unload goes smoothly.
- Before loading anything: sweep the truck floor, check for nails or debris, and lay down floor protection if the truck bed is dirty or wet.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Load heavy items first against the front wall — appliances, dressers, bookshelves. These are your anchor. Strap them to the truck wall so they can't tip.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Wrap all furniture in moving blankets before it goes in the truck. Rubber bands or shrink wrap to hold blankets in place. No exposed wood or finish surfaces touching each other.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Mattresses go against the wall, standing on edge. Mattress bags required — no bare mattresses in the truck.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Stack boxes heaviest on the bottom, lightest on top. Fragile boxes go last and on top. Fill gaps between items with soft goods — pillows, blankets, cushions.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Nothing loose. Every item either sits flat, leans securely against something strapped, or is wedged in place. Walk away from the truck and come back with fresh eyes — anything that could shift during a hard brake?Notes: _______________________________________________
- Final check: ratchet straps tight across the load at minimum two points. Close and secure the door. Take a photo of the loaded truck for your records.Notes: _______________________________________________
Delivery & Unload Verification
The procedure at the destination that protects your company and satisfies the customer.
- Photograph the destination — doorframes, walls, floors, stairways — before carrying anything in. Same reason as the origin walkthrough: pre-existing damage documentation.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Lay floor runners from the door to every room receiving furniture. Protect hard floors and carpet from dirty boots and rolling equipment.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Unload in reverse loading order. Place each item in its designated room based on the box labels. Don't pile everything in the living room for the customer to sort.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Reassemble any furniture you disassembled. Reconnect appliances only if that was part of the service agreement.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Walk through with the customer room by room. Confirm every item arrived and is in the right place. Note anything they want repositioned — do it now, not after you leave.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Have the customer sign the inventory sheet confirming delivery. If they note any damage, document it on the spot with photos and mark it on the sheet. Don't argue — document and let the office handle the claim.Notes: _______________________________________________
- Collect all moving blankets, straps, dollies, and tools. Clean up any packing debris. Leave the home cleaner than you found it.Notes: _______________________________________________
Want your crew to run these on their phone?
Import these checklists into WithoutMe. Your crew checks off each step at the job site. You see who finished what.
Start building procedures — free No signup required.Common questions
What checklists does a moving business need?
Every moving business needs at minimum: pre-move walkthrough & inventory, packing fragile & high-value items, truck loading order & protection, and delivery & unload verification. Start with the one your crew asks about most often or the one that leads to the most complaints and callbacks.
How do I get my moving crew to actually use a checklist?
Print it and hand it to them. A checklist in a binder nobody opens is worthless. Keep it short, make the steps specific to how your company does the job, and check that it's being followed for the first two weeks. If you want them to use it digitally, share a link they can pull up on their phone at the job site.
How many steps should a moving checklist have?
Keep it under 15 steps. A checklist with 30 steps won't get used because it takes too long to follow on a live job. Focus on the steps that matter most: the ones your crew skips, forgets, or does inconsistently. You can always add detail later.