Firefighter owned. Veteran operated. The only long distance route where we already have a branch at both ends.
Reviewed by Pat Dodson, Executive Vice President
Pat has 17 years in moving and storage and serves as an engineer with the Fort Worth Fire Department. A U.S. Navy veteran, he oversees long distance operations across all four Texas locations. Last reviewed 2026.
Dallas to Austin is about 195 miles straight down I-35, roughly three hours of driving through Waco, Temple, and Round Rock. Most of these moves load and deliver inside a single day, with larger homes running into a second. It is also the only route we run where we are already at both ends. Our Dallas branch is on Woodall Street in the Design District. Our Austin branch is on West Howard Lane. Same company, same standards, movers and a facility at either end of the drive.
Firefighter founded in 2001, four Texas locations since. Every mover is background checked and drug screened, and the movers who load your Dallas home work for the same company as the movers waiting in Austin.
This is a Texas move, and Texas rules apply. Every other long distance route we run crosses a state line, which puts it under federal FMCSA rules. Dallas to Austin does not. It is an intrastate move, governed by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, and the protections you get are different, and in one respect better. Texas requires your mover to give you a written proposal and a moving services contract before a single item goes on the truck, along with the Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move in Texas brochure. A binding proposal is an exact price. A not to exceed proposal sets a maximum, we can charge less than it, never more.
Texas movers must hold an active TxDMV license, and the certificate number has to be displayed on both sides of the truck. Ours is TX DMV 006924557C. Look it up in the TxDMV Truck Stop motor carrier lookup. An Active status is the whole test, and it takes about a minute. Do it for us and for anyone else quoting you.
Licensed and insured: TX DMV No. 006924557C. US DOT 2783472. MC #1016781. TxDMV Help Line: 888-368-4689.
What a Dallas to Austin Move Typically Costs
A recent full service Dallas to Austin move ran $3,800. Treat that as a reference point, not a quote. The table below breaks that reference out by home size, calculated using the same crew and truck ratios shown on our Dallas local pricing page. It is a planning estimate, not a proposal. Your written proposal, binding or not to exceed, is the number that counts.
| Home size | Movers | Typical timeline | Calculated estimate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bedroom apartment | 2 movers | Same day | $1,400 to $1,800 |
| 2 bedroom apartment or home | 2 to 3 movers | Same day | $2,100 to $2,800 |
| 3 bedroom apartment or home | 3 to 4 movers | Same day, occasionally a second | $3,200 to $4,200 |
| 4 bedroom home | 4 to 6 movers | 1 to 2 days | $4,800 to $6,200 |
| 5+ bedroom home | 5+ movers | 2 days | $7,500 and up |
Included in Every Move
- Signed inventory before the doors close in Dallas
- Pad wrapping, stretch film, dollies, and floor protection at both ends
- Basic disassembly and reassembly of standard furniture
- Released value protection at $0.60 per pound per item, the Texas standard
- A written proposal and moving services contract before loading, plus the state’s rights brochure
What Costs Extra
- Professional packing, booked ahead of load day
- Specialty item handling for gun safes, pianos, fine art, china, and antiques
- A shuttle fee where a 26 foot truck cannot reach the door
- Full Value Protection, if you upgrade your coverage
What a Dallas to Austin Move Has to Plan Around
Three hours of driving does not make this an easy move. It makes it a move where everything depends on the two ends and on the single stretch of road between them, and I-35 through Central Texas is not a road you can treat as three predictable hours.
- 1I-35 is the whole route, and it is under construction.There is no sensible alternative between Dallas and Austin. Waco and Temple both have long running roadwork stretches, and the I-35 Capital Express project has reshaped the run through Austin for years. We schedule departures to clear Austin’s approach outside peak hours rather than assume the map is right.
- 2Austin’s calendar closes streets.SXSW in March effectively takes downtown out of service for the better part of two weeks. ACL takes two October weekends and much of the Zilker approach. Formula 1 at COTA moves traffic across the southeast of the city, and UT home football Saturdays close streets across campus and West Campus. Give us the date early and we check it against the calendar before we commit a window.
- 3Austin’s hills, heritage trees, and permit parking.The western hills, West Lake Hills, Rollingwood, Barton Creek, and Lost Creek, are steep and narrow, with driveways a 26 foot truck often cannot turn into. The older central streets, Hyde Park, Travis Heights, Clarksville, and Bouldin, have low heritage tree canopy that cannot be trimmed, and Residential Permit Parking zones that decide where a truck can legally sit.
- 4Downtown, Rainey Street, and Domain towers.These run the same discipline as Uptown Dallas, a certificate of insurance naming the association and management company, a freight elevator reserved to a fixed window, and an assigned dock. Where a street reservation is genuinely needed, Austin issues a Temporary Use of the Right of Way permit, priced on the area occupied.
- 5Texas heat, and what cannot ride.A sealed trailer sitting in a Central Texas afternoon runs hot. Candles, cosmetics, vinyl records, and anything adhesive backed travel better in your own vehicle. Hazardous goods cannot travel at all, aerosols, propane, paint, solvents, pool chemicals, fertilizer, and ammunition. Movers also cannot disconnect or reconnect water or gas lines, change a dryer cord, or assemble cribs, and cannot pack on load day.
What We Handle on a Dallas to Austin Move
Packing, loading, the drive down I-35, storage at either end, and delivery, one company, one contract, and our own branch waiting in Austin.
Professional Packing
A short haul is still a haul. Cartons face three hours of interstate vibration and, in summer, a trailer sitting in Central Texas heat. See our packing services.
Loading and Unloading
Pad wrapping, stretch film, dollies, and floor protection at both ends. Signed inventory before the doors close in Dallas, checked off with you at the door in Austin.
Storage at Either End
Climate controlled storage in our own facilities at each end of this route, so your belongings can wait in Dallas or wait in Austin, whichever suits your dates.
Commercial and Corporate
Office and employee relocations from DFW to Austin, sequenced around your downtime, with consistent documentation for a relocation program.
Specialty Items
Gun safes, pianos, fine art, china, and antiques move with specialized dollies and technique, flagged on the proposal before the date, not on it.
Coverage
Released value protection at $0.60 per pound per item is the Texas standard and is included at no charge. Full Value Protection is available at a higher level of liability.
We run this lane in both directions and out of our Fort Worth and Houston branches too. Landing in Austin for good? Our Austin movers handle everything once you are there.
Delivering Across Austin and Central Texas
From a mover’s point of view, Austin breaks into about four different delivery jobs, and which one you are moving into matters more to your day than the mileage does. We ask which one at the survey, and our Austin branch usually already knows the street.
Downtown, Rainey Street, and the Domain
Tower deliveries with a dock, a reserved freight elevator, and a certificate of insurance. Downtown is also where the event calendar bites hardest, SXSW, ACL, and F1 weekends change what is possible.
Hyde Park, Travis Heights, Clarksville, and Bouldin
The older central neighborhoods. Low heritage tree canopy over the roadway, narrow streets, and Residential Permit Parking zones that decide where a truck can legally sit.
West Lake Hills, Rollingwood, and Barton Creek
Steep, winding, and narrow, with driveways a 26 foot truck often cannot turn into and no room to reverse once committed. Bigger movers, sometimes a shuttle, and access we scout before the date.
Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, and the North
Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, Pflugerville, Georgetown, and Buda. The most straightforward deliveries in the region, and the ones our Austin branch on West Howard Lane sits closest to.
One thing worth knowing. An Austin address is not always the City of Austin. West Lake Hills, Rollingwood, Sunset Valley, and Bee Cave are separate incorporated cities, and Round Rock, Cedar Park, Leander, and Georgetown are Williamson County rather than Travis. That decides whose parking and permit rules apply, which is why we ask for the exact delivery address rather than the neighborhood name.
Why This Route Is Different for Us
Every mover on this route is a uniformed, background checked, drug tested employee. We do not use subcontractors or day labor. We are fully licensed and insured under TX DMV No. 006924557C, US DOT 2783472, and MC #1016781, and we run our company on five values we call S.E.R.V.E: Safety, Excellence, Relationships, Value, and Ethics. Our record has been recognized well beyond a single BBB rating.
- Ft. Worth Texas Magazine Moving Company of the Year, 2015, 2016, and 2017
- Ft. Worth Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year, 2016
- Angie’s List Super Service Award, 2016 and 2017
- AMSA Independent Mover of the Year Award, 2018
- Ft. Worth BBB Torch Award for Marketing Ethics
- Southwest Movers Association Pinnacle Mover status
- ProMover, American Moving and Storage Association
- ESGR Pro Patria Award for military employer support
See our full list of awards, read our story, or meet the Dallas team.
Frequently Asked Questions About Moving From Dallas to Austin
How much does a move from Dallas to Austin cost?
A recent full service move on this lane ran $3,800. Treat that as a reference point rather than a price, since it moves considerably depending on home size, whether you pack yourself, specialty items, access at both ends, and the date you choose. Texas requires a written proposal before loading, either binding or not to exceed.
How long does a move from Dallas to Austin take?
Most of these load and deliver inside a single day. It is about 195 miles and roughly three hours of driving, so unlike our out of state routes there is usually no overnight leg at all. Larger homes or full packing services can push it into a second day.
Is this an interstate move?
No. Dallas to Austin never leaves Texas, so it falls under TxDMV rules rather than federal FMCSA ones. You get a written proposal, a moving services contract before loading, and the state’s Rights and Responsibilities brochure.
How do I check that a Texas mover is legitimate?
Texas movers must hold an active TxDMV license and display the certificate number on both sides of the truck. Ours is TX DMV 006924557C. Search the TxDMV Truck Stop motor carrier lookup and confirm the status reads Active, for us and for every other company quoting you.
Do I need a permit for a moving truck in Austin?
Usually not. Most Austin residential moves are handled through a driveway or a building’s loading dock. Where a street genuinely has to be occupied, Austin issues a Temporary Use of the Right of Way permit, priced on the area taken.
Can you deliver into a downtown Austin or Rainey Street high rise?
Yes. Expect a certificate of insurance naming the association and management company, a freight elevator reserved to a fixed window, and an assigned dock. We also check your date against SXSW, ACL, F1, and UT home games.
What happens if my Austin place is not ready?
We can hold your belongings in climate controlled storage in Dallas or in Austin, whichever suits the dates you are juggling, and deliver when your place is ready.
How far ahead should I book?
Earlier than you think, and much earlier if your date lands near SXSW in March, ACL in October, an F1 weekend, or a UT home game. Month end and summer fill first on this lane as they do everywhere.
More Routes and Locations
Movers in Dallas, TX, Movers in Austin, TX, Dallas Long Distance Movers, Dallas to San Diego, Dallas to Fresno
Tell Us the Inventory, the Access, and the Date
Whether you are landing in a Rainey Street tower, a Hyde Park bungalow, a house up in West Lake Hills, or somewhere out in Round Rock, we will put a written proposal in front of you, binding or not to exceed, your choice, both in writing.
