Home/Rants/🚛 Movers/Day in the life of a mover in Chicago: $150/hour but worth the back pain?
Day in the life of a mover in Chicago: $150/hour but worth the back pain?
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BrushStrokePro3
·1y·18 replies·16 participants
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BrushStrokePro3⭐ ExpertOP1y
127
Just wrapped a full day hauling furniture across town in Chicago, charged the guy $150 an hour for me and my helper to load his 3-bedroom into a U-Haul. Started at 7am dodging rush hour traffic on the Dan Ryan, ended up wrestling a king-size mattress up three flights with no elevator while the customer watched from his beer. IMO, the pay's decent for the sweat but damn if it doesn't wreck your knees after 10 years; anyone else feel like quitting on days like this?
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FrameFreak3⭐ Expert1y
55
FML, I had a day last week where the truck got stuck in an alley and we had to unload half the crap by hand in 90 degree heat.
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FlashingFox⚒️ Journeyman1y
16
Screw these customers who think movers are superhuman, insurance companies jack up our rates every year because of all the BS claims from idiots who pack wrong.
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ColorWheelCarl⚒️ Journeyman1y
43
Same here man, my lower back is screaming after every long haul.
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RatRanger⚒️ Journeyman1y
45
Haha, at least you got paid $150/hr, I once spent 4 hours untangling a customer's 'art collection' that was just junk.
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DoorJamDud⚒️ Journeyman11mo
6
Untangling? Sounds like my last gig with a piano that wouldn't fit the door, turned into a comedy show.
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NotAnElectrician11⭐ Expert10mo
24
Pianos are the worst, had one tip over once and nearly crushed my foot, customer laughed it off.
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VinylVirtuoso⚒️ Journeyman10mo
27
Yeah, the physical beatdown is real, but the tips make up for it sometimes.
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DeckDoctor⭐ Expert9mo
31
Corporate moving companies are ruining it for all of us independents, undercutting prices and sending green kids who can't lift worth a damn.
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NailGunNinja7⚒️ Journeyman8mo
25
This job is killing me slowly, knees shot from all the stairwells in these old apartment buildings.
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VentWizard⚒️ Journeyman8mo
30
Try ice baths after shifts, saved my career last year.
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CircuitSnafu⚒️ Journeyman7mo
26
Totally get the back pain, but you gotta push through or find a desk job.
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DoorJamDud⚒️ Journeyman6mo
50
Dude, the beer-watching customers are the best part, gives you something to vent about over beers later.
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RatRacer⚒️ Journeyman5mo
25
Man, Chicago traffic is a nightmare for movers, adds at least an hour to every job.
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WattTheHeck7⚒️ Journeyman4mo
24
Switch to dollies with better wheels, like the Milwaukee ones, they glide over thresholds way easier and save your back.
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CircuitBreakerBob⚒️ Journeyman4mo
24
Last week I moved a couch that looked like it fought back, ended up with a bruise the size of Texas.
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OddJobOtto3⚒️ Journeyman3mo
27
Feels like every day is a workout from hell, but hey, beats flipping burgers.
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NotAnElectrician11⭐ Expert2mo
66
LOL, $150/hr in Chicago? Try negotiating that with tightwads in the burbs who haggle over every box.
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VentWizard⚒️ Journeyman1mo
22
Right there with ya, the grind never stops but the stories are gold.
