A lot goes into preparing to pack up and transport all your belongings to a new home, which typically means hiring a moving company. Furthermore, you will need to consider several factors: how much help will you have from friends and family? What types of vehicles do you, or others you know have, that can help with your move? How much are you willing to spend vs. how much are you willing to work?
There are a lot of headaches and expenses that come up within the moving process by nature. In this post, I am going to explain the three major types of moving companies, so you can figure out what’s best for your next move!
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Three Main Types of Moving Companies
1. Full-Service Moving or “The Sit Back & Relax”
While you surely won’t be completely at ease on moving day, hiring professional movers who provide a box truck for all your large furniture who then move your belongings themselves and helps prevent some of the issues that take place on moving day. Freeing yourself up a bit from physically moving your stuff will allow you to be a better leader and planner. Now you can make sure things stay organized and resolve other issues that are bound to arise.
However, these types of moving services are heftier in price compare to other options. Not only a larger base fee for the truck and labor, but you may feel a little more obligated to tip larger for the extensive help provided by the movers. This solution is great for people who don’t have access to larger vehicles or trucks, people who do not live close to or know family and friends in their location, or anyone willing to pay their way out of a sore back.
2. DIY Moving or “Rent-a-Rig”
You might be thinking that you don’t need to hire a moving company. After all, you’re in good shape and moving companies are expensive! In this case, getting a truck rental the right choice for your move. Companies like U-Haul and Penske offer trucks of all sizes, so it is important to plan out or at least form an estimate of what is going inside prior to renting the truck.
Relative to an all-inclusive mover, getting a truck rental is a more cost-efficient approach to your move. Of course, more will be asked of you in exchange, including figure out how to get all your belongings and large items out of your current residence without (too much) damage. This choice is awesome for people with kids and people who have many friends in the area willing to help or can be used in conjunction with the third type of moving company to get you the best bang for your buck.
3. Labor-Only Moving
Finally, we have labor-only moving. With labor-only moving, you get the truck, we bring the muscle! There are plenty of labor-only moving companies, and most full-service moving companies will provide just the labor as well.
Hiring moving labor is a great, affordable alternative to full-service moving because you save money and your back! By renting and driving the truck yourself, you remain in possession of your items at all times, and you’ll save (on average) 30% on your move. And I know what you’re thinking, “Isn’t driving a big truck hard or require a license?” The answer is, well, no! You just need to be at least 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license. They’re easy to drive too! Don’t take my word for it, check out this Reddit thread that talks all about it. If you’re uncomfortable driving a moving truck, or don’t have a license, another option is to look into local shipping container companies, Packrats, or PODS.
Hiring a labor-only moving company is also great (and cheap) for folks who have access to larger vehicles, are moving and don’t need a truck, or require in-home moving. By keeping their overhead low (i.e. not owning trucks) they can provide much lower hourly rates.
Additionally, you will have the freedom to figure out the best way to transport your stuff. For example, instead of settling for whatever standard surcharge an all-inclusive company charges for their truck, you can research rates from multiple truck rental companies, and find local movers with low rates. This way, you can maximize what you are getting for your money and customize the moving resources to exactly what your move requires.
Collin Flynn comes born and raised in Racine, Wisconsin off the coast of Lake Michigan. He graduated from Coe College in 2019 with a degree in physics. He is the founder of College Movers, a company that enables young entrepreneurial-minded people to open their own business utilizing the gig-economy and its technological backing. Collin has 4+ years of experience in the moving industry and writes about moving, fitness, and business. When he's not managing his business you can find him running, biking, or swimming — after all he does have triathlons to train for.
Wow! I wished I had read this before my recent cross-country move! I really could have saved myself quite a headache. Definitely useful tips for next time!
It’s enormous that you are getting ideas from this paragraph as well as from our discussion made here.
Experienced movers will know exactly how to transport items safely. They’ll also have the necessary equipment to get all your belongings to your new home in one piece.
You’re exactly right. Most of the damage that occurs on a move happens in the truck on the drive. That’s why labor-only movers are a great option. While being affordable, they also can pack the truck in such a way that all but guarantees your items will be safe in transit!