PSA on Moving Trucks and Experts Taking Qs Too. Forum

[tmon]

Having researched and completed a few long distance moves in the last few years, I thought I'd throw out a few tips for those moving to their law school in the future, since I noticed some moving questions on the forum lately. I have the tendency to research the crap out of the stuff I have to pay for, so if the time I took can help anyone else, it seems worth posting. So, just a few points.

On timing: BOOK EARLY. I'm not sure at what stages prices change, but when they do, they often go up drastically. In my last move, and the one I'll be completing soon, I nearly had to pay an extra $300 because I waited until around a month before my moving date to pull the trigger on the reservation. I was only saved by the fact that my moves were flexible and I could just push it back a week. Waiting seems even more stupid when you factor in that many companies don't charge you for your reservation until you show up to pick up the vehicle.

On choice of moving company: I really recommend Penske. Everyone knows UHaul, but for a few reasons they're inferior to Penske IMO. FWIW, the costs of these two options have been very comparable for me in the past. If there was a huge disparity with UHaul being better I might've made a different decision, but I'd pay at least a bit extra for Penske at this point given my experiences. Why does this matter? When you book with UHaul, you aren't guaranteed a truck. I've read plenty of reviews and even talked with family members who showed up to get their truck and they simply didn't have it, so were forced to either take a smaller/bigger one or come back another day. I know I'd be pissed considering how much most people plan out their moving day, so this seems really unacceptable when you can go with Penske, which does guarantee your vehicle. Secondly, the quality of vehicles with Penske is noticeably different. From what I've read, Penske rotates their trucks out of the rotation fairly regularly, while UHaul basically runs them into the ground until they're dead. I've used both companies and can say that my experience confirms this. I can't say too much on other companies, as many others I've looked up don't do one way rentals (only local) and that's what I've needed. If you have other DIY options, just be sure to research these policies.

There are certainly other options, but I figured I'd throw out some advice based on my experience/research. If anyone has experience with other companies or moving alternatives, feel free to chime in and add. Good luck.

[Tom Joad]

I am just going to toss everything into the F-150.

[JohnDorian]

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[Samara]

I used Penske and had a great experience too.

[Randomnumbers]

I figured I'd chime in here. Disclosure: I work a lot with Penske as part of my job. As was said earlier, U-haul doesn't really do that much maintenance on their trucks, and I've seen a lot of people come in to get a Penske truck because they reserved a U-Haul and didn't actually get one. Penske will gaurantee you your vehicle, and then they'll drive one in for you if they don't have one on site. It doesn't really matter if you reserve a truck early, as far as prices - Penske uses a flexible pricing program, where they charge more depending on the time of month and the region you are renting in. If they need more 16 foot trucks in the southeast, and you want to rent a truck to move to the southeast, you can get a really good deal (and conversely, moving from the southeast can be expensive, in this example). Every Penske truck gets preventive maintenance at least every 3 months or so, and earlier depending on miles. If it's overdue for maintenance, they won't send it out.

Weekends will often be more expensive than weekdays, if you are renting for a short amount of time. However, during June and August (the prime college student moving times) this tends to not hold as true - you'll pretty much be paying top rate anyways. Penske gives a 12% discount for AAA, and a year long membership for AAA will probably be worth paying for just to get that discount, if you are moving very far at all.

As far as reserving goes, Penske won't charge you anything, and you'll be able to cancel with no cost as long as you do it before 1-2 days ahead of time - and normally even then they won't charge you, unless they already had to bring in a truck for your reservation, at which point it's not amount that you'd have to pay. But as Tmon says, do it early - there is no reason not to. The prices is almost certainly not going to go down for an August move. Always book through central reservations - not your local Penske station. The people at a local station probably aren't authorized to give you much in the way of discounts, so it's pointless to try to haggle with them. Get quotes from Budget/Uhaul Etc and try to negotiate with the people at central res (but seriously, use Penske. They keep their trucks in great shape. I've heard horror stories about U-hauls in particular - like putting someone behind the wheel of a 26 foot moving truck that you know has a bad tire).

And most importantly - check with your car insurance. Find out if they cover a rental truck (specifically, ask about Gross Weight Limits - a 26 foot penske truck can be 26,000-33,000 GVW). Lots of insurance policies do not cover damage done to the truck itself, and you probably aren't used to driving a 26 foot truck. If your insurance doesn't cover it - GET THE INSURANCE PENSKE OFFERS. The Limited Damage Waiver will cover any damage to the truck itself, and cost ~17$ a day or so. There is a good chance your insurance will cover it, but you have to check to make sure. You are almost certainly going to be fine as far as liability goes.

If anyone has any questions about Penske or moving trucks in general, I can answer them.

[fruitoftheloom]

As an insurance adjuster who has denied a lot of these claims, if you have a tx policy you may be okay. In all other states buy both the liability and damage waiver insurance.

[tmon]

Really helpful info, guys thanks. I'm going to adjust the thread title to let people know we have some useful minds here.

[BVest]

As an insurance adjuster who has denied a lot of these claims, if you have a tx policy you may be okay. In all other states buy both the liability and damage waiver insurance.

titcr

Texas treats damage to rentals as liability claims, just as if you had gotten in your own car and driven into the side of the rental, thus Texas policies pay for damage on rentals from dollar one (regardless of where you are in the US or Canada or where you rented the vehicle).

This also means that all those credit card promises coverage for your rent cars are of no value if you have a Texas liability policy.

Of course it would be wise to contact your insurance company to double check prior to waiving any optional coverage.

[jim-green]

I'm moving a 2-bedroom apt from East coast to Cal, too much to drive a big truck. I'm considering one of those pods they deliver empty to you, and you fill it up, and they move the pod by truck. Anyone had experience using them, costs? Will they store my stuff in Cal a week while i finalize apts?

[YankeeFan2]

I'm moving a 2-bedroom apt from East coast to Cal, too much to drive a big truck. I'm considering one of those pods they deliver empty to you, and you fill it up, and they move the pod by truck. Anyone had experience using them, costs? Will they store my stuff in Cal a week while i finalize apts?

+1

[tmon]

http://www.pods.com/portable-on-site-storage/quote.aspx


Also, the largest moving trucks are almost certainly larger than PODs. IIRC, there are two PODs sizes, and the larger one is only like 16 feet long, whereas the largest truck that was available to me had useable length of like 25 feet.

[jim-green]

Thanks! I'm actually not looking to move much. My previous post was unclear. I'm getting rid of furniture, so only moving clothes and kitchen for 3 people. I figure it'll fit in a Ford van - you know those rented by Budget or U-haul, I think called Econoline. The problem is I also have a Honda civic to move. So I'm figuring out options
1. Drive the civic and send the stuff by pod
2. Ship car and send stuff by pod
3. drive van and tow car
4. Ship car and drive van

Which would you suggest. I'd rather not drive I think so I can fly with wife and kid and start apt scouting. But if it's much cheaper for them to fly and me to drive, I'll drive.

Jim

http://www.pods.com/portable-on-site-storage/quote.aspx
Also, the largest moving trucks are almost certainly larger than PODs. IIRC, there are two PODs sizes, and the larger one is only like 16 feet long, whereas the largest truck that was available to me had useable length of like 25 feet.

[vpintz]

I don't have much to add, except that I just moved from PA to Iowa in a Penske truck, and it went really well. Buuuut when I was younger, I moved around a lot (including from Iowa to PA). We went with uhaul most of those times, and I just don't like how shady they can be.

[top30man]

Last time I did a long move (NJ to Pittsburgh) I did a uhaul van. If you can swing it with less space they drive much better than the trucks and tend to be better maintained.

[jim-green]

Anyone ever shipped a car? Used this site?
http://www.uship.com/vehicles/
My car's only worth about $2500 now, but put a lot of $$ into it this past year and I don't want to drive NY to LA.

[Randomnumbers]

It seems pretty ridiculous to me. You have car that is, relatively, worth very little. I'd be very surprised if you got it shipped across the country for less than a grand. That being said, if you rented a small penske truck, for NYC to LA you'd be looking at ~2300 base rate for a 16 foot truck and a car carrier (~1850 for a truck, ~450 for a car carrier, assuming mid August. AAA membership for 50$ would save you at least 250$, and I'm sure you could negotiate that price down). Budget another 800 for gas, and you are looking at 3 grand. Those pods don't look horribly cheap - the one quote I ran out of curiosity looked at least in the 3 grand range, for ~13 feet of space. This still leaves you and your car SOL.

Ideally, you'd get rid of anything that you cannot fit into your car, and just drive it across the country with that much, and have the wife + kid fly over. Keep in mind that for about 70$ apiece, you can ship a ~70 pound 30x20x20 package across the country with UPS, for anything you can't cram into your car. Ship the clothes you cannot fit, put the dishes and crap into your car. This is by far your cheapest option. You can cram a LOT into a compact car if you fill every nook and cranny, including the passenger side seat. If you are hardcore enough, you can sleep in the driver's seat in rest stops and save money that way too.

Using a pod or shipping the car both seem silly. Either cram it into your car, or rent a van/truck and tow the car.

[jim-green]

Using a pod or shipping the car both seem silly. Either cram it into your car, or rent a van/truck and tow the car.

Your analysis seems best to me too. Tomorrow, we're inventorying the house to see how much our stuff is worth. I called Pods and got an official quote NY to LA for ALL our stuff = $4800. If our stuff is worth less than that, we'll just discard.

[nekha123]

Having researched and completed a few long distance moves in the last few years, I thought I'd throw out a few tips for those moving to their law school in the future, since I noticed some moving questions on the forum lately. I have the tendency to research the crap out of the stuff I have to pay for, so if the time I took can help anyone else, it seems worth posting. So, just a few points.

On timing: BOOK EARLY. I'm not sure at what stages prices change, but when they do, they often go up drastically. In my last move, and the one I'll be completing soon, I nearly had to pay an extra $300 because I waited until around a month before my moving date to pull the trigger on the reservation. I was only saved by the fact that my moves (LinkRemoved) were flexible and I could just push it back a week. Waiting seems even more stupid when you factor in that many companies don't charge you for your reservation until you show up to pick up the vehicle.

On choice of moving company: I really recommend Penske. Everyone knows UHaul, but for a few reasons they're inferior to Penske IMO. FWIW, the costs of these two options have been very comparable for me in the past. If there was a huge disparity with UHaul being better I might've made a different decision, but I'd pay at least a bit extra for Penske at this point given my experiences. Why does this matter? When you book with UHaul, you aren't guaranteed a truck. I've read plenty of reviews and even talked with family members who showed up to get their truck and they simply didn't have it, so were forced to either take a smaller/bigger one or come back another day. I know I'd be pissed considering how much most people plan out their moving day, so this seems really unacceptable when you can go with Penske, which does guarantee your vehicle. Secondly, the quality of vehicles with Penske is noticeably different. From what I've read, Penske rotates their trucks out of the rotation fairly regularly, while UHaul basically runs them into the ground until they're dead. I've used both companies and can say that my experience confirms this. I can't say too much on other companies, as many others I've looked up don't do one way rentals (only local) and that's what I've needed. If you have other DIY options, just be sure to research these policies.

There are certainly other options, but I figured I'd throw out some advice based on my experience/research. If anyone has experience with other companies or moving alternatives, feel free to chime in and add. Good luck.

Extra 300$ will really hurt my pocket. Anyways, this post is really helpful, bookmarked it. Thanks for sharing.

[jess]

.

[jim-green]

I've never shipped a car, but I have used uship for every one one of my millions of moves. I love that site. Some really amazing deals, and you can negotiate stuff too. My mom had her car shipped FL to CA using Uship, and she had no problems. Her work paid for it, though, so I don't know how the pricing worked out.

Thanks, did they let your mom put stuff in the car before shipping it. If we could fill our car with clothes, kitchen stuff, etc., it would save us $$ shipping that stuff.

Also, any links to good used furniture shops in Berkeley? (Not thrift stores, but better stuff?)

[mcdeeremitch]

I've never shipped a car, but I have used uship for every one one of my millions of moves. I love that site. Some really amazing deals, and you can negotiate stuff too. My mom had her car shipped FL to CA using Uship, and she had no problems. Her work paid for it, though, so I don't know how the pricing worked out.

Thanks, did they let your mom put stuff in the car before shipping it. If we could fill our car with clothes, kitchen stuff, etc., it would save us $$ shipping that stuff.

Also, any links to good used furniture shops in Berkeley? (Not thrift stores, but better stuff?)

Never shipped a car myself but i will be doing so in a month or two..in doing research it seems like they wont let you put stuff in your car when being shipped

[goodthings]

Thanks, did they let your mom put stuff in the car before shipping it. If we could fill our car with clothes, kitchen stuff, etc., it would save us $$ shipping that stuff.

I've been told by truckers that this is against the terms of their insurance. You may able to get away with filling the trunk, but don't put anything valuable in there. Though they are fine with being responsible for your vehicle,they don't want to be liable for your stuff if someone breaks a window at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere. It's just not worth the hassle for them. Not to say you can't find someone willing to do it, but it is another story whether or not you want to entrust your vehicle and belongings to someone willing to bend the rules for a few bucks.

[jim-green]

Thanks, did they let your mom put stuff in the car before shipping it. If we could fill our car with clothes, kitchen stuff, etc., it would save us $$ shipping that stuff.

I've been told by truckers that this is against the terms of their insurance. ... ntrust your vehicle and belongings to someone willing to bend the rules for a few bucks.

I see what you mean, it's not about the weight, it's about theft. Then I may put a box of T-shirts and jeans in the trunk is all.

[tigyrgrl]

.

[jim-green]

Would you choose FedEx or UPS to move boxes of clothes, pots and pans, and books? I visited fedEx today and their largest box is 20" in all 3 dimensions. They say it will be $60 for 40 lb. I figure we will have 20 such boxes (may be overestimating). Do you suggest another type of moving service for this kind of load? The pod was $5000, so not worth it.

I'm thinking of packing my TV in its original box and shipping it too. FedEx said it would be $100 shipping. I can buy one for $300 in CA, so debating.

Anyone shipped or drove a car to CA. My uncle just told me CA's emissions standards are higher than other states and cars from other states don't pass CA emissions. Is this true. It would be a waste to transport my car and have to junk it in CA. It is a 2002 Honda Civic and says LEV on the window.