Truck Rental Options: What Level of Service is Best Suited to Your Move?
The decision is final and you and your family are moving. Maybe you have received a job promotion, or maybe you have decided to retire to another city, state or country. Presently, you are faced with the challenge of deciding how to move. Many factors enter the moving decision process and all will invariably involve a moving truck rental in some way. As a result, truck rental companies and professional movers have streamlined the relocation process in order to meet your requirements.
When moving, there are different types of truck rental movers and different levels of service they provide. How do you decide what to do and what level of service is best suited to your move? To answer that question, we encourage you to first answer these ten important questions which will guide your decision.
1. What is your budget? The bottom line in any decision surrounding a move is whether you can afford a particular service or not. Professional moving truck rental companies are nice but for some people, the expense of having someone do all the work is not feasible.
2. Time Involved? If you are relocating to start a new job, do you have the necessary time involved to complete the full move on your own from packing to transporting to unpacking at the destination? Furthermore, if the closing on your house is set on a particular date, will you have enough time to complete everything without the help of a professional moving company?
3. Are you being reimbursed or not? If an employer or someone else is reimbursing you for your move, then you may decide to hire more help than if you were paying all the expenses yourself.
4. How many helpers are required? In the case of single people or elderly people, they may not be physically able to complete the whole moving task. Some furniture requires at least two people to carry it to the truck and with only one person, the single person may require a helper.
5. Can you drive the rental truck? If the move is within the city, you may be able to do the truck driving. But for long haul drives, and moves that require the use of a large moving van, a driver may be required.
6. How soon are you needed at the new location? Often, a corporation will request that the relocated worker starts work immediately in the new location. It may be necessary for him or her to fly to the new headquarters while his/her belongings come later. In this scenario, a person may not be able to complete the whole move without professionals movers.
7. Are crates or containers needed? If the move requires storage for a period of time, or the move is international, then crates or containers will be required from a moving company to pack your belongings. This is a situation where you will not be able to move the crate yourself. The crate requires both special handling and drivers that employ specific knowledge and experience.
8. How long can you keep the rental truck? Sometimes, when moving into a new location, the new homeowner wishes to complete some renovations before moving into the home. It might be helpful to keep the truck longer to pick up supplies and take garbage to the dump.
9. Are your belongings sacred? Some individuals cannot stand the thought of other people touching their belongings. If this is the case, you might choose to pack your own things, and then, hire a team to load the rental truck and drive it to the new location.
10. How much work do you want to do? Ultimately, when choosing the level of service to hire when moving, next to the budget, it really depends on how much work you are willing to do. If you prefer a hands-off approach, then you will enlist the services of a full moving company. If you prefer to contribute to the task, then you will choose a combination of truck rental methods.
Moreover, although there are many ways in which to move, the most common types of movers or combinations of rental companies are:
1. U-Pack, We-Drive: U-pack, We-drive companies are becoming very popular. Basically, pack up the contents of the house, and leave the driving to the moving company. Stress is the biggest reason for handing over the driving. Also, having a professional driver allows the you and your family to travel to the new home on your own schedule, and in your own manner, whether by car, train or airplane. Once you have boxed and packed up the contents of the house, the boxes, cartons, furniture and all the belongings are packed into the crate. Then on the pre-arranged day, the moving driver comes for the crate.
2. U-Pack, We-Load, We-Drive, We-Offload: This method is a bit different than the U-Pack, We-Drive. Basically, you pack up the contents of the home and everything is left waiting for the moving van to arrive. The rental team then must load everything onto the truck whereas in the U-Pack We-Drive, they only load the filled crate. Some people prefer to pack their own belongings. For privacy and personal reasons, they do not like to have others handling their things.
3. U-Pack, You Load, You Drive, U-Unpack: This method of moving is usually the least expensive because you are completing everything on your own. Normally the costs incurred are gas, packing supplies, and the truck rental. You save on the labor costs, which can be quite high.
4. We-Pack, We-Load, We-Drive, We-Unpack: These types of moving companies are professional movers who do everything for you. You call in advance and request an estimate of the complete job. A qualified moving truck agent will come to your home to assess the size of the contents, the number of boxes, crates, wardrobes and space required to transport the whole load, as well as the distance of the move. They will add all costs together to give you the final moving estimate.
Indeed, there are many options from which to choose when planning a move. The moving truck company will be able to assist and guide you in most areas. You may chose a complete full service move or just specific levels of service best suited to your preferences.