How to Decide Whether to Hire a Long Distance Mover or Do it Yourself

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By Jim Weiss
User-Submitted Video

Everybody wants to save money--especially nowadays--and especially when they move. Dollar for dollar, the cost of renting a van is significantly lower than the cost of hiring a professional mover, which is why the rental companies do so well. You should know, though, that the cost of the truck is just the tip of the iceberg. Here are some other factors to weigh in your decision to hire a mover or do it yourself.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Calculate REAL Costs. How far are you moving? How much fuel will you have to buy? (See Tips below.) How much for the pads, straps, dollies and other equipment you’ll need? How much will you spend on meals and lodging?
Step 2

Think SAFETY. How much do you know about loading a truck properly? Are you healthy and in shape, or are you at risk of back (or other) injury? How valuable are your belongings? Are they replaceable? What do you stand to lose if someone breaks into your rented truck overnight, you’re in an accident or you simply loaded your things in such a way that stuff breaks? (Speaking of which, are your belongings insured against damage in transit?).
Step 3

Think GREEN. Moving companies transport more than one shipment per trailer, and are now mandated to use very low-sulphur diesel fuel in their tractors. By the time you've reached your destination in a gasoline-powered truck, your shipment may well have created a much larger carbon footprint than one of equivalent size that went by in an 18-wheeler out there on the road.

Tips & Warnings

Ask the rental company for the gas mileage of the truck you'll be renting and how many gallons of gas it holds in order to calculate the cost of filling up. Assume the mileage is 80 percent of what they tell you it is (most rentals seem to be in need of a tuneup), then determine how many times you'll have to fill the tank before reaching your destination.
Compare the cost of hotels with secure parking lots vs. motels without.
Get three estimates from professional movers. Compare their pricing with what you came up with in Step 1, then see if the difference between doing it yourself and hiring one of them is still significant.
Most--if not all--homeowner's insurance policies will decline to insure your belongings while in transit, whether they're being transported by you, or by a professional.

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