Is It Cheaper to Rent a Moving Truck or Hire Movers?

The first reason why people choose to rent a truck and not hire movers is that moving company’s services can seem really pricey so the DIY option seems cheaper. Of course, if you’re moving on a tight budget, you’ll want to cut costs wherever possible. So, it’s certainly a good idea to look into rental options before paying for expensive moving services. Understanding moving costs is vital and will help you figure the best option for you. Figure out how much each of the options would cost and then draw a conclusion. You should be aware of all costs in order to make an informed decision. That way you’ll know for sure if it’s cheaper to rent a moving truck or hire movers. Carry on reading to learn how to calculate DIY moving costs. Find out if this option is more affordable than hiring professional moving services.

Truck rental

When you’re thinking about renting a truck and moving your household possessions alone, you must understand a few things first. First, you should know how to choose the right moving truck? Second, you should understand all the costs included and make sure you’re comfortable with all the challenges that come with do-it-yourself moving. Let’s start from the expenses:

Truck rental costs

You will first need to choose an appropriate truck size depending on the size of your household and the distance of your move. In case you have a big house and you’re moving long-distance, you’ll probably need a larger truck while in-town moves and studio relocation will probably be cheaper if you rent a smaller vehicle. So in order to calculate the truck rental cost, figure out how many things you plan to move and how big of a truck your move requires. You can then reach out to a few rental companies in your area and get an instant truck rental estimate. Your long-distance rental will likely cost a few thousand while your small local move may be as cheap as a couple of hundreds of dollars − so you’ll be looking at prices from $200 to $2000 on average, all depending on the factors we just mentioned.

The cost of gas

If you can’t decide is it best to rent a moving truck or hire movers, the gas money can make a difference. The gas money is of greater interest if you’re moving far away. Although cross-country moves require more money for gas and this is not a big expense when it comes to local moves, it is still a factor you must include in your overall budget, simply because all those tiny costs add up.

The cost of renting moving equipment

When you choose to hire a rental truck and move things yourself, you’ll have to buy or rent at least some of the professional tools to make your move safe and efficient. This is not mandatory but it is somewhat necessary if you want to avoid injuries and accidents. You’ll want to have a moving dolly for moving heavy or bulky furniture and you may want to consider other helpful tools that can be rented from your local mover. Furniture sliders, moving straps, and moving blankets are among the most useful moving tools. Moving experts are using them regularly. Once you figure out which moving equipment you want to go for, you can give a call to your mover of choice and check how much that would add to your overall moving cost.

The cost of getting help

You will never see a single member of a moving crew lifting a heavy chest of drawers alone, simply because it’s neither safe nor efficient. And you shouldn’t try doing anything of a kind too. Most moves require at least two if not more people in order to be conducted in a safe manner so you must count this factor in as well. Whether you choose to go for moving labor services and pay an hourly rate or you decide to ask a few friends to help you out, there will be a cost to it. Even if you’re not paying for services provided to you, you will still need to show gratitude to your friends by taking them out to dinner or drinks, which will also add a bit more to your moving expenses.

Hiring movers

When it comes to getting a professional moving company to handle your move, the cost is rather easy to calculate, simply for the fact that movers will provide you with moving quotes.

Since you’re comparing which of the two options is cheaper, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t request at least three different quotes and see what pays off more. To get an idea about what to expect, here are some common moving costs:

Standard moving charges

These charges are usually calculated based on the overall weight of your shipment or the size it takes up once loaded into the moving truck, or the movers will charge an hourly rate depending on how many movers and trucks are necessary to complete your relocation. However, other factors can also affect the price, depending on whether you’re moving locally or having a long-distance move. Your long distance movers NYC may charge you additional costs, so you’ll have to be aware of that before you sign the contract. Since the price depends so much on the specifics of your move, the best is to reach out to your cheap local movers NYC and request free quotes.

Moving insurance

All licensed and insured movers are obliged by the law to provide some liability coverage, in reality, this coverage doesn’t do much for you. For this reason, you must also include the cost of additional moving insurance to calculate the final cost correctly.

Tips

Finally, let’s not forget that paying your moving company doesn’t include tips, which is another expense to include in your overall moving calculation. While $5 an hour for each crew member is considered to be a standard, this amount is actually entirely up to you but it is a common practice to tip your helpers and show appreciation for their hard work.