If you’re facing a long distance move, one of the easiest ways to make it easier is to ship your belongings with a transport company. While many people are more than happy to rent a truck and do the work themselves for shorter distance moves, that calculus changes when you need your belongings hauled across the country. That’s where a trusted, reliable transport company can provide immense relief to the stress and difficulty that come with moving long distance. And it may surprise you to find that shipping furniture cross country is actually more affordable than you think, especially when you compare the price of hiring a company to what you’ll end up paying if you do the job yourself.
DIY Furniture Moving Costs
While it’s easy to assume that hiring a company to ship your belongings will cost more than doing it yourself, if you take a careful look at the time and money spent to do it yourself, the difference is often negligible. For example, these are some of the things you should consider if you plan to handle the move on your own:
- Truck Rental – Renting a moving truck and driving it across the country comes with a fairly sizable cost on its own. Not only do you have to pay for a truck rental for several days, but you also have to consider that you’ll need it for several days, which increases the cost of the rental. Additionally, you have to foot the bill for gas, which is easily several hundred dollars if you’re going all the way across the country.
- Time – You will also have to budget several days (if not a full week or more) to drive the truck from one place to another. This means time off from work and other obligations that you’ll need to set aside to drive for several hours and you’ll need to do it every day until you arrive at your destination.
- Food & Lodging – As you’re driving across the country, you’ll need a place to stay along the way, which likely means renting hotels for several days. You’ll also need to factor in the cost of food, which usually means you’re eating out multiple times a day during your trip. These costs alone can significantly add to the overall price of your move.
A-1 Auto Transport is one of the leading shipping companies in the U.S., whether you need to transport a vehicle or personal belongings like furniture. We provide reliable, trustworthy moving services to any location in the U.S. and are proud to offer some of the lowest prices in the business. Call us today at 1-888-241-3110 to learn about our affordable shipping options, or if you’d like to get started with a FREE price quote! All estimates are given in real time by a certified agent and there is no obligation or payment required—and of course, they’re always 100% FREE!
Furniture Shipping Costs
When you hire a company to ship your furniture, you automatically eliminate many of the associated costs that are mentioned above. You don’t need to worry about gas, truck rental, hotels, eating out, and of course, the time you’ll spend on the road. One of the benefits of hiring a company to do the job for you is that you have one upfront cost that covers everything, which often makes it easier to get an idea of what you’re really spending, as opposed to weighing several different cost factors as you’d need to do with the DIY method. Here are the major things that will affect the cost of hiring a mover:
- Size – The size of the truck needed is one of the major cost indicators, which essentially boils down to how much furniture, boxes, or other items that you need shipped. The more you need moved, the more cargo space will be required, which is the case regardless of which method you choose.
- Weight – How much your belongings weigh is also an important element of the final cost. The heavier the load that needs to be delivered, the more it is likely to cost. Hauling heavier items means that more fuel will be required to make the trip and can also impact how quickly a delivery can be made.
- Distance – Distance is a major factor in the cost of hiring a shipping company. A 2,500 mile trip costs more than a 1,500 mile trip for rather obvious reasons: it takes more gas and more time to make the trip. Taken altogether these three things are the most important in dictating what you’ll pay to ship your furniture.