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Moving is expensive. You will pay either with dollars, or with your own sweat, or some combination of. If you use a mover, check BBB listings for complaints, and Angie's List if possible.
Don't choose the cheapest mover. Don't necessarily choose the most expensive. Interview at least three companies and ask a million questions. Then decide if you want to everything yourself, or some portion, or as little of it as possible.
. . . I've seen things about bugs, damage, theft, delays, price increase demands before delivery (even with binding estimates), demanded tips, etc.
Is the best way truly to DIY with a Penske truck or similar?
This is for a long distance move (1800 mile).
I have done this both ways: four 2,000-mile moves and many shorter moves.
I've used National Van Lines, ABF u-pack, U-Haul, Ryder, and Penske. So, I will tell you right now that I would choose a moving company in a heartbeat. Last time, I actually did BOTH. I had the moving company take the majority of a 3,500 sf house and I took the "ten-day-essentials" in a small Ryder van. I don't know how much stuff you need to move, but it worked out nicely for moving a big house.
I don't mind packing and unpacking, but I don't like to lug heavy furniture or boxes up flights of stairs on a tight schedule. The physical stress of loading and unloading is intensified when you add in the stress of driving, moving, a new location, a new job, etc. Heck, three days of nerve-wracking driving is enough to make some people twitch.
If you do choose a moving company, be prepared with ALL that you will need for ten days or whatever the "latest delivery date" states on your contract. ABF came on the 10th day, when I expected them MUCH sooner and I ended up having to buy a lot of stuff.
There was a little damage, but they did compensate for it. It happens. I have never had to deal with bugs, theft, price increases, or demands for tips. I always kept my copy of the contract with me and the driver always had another copy.
I hope my experience helps. Good luck with your move.
I have done this both ways: four 2,000-mile moves and many shorter moves.
I've used National Van Lines, ABF u-pack, U-Haul, Ryder, and Penske. So, I will tell you right now that I would choose a moving company in a heartbeat. Last time, I actually did BOTH. I had the moving company take the majority of a 3,500 sf house and I took the "ten-day-essentials" in a small Ryder van. I don't know how much stuff you need to move, but it worked out nicely for moving a big house.
I don't mind packing and unpacking, but I don't like to lug heavy furniture or boxes up flights of stairs on a tight schedule. The physical stress of loading and unloading is intensified when you add in the stress of driving, moving, a new location, a new job, etc. Heck, three days of nerve-wracking driving is enough to make some people twitch.
If you do choose a moving company, be prepared with ALL that you will need for ten days or whatever the "latest delivery date" states on your contract. ABF came on the 10th day, when I expected them MUCH sooner and I ended up having to buy a lot of stuff.
There was a little damage, but they did compensate for it. It happens. I have never had to deal with bugs, theft, price increases, or demands for tips. I always kept my copy of the contract with me and the driver always had another copy.
I hope my experience helps. Good luck with your move.
Thanks for the input. National is one of the companies that quoted me (and was the cheapest) but I've read some awful stories on them as well. Because of the dogs, we are going to end up driving it anyway so having movers won't save me the 3-day trek. I definitely won't be loading/unloading myself no matter which way we go.
May is National Moving Month. It's the traditional kickoff of the peak season in the movin' business.
In the next few weeks the prices for every type of local or long distance relocation product or service are going to increase dramatically because of the shortage of driver and equipment capacity. This includes do-it-yourself options like truck rental and mobile/portable containers.
You can also check a licensed interstate household goods carrier's or move brokers USDOT consumer complaint history at http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/hhg/search.asp
There are plenty of very good, very reputable movers in Florida. There are also plenty of unscrupulous brokers and fly-by-night rogue operators - particularly in the southeast part of the state. Many of them have lilly white BBB and Angie's List 'ratings'.
Within the last 30 days I completed a move like you are talking about. I moved from FL to NV. It was over a year in the planning.
We went with the DIY move and used a Penske truck. It was the cheapest way to go.
We checked out a big moving company and they wanted over $8,000 to move us. The PODS and U-Pack would have cost us around $4,000.
In the end, Penske truck in total was around $2,500. We spent $1,500 for the truck, insurance and a tow dolly for one of our cars. Then a little over $1,000 for fuel.
We also paid for hotels, food, and fuel for our other car that we drove, but that money we would have had to pay for either way, since we would have had to drive out here already!
Penske was a very good company with a lot of discounts. If you get a quote online, they give u 10% off. If you have AAA they give you 12% off. We saved 22% before we ever left home with those 2 discounts!
Their customer service is very friendly and extremely helpful. We had some issues on the way with our truck, and they gave us extra days to return the truck, AND a nice refund because of our problems!
If you don't mind loading, and driving yourself, the Penske or a similar company is the way to go!
One more thing, when we were stopped at a gas station, I noticed a large company moving truck in the back of the lot. They had the back doors open and were taking everything out of one truck, setting in int the rock and dirt ground, and loading it into another truck.
At least if you drive yourself, your possessions are with you ALL the time!
I've been reading a lot of good things about Penske. I am wanting to tow my Yukon on a car hauler, does Penske rent those?
They do, with my experience, the car hauler was around $350. the tow dolly was around $150. The tow dolly was really easy to use and drive with. Just make sure your back 2 tires are good though!
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Movers Make it Easier
Last time, I actually did BOTH. I had the moving company take the majority of a 3,500 sf house and I took the "ten-day-essentials" in a small Ryder van. I don't know how much stuff you need to move, but it worked out nicely for moving a big house.
I have never had to deal with bugs, theft, price increases, or demands for tips. I always kept my copy of the contract with me and the driver always had another copy. 
