Moving truck with best rate for a quick studio apt move? (appliances, live)

[PghCity]

Originally Posted by jay5835

The U-Haul on Liberty Avenue in the Strip District maintains a list of people who will do the driving and moving for you.

U-Haul: Moving Truck Rental in Pittsburgh, PA at U-Haul Moving & Storage of Pittsburgh

Thanks I'll check this out.

Originally Posted by ferraris

Are you licensed? They have vans and pick ups that still can hold a lot of stuff but aren't as intimidating to drive as a big box truck. They aren't as big and you can see out the back and sides.

Yes I am licensed, but I don't want the responsibility of driving and possibly breaking anything. lol I prefer someone else to do that.

Originally Posted by guy2073

Two guys and a truck is a franchise, they are a top priced mover. Call a local mover you will pay alot less for their overhead. I always recommend James moving but there are alot of others out there.

I'll check out James Moving.

Originally Posted by jea6321

400 seems reasonable to me to hire a company to come drive a big truck, pay for overhead, gas, labor, insurance, etc. How much less could it really be?

Yeah I know, but I was just hoping it would be half of that... maybe $200 or so.

[BigPizzaHutFan]

You aren't going to get people to move an apartment for you and drive your stuff to a new place for $200. $500 is a pretty reasonable minimum for a 1br apartment.

[PghCity]

Originally Posted by BigPizzaHutFan

You aren't going to get people to move an apartment for you and drive your stuff to a new place for $200. $500 is a pretty reasonable minimum for a 1br apartment.

Never knew that, I'm young and never did this before lol. It is only a studio so it's not much, and it's only a 4 mile distance.

[guy2073]

Movers base their bid on time, they usually have a 3 hour minimum. On a small job the only way to save is find a company with a cheaper labor rate. You also have to look at their reputation, a company like don farr or hindman has been known to bid jobs at cost or lower then jack up the price with extras. Once the furniture is on the truck you are powerless. A good company will want to keep you happy, they want you and your family customers for life. You also will want to avoid some of the companies on Craigslist, most are not registered with the puc. If you are not registered with the puc you can't purchased insurance, your items will not be protected. Most also don't have workman's comp. If a worker is injured while doing your job you can be sued.

[BigPizzaHutFan]

Originally Posted by PghCity

Never knew that, I'm young and never did this before lol. It is only a studio so it's not much, and it's only a 4 mile distance.

The distance isn't the issue; the effort to gather your crap is.

My wife and I both had efficiency apartments and grouped them together to live in a single 1br. It cost us about $150 for the truck alone, and we drived and packed.

When we moved up from that 1br to a 3br house and decided on hiring movers (no more people, just us with more room), we paid $560.

Moving that 3br house to another 3br house cost us over $800 (we'd filled the space out).

The majority of the cost isn't the distance, it's hiring people to carry your stuff. If moving boxes from your attic to the truck and back to your new attic were cheap, you'd do it yourself.

[PghCity]

I got a quote from James Moving. It would be a $600 minimum. Crazy! lol

[guy2073]

Originally Posted by PghCity

I got a quote from James Moving. It would be a $600 minimum. Crazy! lol

I guess it depends on what their minimum is. They are showing up with a $200,000 truck and equipment their insurance bill is probably $5,000 a month, plus their workers have been with them forever so they pay a good wage to the employees. $600 is not crazy. I know you can get bids cheaper, but you have to watch the final costs.


I recommend James as much as I can, my dad owned an over the road moving company, when we moved he hired them. They are just a well run family owned company.

[PghCity]

Yeah. I am liking the U-Haul option more and more now. I just have to find a few friends willing to help.

[quackxp]

When I was in college and helped some friends move short to medium distances we would borrow a truck & utility trailer from a family member. This is how I moved from my parents house to my first apartment.

Moving from my first apartment to second Apt (about 10 miles) apart I spend the $80 and got a U-Haul truck to do it on one trip and save everyone some time.

Moving from Ohio to Pittsburgh with my future wife in our 1 bedroom + garage apartment I did two men and a truck and it cost me $1200.

This was all between 2000 and 2008.

$400 for a truck, driver, and movers does not seem unreasonable.

For me moving is one of the top most stressful ordeals of adult life and would gladly pay a bit of a premium to have someone else do a good bit of the work.

[Catia]

I've used James 3 times. I too recommend them.

Not sure why your quote is so high for a studio apt move so close. a studio is the same as an efficiency right? Or do you mean big studio?
They usually quote by how many rooms & the amount of time, 2-3 men, I believe they have a 3.5hr minimum charge. They'll usually ask about large items-appliances etc.