Moving from Calgary to Vancouver

Loading in Calgary

Older inner-city streets can deny a long truck the last turn

Downtown towers want a weekday elevator. Older inner-city streets can deny a long truck the last turn, so tell the crew which entrance they will actually use. Calgary winter and Chinook melt-freeze cycles are a slip hazard before a box comes off the truck. Book the elevator on a weekday, and say so before the crew is at the door.

There is no federal mover licence. A hop to Vancouver is a real interprovincial job, so ask for insurance and a name that matches the van before the crew is at the door. GST belongs on the invoice. If someone asks for a large cash deposit with no survey, treat that as a warning.

January ice changes the hourly quote. A January load that thaws at noon and ices again at 4pm is how a cheap hourly quote becomes two extra hours and a second trip. That ice is what the crew meets at the door, along with a weekday elevator and a street that can deny a long truck the last turn. Give them the building rules before the truck leaves.

What is the drive like?

This is an interprovincial job, not an FMCSA form.

The drive is 604 miles, about 13 hours at the wheel. That is driving time only. Load, unload, and a shuttle at the far end sit on top of it, so this is not a same-day job and the delivery spread belongs on the order for service. The order should also say whether the truck is dedicated or shared, because a shared truck adds stops you did not pack.

This is an interprovincial job, not an FMCSA form. Canada has no federal mover licence, so check insurance and a name that matches the van, and put GST on the invoice. A January load that ices at 4pm in Calgary, then a wet North Shore shuttle, is two climates before anyone mentions the Rockies. If someone asks for a large cash deposit with no survey, treat that as a warning.

Delivering in Vancouver

Vancouver rain is wet cardboard.

Vancouver rain is wet cardboard. It is a slip hazard on a wood stair, so the crew needs a clear stair and a building that has already booked the elevator. Many buildings in downtown and Yaletown book the elevator in two-hour blocks. Have the booking, the unit number, and the loading door ready before the truck is in the city.

Hills in North Vancouver and some East Van streets will not take a long truck. The last stretch is a shuttle. A North Shore or Kitsilano street that cannot take a 26-foot box gets a shuttle, then a ferry conversation if the destination is the Island. British Columbia has no federal mover licence and no provincial mover licence that works like FMCSA.

Of 83 reviews on this state pair, 43% mention damage and 27% a delay. Damage shows up more often than a delay, and rain makes cardboard soft on a wood stair. Walk the load at the door. Ask for a safety-fitness / NSC number, insurance, and a name that matches the van. If the quote is cash-only and the crew is a different company than the website, stop.