Ways to move
Five ways to move, and which one fits
Five ways cover most household moves: a full-service crew, a portable container, a freight trailer, a rental truck, or that truck with hired labor. The right one depends on who packs, who drives, and whether the bill is weight, feet, days, or hours.
Which way fits
Tell us what matters most
- 1Full-service moversA crew packs, loads, drives, unloads.CostYour workYour time
- 2Portable containerYou load at your door; they drive.CostYour workYour time
- 3Freight trailerYou load a section; pay by the foot.CostYour workYour time
- 4Rental truck plus hired helpHelpers lift; you drive.CostYour workYour time
- 5Rental truck, do it allYou load, drive, unload.CostYour workYour time
Relative, not a quote: more dots means more of it. Full-service costs the most money and the least of your time; a truck you drive yourself is the reverse.
Who does what, by way of moving.
| Who packs | Who loads | Who drives | How it prices | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-service movers | Optional, extra | Crew | Crew | Hourly locally; weight and miles long distance |
| Portable container | You | You | Company | Per container, by distance and storage months |
| Freight trailer | You | You | Company (freight carrier) | Per linear foot of trailer used |
| Rental truck plus labor | You | Hired crew | You | Truck rental and fuel, plus crew by the hour |
| Rental truck | You | You | You | Truck rental, mileage or days, and fuel |
Source: Haulest desk, from published company terms (September 2026).
Directories
Compare the companies
- Moving containers and freight trailersYou pack and load; the company drives. Sizes, weight limits, and how each company prices, side by side, with the reviews we hold.PODS, U-Box, U-Pack, 1-800-PACK-RAT, Zippy Shell, SMARTBOX, MI-BOX, Go Mini's, BigSteelBox
- Moving truck rentalsYou load, you drive. Truck sizes, fuel, one-way rules, and this week's fuel cost for your distance.U-Haul, Penske Truck Rental, Budget Truck Rental, Enterprise Truck Rental
- Moving labor: crews by the hourSomeone else lifts; you bring the truck or the container. How each service books, pays, and covers damage.HireAHelper, Moving Help, Bellhop, Lugg, TaskRabbit
Full-service movers
Long-distance moves are priced by weight and miles.
A crew does the heavy work. You can hire them to pack, or pack yourself and let them load, drive, and unload. Long-distance moves are priced by weight and miles. Interstate carriers need FMCSA authority before they can haul your shipment across state lines. Reviewers put the 2025 US interstate median at $4,500.
Price tracks weight and distance. A binding estimate locks the cost if the inventory stays the same. Ask what packing is included and what adds a fee. Haulest is not a carrier and does not book the crew for you. Use the directory to compare licensed movers, then call them for a written quote.
Portable containers
The company drops a container, you fill it, and they haul it to the new place.
You load at your door. The company drops a container, you fill it, and they haul it to the new place. Sizes run from about 257 cu ft for a U-Box to about 900 cu ft for a Go Mini's 16 ft unit. Some sizes stay local only, so check the route before you reserve.
You set the pace. Pack on your own schedule while the container sits at the curb or in a driveway. You still lift every box, so heavy furniture takes time and a second person. The company handles the highway, which removes the driving from your list.
Freight trailers
With U-Pack you load a section of a commercial freight trailer and pay by the linear foot.
You rent space on a trailer. With U-Pack you load a section of a commercial freight trailer and pay by the linear foot. You only buy the length you use, which suits a studio or a partial household better than a whole truck. The carrier drives the trailer between terminals.
Loading is your job. You bring boxes to the trailer, often at a terminal, and stack them in your marked section. Measure bulky pieces first so the footage you reserve actually fits. Transit time follows the freight schedule, so build in a few extra days on each end.
Rental trucks
A one-way rental comes with a set number of days and miles, so plan the route before you leave the lot.
You load and you drive. A one-way rental comes with a set number of days and miles, so plan the route before you leave the lot. Fuel is extra. Smaller trucks usually take gasoline and larger ones diesel. This week those prices are $4.48 and $6.53.
The truck is only the start. Add pads, dollies, and a friend or a hired crew if the load is heavy. You pay tolls, parking, and any extra days past the contract. Driving a tall truck on a highway takes practice, so leave a wide gap and skip tight downtown streets when you can.
A truck plus hired help
Labor-only crews load or unload by the hour.
Hire muscle, keep the truck. Labor-only crews load or unload by the hour. You supply the rental truck or the container, and they supply the lifting. Book enough people for the stairs and the heavy pieces so the clock does not run while two people wrestle a sofa.
Hourly rates reward a ready load. Stage boxes near the door, clear the path, and label rooms before the crew arrives. Most jobs are a load at one address and an unload at the other, so you still drive between them. Ask for a minimum and what happens if the job runs long.
Ask out loud
Questions people ask
- Who is a full-service mover for?
- Someone who wants a crew to load, drive, and unload, and who can pay by weight and miles. It is the least physical option. An interstate move needs a carrier with FMCSA authority.
- How is a container different from a rental truck?
- You load a container at home and the company drives it. With a rental you load and drive, and fuel at $4.48 or $6.53 is yours to pay. Containers drop the driving. Trucks put the keys in your hand.
- When does a freight trailer beat a full truck?
- When the shipment is smaller than a whole truck and you can load a marked section. U-Pack bills by the linear foot, so a studio or a partial household pays for length used, not for empty space.
- What does hired labor add to a rental or a container?
- The lifting. You still bring the truck or container, and you still drive. The crew loads or unloads by the hour, which helps if you can drive but cannot move a refrigerator alone.
- Which option takes the most of your time?
- A rental truck. You pack, load, drive, unload, and return it inside the set days and miles. A full-service crew takes those steps. Containers and freight trailers sit in the middle: you load, they drive.
- How do I compare prices across the five ways?
- Price the same inventory. Full-service quotes use weight and miles, and reviewers put the 2025 US interstate median at $4,500. Containers and trucks bill the unit, plus fuel on a truck. Freight bills the feet you use. Labor bills the hours.
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