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Best Moving Truck Rental Companies

There’s a lot more to moving trucks than just throwing down money and filling up a gas tank. Let’s take a closer look at the best moving truck rental companies in the game - and let’s get you up to speed on what you can expect from your DIY move.

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UHAUL® Truck Rental

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  • Transparent Pricing
  • Exceptional Service
  • Quality Assurance
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PENSKE® Truck Rental

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  • Flexible Booking
  • Extensive Network
  • User-Friendly Platform
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BUDGET® Truck Rental

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  • Labor-Only Specialists
  • Versatile Services
  • Nationwide Coverage
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If you’re DIYing, odds are you’ll need a truck. In this article, we’ll introduce you to a few of our favorite truck rental companies, and we’ll also teach you a thing or two about how you can make your DIY adventure a little easier.

In this article:

Make Your Move and Adventure

A DIY move means taking the wheel yourself - but what’s the wheel attached to? Chances are, you can’t fit all your stuff in your Civic. But a moving truck? Heck yeah.

You’re already committed to making your move an adventure. That’s just the nature of a DIY relocation. Every mile, every truck stop, every hotel and turnpike… you’re gonna see it all through the windshield of a rented truck, and you’re gonna remember it all for better or for worse.

At iMoving, we’re all about connecting our customers with the best movers in the business. In fact, our marketplace has over 1000+ vetted and verified choices to choose from. But that doesn’t stop us from helping the DIY crowd, either. We made it easier than ever to book your truck rental, and we even made a list to introduce you to our top 5 moving truck companies.

Moving trucks come in all shapes and sizes, and so do moving truck rental companies. Read on to see what you can expect from your rental:

5 Best Moving Truck Rental Companies

You know what you’re getting into, and you’re still 100% committed to a DIY move. Now, let’s see who’s got the best trucks for the job. Here are our top 5 moving truck companies:

Let’s look at them one after the other:

1. UHAUL

2. Penske

3. Budget

4. Enterprise

5. Ryder

 

How Much Does it Cost to Rent a Moving Truck?

Moving trucks will cost you anywhere from $20 to $100. It really comes down to the size you’re looking for, and how long you’ll need the rental.

A 10-foot moving truck should work for a studio apartment (and these can be as low as $19.95 per day!). But, if you’re moving a lot more stuff, a big 26-foot moving truck can cost up to $100 per day - not including all the gas and loading equipment you’ll need as well.

There are a ton of different sizes for moving trucks, and some of our top truck rental companies offer more variety than others. The best way to figure out your price is to take an inventory of your belongings and check out how long it’ll take you to drive from point A to B. A good rule of thumb is to add 5’ to the length of your truck for every additional bedroom, starting at 10 feet for a studio.

How Can I Keep My Costs Down?

There’s a couple different ways you can keep your costs down, both before and after you’ve rented your truck.

  • Downsize: The less you have to move, the less you’ll have to spend on a huge truck. It’s a good idea to sell off all of your old and unwanted items before moving day. This way, you can use some of that cash for gas, food, and lodging.
  • Use a staging area: When you’re paying for a truck, you don’t want to waste any time. Pack everything up before you pick up the rental truck, and put all those boxes in an easy-to-access part of your home or apartment. This will cut down on loading time.
  • Schedule smart: Everyone wants to move when school’s out. This means prices are highest around major holidays and vacations. Avoid a summer move at all costs, and try to rent your truck in the middle of the week, and the middle of the month.
  • Plan your route: A few minutes on Google Maps can save you some serious cash. Look for the most gridlocked areas of your route, and try to hit the road before rush hour really starts. Less traffic means less time sitting around and burning up gas.
  • Check for cancellations: You can also call your local moving truck rental companies and ask them if they’ve had any recent cancellations. You may be able to slide in and book that truck for a reduced price!

Some Helpful Tips for a DIY Move

If you’re renting a truck, you’ll need all the help you can get - even if you’re going completely DIY. Here are some tips and tricks to make DIY moving a little more tolerable:

1. Start Early

Look, everyone likes to procrastinate. A 2 or 3-month window may seem excessive but think of it in terms of weekends. You’ll only have 8 to 12 weekends to pack up everything you own, transfer your utilities, and plan your moving-away party. You can’t put a price on sanity, and all that extra time will keep the pressure off.

2. Invest in Supplies and Equipment

Yes, buying rope, tie-downs, loading straps, and a bunch of tape will make you look a little sus at the Home Depot, but you’ll really need this stuff.

You may look at your dolly and furniture pad and wonder when you’ll ever need it again, but you’d be surprised at how often you’ll end up using these tools and equipment.

Besides, would you rather spend a couple of bucks for a dolly, or a few thousand going to a chiropractor?

3. Pack an Essentials Bag

Think of your move as a mini-vacation. Set aside a suitcase or a backpack - whatever you use for those little weekend trips - and toss in your essentials.

Toiletries, chargers, a few changes of clothes… basically, everything you need on a day-to-day basis. You’ll be living out of this suitcase for the next couple of days, and the last thing you want is to lose your toothbrush in box #4281057198.

4. Set Your Pride Aside

We get it. You’re all about doing it yourself. But that doesn’t mean you should risk injury by loading up everything yourself. There’s plenty of moving companies that offer packing services and moving labor! You’ll still handle the long drive, the hotels and greasy diners, and all the romantic stuff that comes with a big move. But when it comes to the heavy lifting, you can get some much-needed assistance from the pros.

Ready to Go? Let’s Hit the Road!

Thanks for reading all the way to the end! Hopefully by now you’ve learned a thing or two about moving trucks, and what type you’ll need. Now that you’ve met our favorite moving truck rental companies, why not use iMoving to shop around and book your rental?

iMoving makes it easier than ever to compare prices and book your moving truck. Just tell us a little more about your move, and pick and choose the best company for the job. Share some deets, and let’s get you on the road!

FAQ Section

You want to be sure that you rent a truck that is going to be large enough to fit everything in one or two trips.

Many times, truck companies will have some sort of chart or suggestions associated with how much is actually going to fit in their different-sized vehicles, which can help you to make a solid decision.

Not typically. Most of the time, the cost of the truck is included in your services. They bring the truck to you and you’re paying for their labor. In some instances, you may have to pay a nominal fee if they use their own truck, but that depends on the company and its policies, as well.

You will have to put together a contract with the company that you are renting the truck from. Most of the time, they have flexible setups that will allow you to decide when you’re getting the truck and when you’ll bring it back.

If you’re late with the return, however, you will have to pay some sort of fee (unless you figured something out ahead of time).

Things get a bit changed with long-distance moves as the majority of rental companies offer unlimited mileage.

Renting a 16 ft. moving truck for about 1000 miles is an average of $533, with fuel and surcharges; you will be paying about $823 for a 26 ft. rental truck.

In case you need additional help to load your items onto the moving truck, most truck rental companies can link you up with third-party labor companies. Many third-party companies we’ve seen offer loading or unloading of a moving truck at $150 to $1500.

Note that it is either they load or unload your items. If your request is for loading and unloading, you will have to pay for both services.

Get ready to pay an extra $200 or more for moving labor with large or heavy specialty stuff like pool table or pianos.

Prepare to pay extra for any additional collision coverage and/or liability policy to your moving truck rental. Insurance options from companies like U-Haul start from less than $100 to close to $200. About $100 is required for damage coverage from companies like Penske, and more than $100 for liability protection.

The normal rate of moving truck rental is based on the size of the truck. You may be charged about $20 to $35 daily for a moving truck to fit the possession of your small one or two-bedroom apartments. You may pay around $40 to $80 daily for mid-sized relocations like three-bedroom apartments and two-bedroom homes.

Moving trucks that can fit a three to five-bedroom can cost about $80 to $100 per day. You definitely know that a difference exists between the rental rate per day for your moving truck and the overall cost.

For example, if the daily rental rate for a 15 ft. moving truck on a 75-mile local move costs $19.99, that will not include the cost for mileage, gas, or other additional costs like insurance and taxes.

Moving truck rental companies may charge between $0.59 to $1 per mile for local moves and on the base rate for rental.

Companies like Budget offer a mileage calculator in their rental truck quote generators to determine the distance of your driving and how it will affect your bill, making it easier to plan your budget.

We recommend booking your moving truck 2-3 months in advance. This will give you plenty of time to plan and prepare, and you may be able to snag some sweet discounts by booking far ahead.

Plus, if you’re flexible enough with your moving date, you can avoid the high prices during the moving season (June, July, and August).

You can find most packing supplies wherever you’ll be booking your truck, but if you’re trying to be as cheap as possible, you can also ask around for free boxes.

Bookstores and office parks usually have sturdy boxes they’re trying to get rid of, and so do liquor stores. See if they have anything they’re willing to donate.

Not all truck rental companies offer insurance. Most of the time, you can get a damage waiver, which covers any damage that occurs to the truck.

But if you want something more substantial, it really depends on the truck company you’re dealing with. Some companies offer supplemental liability insurance (SLI), which covers you in case you hit another vehicle.

Moving containers is a halfway point between a complete DIY job and a full-service moving company. They look a lot like those shipping containers you see on cargo vessels or flatbed trucks.

When you book a moving container, the container company (most likely PODs or U-Haul) will stop by, and drop the container off on your driveway or curb - assuming your city’s okay with that.

Then, you get to load the container up at your own pace. When you’re all done, just tell the container company, and they’ll come pick it up. From there, they can either take it to your destination or lock it down in secure on-site storage until you’re ready to move.

The cheapest way to move is always to DIY the whole process. But it’s not always as cheap as you’d expect.

Between paying for gas, paying for food, paying for lodging, and skipping all those paychecks to deal with your relocation, you may not be saving as much as you’d hoped. Sometimes, it’s just easier to shell out the extra cash for full-service movers.

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Harrison Gough

Harrison has been writing for real estate and moving companies for the past three years, but his knowledge isn't just from behind a desk. Having moved over a dozen times himself, sometimes with professional help and sometimes on his own, he's learned firsthand what makes moving smooth and what makes it stressful. When he's not writing, he's looking into ways to make his next move simpler.

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