When you think of your options between hiring a moving company vs. renting a truck to take the DIY route, you probably assume that the truck is going to be far cheaper.
In some cases, that might be true. However, it’s not as stark of a difference as you might think, it comes with some major drawbacks, and it might even be more costly in some situations.
Today, we’re going to compare hiring a moving company vs. renting a truck to give you a better idea of what to do for your move.
Let’s get started.
The Cost of Each Service Upfront and Post-Move
First, we’re going to compare the more straightforward cost factors that you’re likely already looking at. This comes down to the upfront cost and any fees or extras that might raise your total bill by the end of the moving process.
On paper, hiring professional moving services is generally more expensive upfront than renting a truck, but the added cost comes with significant advantages. This makes perfect sense, because the moving company has to pay for its trucks, fuel, and employees, but a rental service just has to let you use one of their trucks for the day.
However, a rental truck still isn’t cheap. You usually pay per hour or per day, and a one-day move can end up costing you a few hundred dollars for the truck alone.
The real cost of a rental truck doesn’t show up until after you handle the move.
There are no hidden fees with a moving company. They look at the project, give you a quote, and that’s what you pay. They don’t add up gas costs, account for extra hours due to their own mishaps, or any of that.
With a rental truck, you have to pay for fuel as you use it, and the company typically only wants higher-quality fuel used, and before you turn it in, you have to fill it up to an agreed-upon level. Sometimes, the company will fill it up and add the cost to your bill, and there’s no telling how much they’ll charge per gallon.
With gas prices as high as they are, that can dramatically increase the cost of your move despite you doing all the work.
On top of that, if anything happens to the truck, such as a fender bender due to someone else’s bad driving, you have to pay for that. Suddenly, something entirely out of your control, can make your cost-saving rental truck idea a lot more expensive than just hiring a mover.
The Cost of Damaged Property and Unexpected Expenses
Let’s say you minimize your fuel usage and don’t damage the truck in any way. The rental truck is cheaper, right? Not necessarily.
Not all moving costs are limited to the method you’re using to move. There are unexpected indirect costs that might skyrocket the cost of the move.
One of the core ways this can impact your move is with damaged property.
Let’s say you’re moving your home, and you have a large, expensive television. If you use a rental truck, you’re packing that television into the truck yourself, and you’re transporting it. At any point from your current home to your new one, something can happen, and your expensive television can be damaged beyond repair. If that’s a $3000 television, you just added $3000 to the cost of your move, because now you need to replace it.
However, if you hire a moving company, they insure themselves and offer insurance options for your property. This means that, if something does happen and that same TV got broken, they’d be responsible for it and prepared to make it right.
Another unexpected cost can even be something as simple as a parking ticket. Los Angeles is a big city with a lot of strange and difficult-to-understand parking laws. Let’s say you rent a truck and park along the road, but you don’t know the area that well, and you end up with a parking ticket. You have to pay for that.
Not only is a moving company more familiar with those situations, but they’re also responsible for doing those things. Not you.
Hopefully, this isn’t a problem, but a moving truck can be difficult to maneuver and park, and it’s a real possibility that this sort of thing can happen if you’re inexperienced.
The Cost of Your Time and Energy
Your time and energy are also types of “currency”. Moving is time-consuming, and it requires a lot of physical labor.
You have to worry about that on your own when you choose a rental truck. When you hire a moving company, they do all of that. All you need to do is be around to guide the movers occasionally, and then get yourself and your family to your new home.
In a lot of ways, even if you can technically save a couple hundred dollars with a moving truck, saving yourself time, energy, and stress is well-worth that extra money. That’s not including the other potential costs we’ve covered.
The Cost of Materials and Add-Ons
Finally, the loading and transportation of your belongings aren’t the only things that factor into the overall costs.
With a rental truck, you have to buy packing materials such as boxes, tape, packing protection, markers, dollies, and more. You might even have to throw a few bucks at some good friends to get them to take time out of their day to help you with the heavy lifting.
When you hire a moving company, those things are factored into the price quote. You don’t have to worry about those details popping up after you pay for the main service. They’re part of it. This is where the gap between a rental truck and a moving company really becomes apparent. Let’s say you save $200 using a rental truck and think you saved a lot of money. Well, packing materials cost an average of $120 per move. So, how much did you really save?
Also, if you’d like to get more out of a moving company and avoid those costs even more, they tend to offer add-on services such as packing options for a minor fee. However, it’s entirely optional, and you can handle that yourself to save some money.
Hire Man with a Truck for Your Los Angeles Move
When moving in Los Angeles, hiring a moving company like Man with a Truck can make all the difference. While renting a truck might seem cheaper upfront, the convenience, efficiency, and professional handling that come with using a moving company often outweigh the costs. As the leading moving company in the region, we ensure your belongings are transported safely, whether it’s a local or long-distance move, and save you the time and hassle of managing the move on your own.
For a seamless, stress-free relocation, let us handle the heavy lifting. We also proudly serve in Bellevue, San Diego, and San Francisco. Contact us today to get started and make your Los Angeles move a breeze!
