A Moving Truck Test Drive

[GatorDude]

We've criss-crossed the country a few times now. We've ended up driving ourselves the last four moves. Here is a "test drive" of a 26-foot Penske moving truck for anyone considering the do-it-yourself route.

Test Drive: Penske 26-foot International Diesel Moving Truck

Hopefully, the article has a few tips that people can use. We've generally hired local crews from Two Men and a Truck to load and unload us. Our results have varied with some crews being absolutely heroicly great and some being mediocre at best.

[Jake7]

Hey - I'm glad you posted this, I was just thinking about it! My wife and I were thinking about using some guys to move us out/into our next house we'll be buying after I get out of the Corps.

Were the people you hired to load your stuff professional and worth the $$$ (how much was it, if you don't mind me asking), or should I just find some highschool kids and pay them for a day of their work?

[GatorDude]

Professional movers can be the closest things to super heroes that you'll find on this planet. They can move your heaviest stuff with ease, where normal mortals would definitely damage themselves or the furniture. They can deal with walk-up apartments and everything else. But, the quality of the crew varies a lot! When a crew is conscientious they are awesome. They can wrap and pad things right, pack the truck perfectly, etc. When they are slackers, the stuff will get moved, but it can take longer to get the truck packed, things won't be perfectly padded, and the hours will stretch out.

With 2 Men & A Truck, I'd say about 50% of the crews have been superheroes who have made our moves easy. Another 25% have been o.k., big and burly enough to get the work done. One crew was a bit of a disaster. They got the truck loaded, but it took a long time and they didn't pack it well. However, we may not have been as well packed as we should have been for that move.


Rates can vary by locality, but figure on about $110/hr for a 2 man crew and, if you are packed and ready, they oughta be able to get a very full apartment loaded in about 3 to 5 hours.

[jeepcache]

haha, i was expecting something completely different from this thread...





ill plug penske!


when i moved from Arkansas to North Dakota last year, i got my penske truck for 1/3 of what uhaul wanted and about 1/2 of what budget wanted. same truck as what the other guys had. not to mention i think the uhaul truck had a governer on it to keep it under 60 mph. fantastic costomer service too. they told me that they would not charge me if the weather got bad and i had to stop for a day. i know i'll be using them again if need be!

[spthom77]

I just moved my grandparents from Orlando, Fl to Syracuse, NY in a 26 ft Penske. One of the best moving experiences I've had. A very smooth riding truck..had sufficent power most of the time, although crossing over the blue ridge mountains there was one pass on 95 (or 81 can't remember) that the truck struggled with. I've rented U-hauls 5+ times and have yet to not have an equipment failure. It was a pleasant change in the Penske.