Links:
I have moved once by self-service move. It's a great way to move in the
right circumstances. This page describes how it works.
I link only to ABF above because that's the company I used. There are any
number of competitors who provide a similar service.
Self-service moving is a service in which a trucking company brings a
trailer to your home. You have a period of time in which to load the truck,
and then the company comes and gets it again. In ABF's case, they load the
rest of the truck with freight that's going to the same city as your move.
After the additional freight is delivered, the trailer is brought to your
new home for you to unload. The cost of the move is typically based on
how much of the trailer's space you use.
ABF (and probably their competitors) provides a wooden bulkhead that you
nail into place when you're ready to go. This separates your move from
the other freight that gets loaded, and it provides some assurance that no
one has been fiddling with your stuff.
Some Tips:
- Self-service moving isn't for the faint-of-heart. It's a lot of work.
Hire some loaders, recruit some friends, or be ready for a long, long day.
- Read the information the company gives you on either their website,
a videotape, or whatever. It will have a lot of good advice.
- A ramp is typically not included! The literature I got from ABF made
it sound like it was just a matter of calling around to find a ramp to rent.
Maybe I was calling the wrong places, but I wasn't able to find a ramp in
the Washington, DC area. Fortunately, I was able to put everything in the
trailer by lifting it in -- I didn't have a washing machine or wardrobe to
move. If you're going to need a ramp, make sure you have access to one
before you get started.
- Measure the space you're going to need carefully. You might try putting
a line of masking tape down at your desired length from the front of the
trailer. I must have gone over by a few inches, because I wound up paying
for an extra foot of trailer space than I had planned.