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Tips To Choose The Best U Haul Cost Calculator

Renting a truck for your move is a pretty solid decision, no matter who you are or what it is that you’re looking to take care of. But, as you look at U-Hauls, you can be intimidated by just how many
Tips To Choose The Best U Haul Cost Calculator

Renting a truck for your move is a pretty solid decision, no matter who you are or what it is that you’re looking to take care of. But, as you look at U-Hauls, you can be intimidated by just how many choices you have available. How can you get what you need?


Using a moving calculator to figure out truck costs is going to be an essential part of this process. Here’s a quick look at some of the things that you can do and how you can find the right calculator so that you can make a proper decision.


How Long Do You Need It?


Having some sort of timeline is always really helpful in relation to the big picture of how much you can expect to pay. Sometimes, you only need it for a day, and U-Haul typically has a day rate that you can use for those (they don’t include mileage). And, on top of that, they typically have weekly rates as well.


If you know how long you’re going to need it (and how far you’re going to take it), it’s going to make it a lot easier to understand precisely what you need and be able to use the calculator in a way that allows for the most accuracy.


What Size Truck Do You Need?


U-Haul has a lot of truck sizes; all of them are based on how long the back of the truck is going to be. The sizes are 10 feet, 15 feet, 17 feet, 20 feet, and 26 feet. Since none of their trucks are commercial-sized (26 is the absolute largest), anyone with a basic driver’s license is going to be able to rent a truck and use it.


10-foot trucks are good if you’re moving a small apartment; 26 feet are for 3+ bedroom homes or homes with a lot of furniture. A good calculator will base the size of the truck on how many square feet your current home is, so they can estimate just how much space you’ll need to fit everything inside of the truck in question.


How Much Do You Have for a Budget?


As you start looking at what you need from a truck, you also want to be certain that you put together a budget that makes sense for everything that you need. You want to be sure that you have enough money to be able to rent the truck in the first place.


Put together a reasonable budget that makes sense for your purposes – don’t make it too low, because you still want to be sure that you’re reasonable about the cost. Moving trucks can be between $30 (for an in-town, one day rental) and $500 (large truck, cross country move), or even more if there are special circumstances around the rental.


One Way or Round Trip?


Here’s the last piece of the puzzle. Are you moving far away, where you aren’t going to be able to bring the truck back to your place of origin? Or are you taking care of a local move, where you can bring the truck back to the starting point without any problem or delay?


Many national chains, like U-Haul, allow for you to get a truck at one location, and drop it off at another approved location. This makes it a lot easier for you to take care of long-distance moves and allows you to schedule things in a manner that is more efficient and less stressful to try and sort out.


Now, you want to be aware of distance in these cases. As previously mentioned, long-distance truck rentals are going to charge you by the mile, which is why they end up costing quite a bit.


Local truck needs are typically a lot easier to schedule, and they allow you to make sense of a lot of information without too much stress. They’re also more flexible. They have a flat rate and you typically don’t need to worry about mileage.


Either way, you want to be certain that you know what type of move you’re dealing with. It’ll make the decision making process go more smoothly. And, you’ll be able to provide a lot more information and get the most accurate estimates for the truck rental in question.


What a Calculator Can Help With


Calculators have a lot of great uses, and moving calculators are always offering new options in regards to their use. Most calculators will ask you a lot of the questions that we’ve been asking here – questions regarding the size of your home, how far you’re going, and other relevant details.


Why does this matter? Because calculators make it a lot easier for you to make a decision about what you need to know and get accomplished. They have all sorts of information related to how much you’re going to expect to pay, and some of the best ones will even let you compare multiple rates from multiple companies.


Gone are the days where you would be forced to call multiple companies in order to get quotes. In fact, nowadays, you’re a lot less likely to make a call until you’re ready to schedule the truck. It saves you time and it keeps you off of the phone in instances where you wouldn’t want to make a call anyway.


How to Find the Right Calculator


A good calculator is going to be one that has plenty of options and that is going to make it easy for you to work out exactly what you need to do. It’ll have a lot of bells and whistles related to the details that you’ll need to know.


But, on top of that, you will need to be sure that it’s going to be simple for you to use. The last thing that you need to get frustrated with is how you’re going to use your calculator. User-friendly options will reduce stress and you’ll find that you accomplish all of your goals much more quickly with a bit of help here.


Alternatives to U-Haul


There are a lot of companies out there that offer services that are similar to what you see at U-Haul. Budget Van Lines, Penske Truck Rentals, Home Depot Truck Rentals, Enterprise, and various other chains work hard to make the process of renting a truck just as simple as U-Haul.


On top of that, some smaller, local moving companies may also include rentals as part of what they have to offer to customers. You may have to ask about the options they have; some may be through the big chain companies; others may have their own trucks for this particular purpose.


Alternatives to Moving Trucks


In some cases, you may not have the time or the ability to be able to use a moving truck. Maybe you need to get to your new home ASAP, or you can’t take off work for long enough. In those cases, you may want to make some comparisons and determine what may be best for you.


For instance, you may want to look at a moving pod. Or, you can find a full-service moving company that can help you to take care of everything in a manner that is hands-off for you. There are all sorts of options available, all of which will make it that much easier for you to get your move completed.


Frequently Asked Questions


  1. Do I have to rent a truck if I’m hiring movers?


If you’re only hiring movers to load and/or unload the moving truck, and you plan to drive it to your new home, chances are, you’ll need to go ahead and rent a truck. If movers are taking care of every part of your move – loading, unloading, and driving – then the cost of the truck is typically part of their fee.


  1. Can I use a truck to take items to storage?


Absolutely. If you’re moving items out of your home or you’re downsizing, you can use a moving truck or van to take items to storage units or to people’s homes. It’s a really quick way to make sure that you have enough space to actually get things from one place to another.


  1. Can I use moving trucks for other purposes?


Moving trucks have a lot of great uses, and you are allowed to use them within the confines of whatever contract that you sign. The contract will have everything that you need to know, so you can ensure that you’re using the truck for an approved purpose in one way or another. If you’re not sure, ask before you sign your contract.


Get Your Moving Info in Order


Look at all of your options and start making decisions about what it is that you need to be able to do. When all is said and done, you can find the truck that you need for moving day and be sure that you’re doing everything right when moving day comes along.

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