If you’ve researched, you know that your rental truck price doesn’t include things like the costs of fuel, taxes, or damage protection – they’re all extra. While taxes and damage coverage are relatively small additions, the cost of fuel can sometimes be a deal breaker. Rental truck gas mileage falls somewhere around 6-12 MPG depending on the size of the truck, how much is loaded into it, and how fast you drive it (recommended speed is 55 MPH if you’re towing a trailer).
So what does this mean for your long distance move? Simply that you could wind up paying a lot of money for gas alone. You see, the bigger the tank size of the truck, the more you will pay to fill... Read More
Though gas prices have fallen, you can still expect to pay a pretty penny at the pump when you're fueling a rental truck. This post gives some insight on how to calculate the cost to fuel a rental truck and what you can expect to pay at the pump.
Fuel Economy of a Rental Truck
Normally when you think about gas mileage it’s in relation to your personal vehicle. Most cars these days have 10-15 gallon gas tanks and get 20-25 (or more) miles per gallon on the highway. Rental trucks, on the other hand, have much larger gas tanks and much lower fuel economy – which of course means more stops to pump more fuel and paying more at the pump. Let’s look at the fuel economy of the different rental tr... Read More
If you haven’t had a chance to visit upack.com yet, you may not have noticed that we have a great deal of informative moving videos available that were designed to help with your move. You can find out more about U-Pack, get moving tips, and even see what hilariously funny Ed Sanders from ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has to say about moving.
Make your moving checklist work for you What's the best way to get through your move without excessive stress or forgetting something important? Print off a moving checklist and check tasks off as they're completed.
I know…it's tempting just to wing it. Who needs a moving checklist, right? Take it from a self-proclaimed obsessive list maker. It will make things easier.
Until long distance moving is actually part of your life, it's hard to imagine the number of random things there are to take care of before you head out of town for good - like turning off utilities (and turning them on at your new place), cancelling memberships and subscriptions and picking up the dry cleaning. You know that library ... Read More
True, a lot of people live in standard-size houses and can easily figure out how much trailer space or how many ReloCubes they'll need using just a simple space estimator or truck rental conversion chart. Also true, many people don't. And when you don't, it can be a challenge to figure out how much space you'll need.
For example, if you're moving the normal contents of a one-bedroom apartment, you can expect your shipment to occupy 6-8 linear feet of an ABF moving trailer. Or, if you're moving the normal contents of an 1800-2000 square foot home, your goods will probably fit into 19-21 linear feet of the trailer. But, if you're moving 25 things from 5 different rooms, don't pan... Read More
Tracking your U-Pack shipment is simple. When you get your ABF trailer or ReloCube for loading, the ABF driver will put a sticker at the top corner of your Bill of Lading (the contractual agreement between you and ABF). This is your tracking number (also called a PRO number). After the loaded trailer or ReloCube is picked up, you can start tracking it online or by phone.
Track your move by phone. Just call 800-367-2237, choose option 1 and enter your 9 digit tracking number. The automated phone system will tell you the latest location of your trailer or ReloCube.
Wow, talk about a can of worms! When I started researching fuel calculation so that you, our customer, would know how much better you can budget when using U-Pack, I got more than I bargained for. I was looking for information about the size of rental truck gas tanks and ran across a web site that discussed how driving a rental truck is so much different than your own vehicle. It is definitely something to think about when weighing your options.
Things to consider with a rental truck are backing up the vehicle (especially if you decide to trailer your own personal vehicle), low overhead clearance and the much wider turn radius. You also have to realize that all the blind spots are totally different so you have to retrain your "driving eyes". I know that ... Read More
This has got to be the one question I hear most often. Probably the most correct answer is: It Depends.
There is not a mold in which you can fit every person who moves a 3 bedroom home. But there are ways that you can be very accurate with your estimates.
Have you moved in the past?
Whether you used U-Pack, a rental truck, full service or other self service moving company, you can look at what you used the last time you moved. You may have added some items or may have disposed of some items, but you can get pretty close by just estimating based on your last move. We have a Rental Truck Comparison on our website that is very handy if truck rentals are what you are used to. Most of the full service moving companies use weight to determine your shipping costs. If y... Read More
Your U-Pack moving quote comes with a price that is based on an estimated transit time. U-Pack estimates transit times using real numbers for completed moves, so it's likely that your items will arrive at your destination within the estimated time. However, there is always a possibility that the transit time could vary. Normally when this happens it's due to factors like a large number of shipments moving at the same time and in the same direction. Keep in mind that your trailer or ReloCube can be tracked 24 hours a day using your ABF Tracking Number (sometimes called your Freight Bill number). If you're curious…check the estimated transit time for your move.
Transit time begins the business day after pick up and does not include w... Read More
U-Pack and realtors share a common interest. We are both in the business of moving people out of one home and into another one.
Recently U-Pack was mentioned in Realtor Rightings, the Magazine of the Arkansas Realtors® Association. An article titled "Free Tools for Realtors" gave several tools that realtors can utilize on their web sites to improve the services provided to people that are buying and selling homes.
