Top 9 Cheapest Moving Truck Rental Companies of 2021

So you’ve made the biggest decision about your move – you know where you want to go! Now for the next biggest decision, how are you going to move all your stuff there?

It can be tough to find a trustworthy truck rental company. There are plenty of truck moving companies, how do you know which one to pick?

You’re probably looking for the cheapest moving truck rentals. Cheap moving trucks are hard to come by! The cheapest truck rentals out there do exist, and we’re here to help you find them.

Chances are, you don’t own a giant moving truck for all your items and furniture. You’re going to have to either rent one or hire a company to move it all for you.

You’re probably wondering “where is the cheapest moving truck rental near me?” and rightfully so. Moving truck companies are aplenty, so it can be hard to know where to start.

You don’t have to be lost when you wonder “where is there a moving truck rental near me?”

Read on to find out everything you need to know about cheap moving trucks and how you can find the 9 cheapest ones near you.

What Should You Look For in a Moving Truck Rental Company?

There are a few things to consider. Whether you’re moving out of a studio apartment or a four-bedroom home makes a difference. You will want to know what size you need your truck to be.

Of course, you’re definitely going to want to look for the cheapest moving truck rentals! The price of cheap moving trucks will vary depending on if you need a smaller cargo van or a larger 26-foot truck.

Your items will tend to take up more room than you think. Just to be safe, consider picking a moving truck size that has at least 10 percent more room than you estimate you will need.

Moving a vehicle can also be an ordeal. Are you planning on moving a car that you will not be driving yourself?

Carship Guru can come in handy for situations like this. Carship Guru can help you find the cheapest way to ship your vehicles wherever you need them to go!

Just enter the pickup and delivery points of your move and Carship Guru will find out the rest for you.

Another thing to consider when picking a moving truck rental company is whether or not you will want to drive the moving truck yourself.

If you want to drive it yourself your options will likely be cheaper and it will affect what companies to look for.

If you want professional movers to move your belongings then you may be looking at a larger bill and you should be even more careful about the company you pick.

Trusting other people with your belongings means you should be checking reviews and asking friends for personal recommendations.

Moving truck insurance is another thing to consider. If this is important to you, you will want to choose a company that offers this.

How Can I Save Money on My Truck Rental?

There are a few ways you can go about saving money on your moving truck rental and get the cheapest moving truck rentals available.

One is to get rid of anything you don’t need anymore! The less stuff you have to move, the less space you need to rent. Have you been itching to get rid of your couch? Now is the time to donate or give it away. That’s one less large piece of furniture you have to move.

If what you’re getting rid of is still in good condition you can even try and make some money by selling it. Remember that the lighter the moving truck is the less gas it will use.

It will also do you good to get quotes from several companies. The moving truck business is very competitive, which means that there will be several businesses that may have lower prices than others in order to get ahead.

Price matching may also be an option if you have your heart set on one company but their rates aren’t as low as a competing company. It’s never a guarantee, and sometimes there may be special conditions, but it’s worth checking to see if a company will do this.

Another way to make sure you don’t pay more than you wanted to is to carefully inspect your moving truck before you rent it. If you’re driving the truck yourself, the company will charge you for any damage done to it while in your care.

That means you need to write down every single scrape, dent, and scratch that you can see.

Even if it seems small, it can only help to write it down because it may be something the company had not noticed before. You may be charged for it if they assume it came from your time using the truck.

Where to Rent a Truck?

Chances are, you live near a moving truck rental place already. In fact, you probably live near several. Of course, if you live in a more rural area you may need to travel a bit to the nearest truck moving company.

A simple search engine search can tell you exactly which companies you have to choose from in your area. Or keep reading this article to help you decide which company to try out!

There are certain factors to consider when searching for a moving truck rental.

How close and convenient is the location of the truck to your home? It would make no sense to use your gas to travel to a faraway company. Does the company offer discounts? It will be worth it to search longer for a reliable company that offers some discounts.

Do they offer price matching? Do they have a good reputation and good online reviews? Do you know anyone who has used their services and had positive things to say? Do they offer a fixed price or will your price fluctuate depending on what happens during the move?

Some companies may also offer the option of dropping their vehicles off at several locations instead of the one you originally rented from. If that’s a factor you need, that will affect which companies you rent from.

Some companies are larger and have many locations all over the US and even in other countries. Other companies will be smaller and only offer local moves, or have limited locations that may not be anywhere near the location of your new home.

Where you rent your truck from will depend on all these things and how important they are to you, your family, and your wallet.

How Much Does a Moving Truck Cost?

The cost of your moving truck will depend on factors like the size of your truck, the weight of your truck, the miles you drive your truck, and on fees that may arise during your trip. This can include accidents, scratches, dents, or stains.

The cheapest truck rentals will depend on the company you choose and whether your move is local or long-distance.

Make sure to also pay attention to additional fees that may pop up, like environmental fees, mileages fees, and truck cleaning fees. You may also be charged if after you drop your rental car off the gas tank is empty or nearly empty.

Oftentimes the mileage fees of a long-distance move will be less than those of a local move.

Your final bill may also depend on any additional things you may choose to have. For instance, if a company offers the option of movers along with a truck, that will cost more.

Some companies also offer moving accessories like moving blankets, car tows, and boxes. Using these will also cost more than just renting the truck itself.

The way that you want to move will also affect the final cost. For example, using a company where you are responsible for packing your items and they simply pick them up and deliver them to your new home will be cheaper than renting the truck yourself.

There are also things you may not have even thought of that could affect your price. If either of your homes has flights of stairs or elevators, that can make the price go up.

If the moving truck is unable to park close enough to either of your homes that means the movers have to carry your items further, which can also up the price.

Compare Moving Truck Rental Companies

There are plenty of resources online to help you find the cheapest moving truck rentals. There are so many companies to choose from, even Costco offers cheap moving trucks, so it can be daunting to search.

The easiest place to start may be to compare the largest, most well-known companies. That would include companies like U-haul, Penske, and Enterprise.

1. U-Haul

U-haul might be the most recognizable and popular moving truck rental company in the US. Their trucks are easily noticed and always feature a fun, colorful picture that represents the state they came from.

U-haul offers seven different truck sizes, offers lower prices for long-distance moves, and is popular enough that it has plenty of rental locations all over the country.

They also offer many moving accessories for your convenience, like bike racks and cargo carriers. As far as cons go, there are a number of negative customers reviews on sites like Yelp, most of which complaint about canceled reservations and poor customer service.

2. Penske

Penske offers five truck sizes, lower rates for long-distance moves and larger trucks, and has better customer reviews than U-Haul. They also have a more reliable reservation system that guarantees your reservation and offers discounts.

They are not the cheapest company to go to if your move is local, though.

3. Enterprise

Enterprise has a large assortment of trucks, lower mileage fees, and is available in both the US and Canada. They specialize in local moves only, as in you are expected to return your truck to the same location it came from.

Enterprise also has fewer locations than its competitors, so it may be unavailable if you don’t live in a major city. Their up-front costs are also higher than some of their major competitors.

Which of These Truck Rental Companies Offer One-Way (Long Distance) Rentals?

For those who are looking to make a long-distance move you will want to only choose from the truck moving companies that offer one-way rentals.

But which are the cheap moving trucks?

4. Interntational Van Lines

International Van Lines is known for its specialized services and is thought by many to be a top pick for long-distance moves. Their services cover the entire US and 150 countries.

They are known for their top-rated customer service and even assign two account managers to every move to ensure absolutely everything is taken care of and all questions are answered.

They offer full packing services and supplies (but if you want to save money, pack yourself!), assembly and disassembly, custom crating, insurance, storage, and offloading and debris removal.

5. American Van Lines

American Van Lines is also known for its cheap moving trucks. They offer one-way long-distance moving services no matter where you’re moving to and from.

They guarantee swift deliveries seven days a week and can even move unique objects like pianos, antiques, and fine art. They guarantee the safety of your items during the move by individually wrapping every item.

Best of all, they even offer discounted prices for certain cities. For instance, there is a deal for people moving from New York to San Francisco, or from Los Angeles to Austin Texas.

They also use a fixed-price model, unlike most other moving companies. This means that once you are given your quote that is the price you pay no matter what issues may arise during the move.

They also offer a price matching policy and full services for your move, like disassembling and reassembling furniture and unpacking. If you want some help with your move but don’t want to pay for full services, a partial-pack option is also available.

Cheapest Moving Truck Rentals

If saving money is your number one concern then these cheapest moving truck rentals will be the ones for you.

We’ve already talked about U-Haul, which is known for cheaper prices, but there are other lesser-known options out there.

6. U-Pack

U-Pack operates on the very simple system of you pack, they drive, and you save money. If you don’t mind packing up your items yourself, this may be the company for you.

U-Pack’s system is clear-cut, you simply make your reservation, load your containers, and the company will pick it up for you. Best of all, you only pay for the space your items take up in the truck, so you will know the price as you load.

They are known for having one of the easiest quote processes compared to other companies. You also won’t have to worry about driving a truck since they do that for you.

They offer customer service online and on the phone and can help you throughout the whole process. They also offer checklists and how-to guides to help you keep your move organized since you will be doing your packing yourself.

7. Trinity Relocation Group

Trinity Relocation Group is also a cheaper option that offers discounts and even donates some of their money to charities. They specialize in long-distance moving services and offer a $400 discount for interstate moves.

They also offer 30 days of free storage with re-delivery and free disassembly and reassembly of furniture.

As far as discounts go, they offer a 10 % discount for early reservations (30 days in advance) and discounts for AARP, AAA, military members, and students.

The only downside is that they don’t do local moves. But if you are planning for a long-distance move, Trinity is cheaper than some competitors, reliable, and offers discounts.

Even More Cheap Moving Trucks

Putting in extra work when it comes to your move will help you find the cheapest moving trucks in the long run. Sure, it can be tougher to break a sweat, but in the end, you will be happy with your cheap moving trucks.

8. 1-800-Pack-Rat

1-800-Pack-Rat is one company that can help you save money when you move. Similar to U-Pack, Pack Rat will deliver storage containers to you so you can pack your belongings yourself. They are known for their all-steel weatherproof containers.

Because you will be packing your own items, they offer plenty of resources to help you through the whole process.

On their website, they offer informative videos, moving checklists, how-to guides, a space calculator, a weight calculator, location guides, and even an activity book for kids.

They offer $10,000 worth of protection for cross-country moves and if you don’t want to load the truck yourself, a movers option for an additional cost.

The downsides are that their services are more limited than some of their competitors, they only operate in 30 states. Bookings are also only available over the phone, which may be inconvenient for some.

9. Budget Truck Rental

Budget Truck Rental is another cheap option and, unlike some of its competitors, they also offer local moving services. In fact, they have some of the lowest prices for local moves.

They offer five truck sizes and low mileage rates as well as discounts. They offer discounts on their website like 20% off a truck rental with a certain code.

They also offer a 20% discount for AARP, military members, policemen, firemen, and EMT workers, motor club members, students, and members of the bar association.

They also offer additional services like movers to help load and unload, packing help, hand trucks, and furniture pads.

A Moving Truck Rental Checklist

Now that you’ve read about some of the cheapest moving truck rentals, it’s a good idea to look back to help you reevaluate what you want from your cheap moving trucks.

The first thing to take into account is how many items you will be moving. There are companies that will be much better for moving the contents of an entire house.

There are also companies that will be a better choice if you’re moving items like fine art or a grand piano.

If you’re trying to transport a car not all companies will do that or offer options to hitch it to a moving truck. It’s important to check for details like this when choosing which company to go with for your move.

There will also be companies that can help you save money depending on the distance you are traveling. Some companies will offer both local and long-distance moving, but another company that specializes in one or the other might be a cheaper option.

You also need to consider how much work you’re willing to put in during your move if any at all. Some people will find it easier and less stressful to let a moving truck company take care of everything from packing to the final delivery. This option will cost more, though.

If you want to save some money and pack your items yourself but not worry about driving a truck, there are specific companies that offer that service and it will be easier on your wallet.

Flexibility or customization can be the most important for some. Maybe you want to have movers load and unload, but you want to drive the truck yourself, and your move is long-distance.

It’s important to look for a company that can work with that.

Prepare for Your Move Now

Moving takes a lot of organization and scheduling! That includes finding the cheapest truck rentals.

Now you know more about which kind of truck rental company will be best for you. You have options for the cheapest moving truck rentals and the best truck moving companies.

Finding cheap moving trucks for your items is just one part of the process. Let Carship Guru help you find the best companies to move your vehicles also.

Get quotes on our website, or send us an email at hello@carship.guru, or even a phone call at 1-224-654-4251.