Much like cardboard boxes, moving trucks have become a symbol of the relocation process. Regardless of whether they’re using professional moving services or performing a self-move, people take it for granted that their belongings will be transported to their new home in a moving truck.
While that is usually the case, a house move does not necessarily have to involve a moving truck – depending on the size of the move and the distance to the final destination, it may be possible to relocate without a truck.
When you think of it, there are many ways to take your belonging to your new home without a moving truck – you can use a portable moving container, transport your items in your car, ship your boxes by mail, etc.
Some options are not always appropriate, others are not very convenient, and some work only under certain circumstances, but if you wish to move without hiring movers or renting a moving truck, you will most likely be able to do it. And sometimes, moving without a truck may be your cheapest and easiest solution.
Read on to find out how to move without a moving truck and ensure your smooth and successful relocation experience.
How to move without a truck
Whether you’re moving a three-bedroom home across the country or a studio apartment across town, there are safe and efficient ways to relocate without a moving truck.
The fewer items you have for moving – and the shorter the distance to your new home – the more options you’re going to have, but it’s easy enough to find effective moving truck alternatives that work well even for large, long-distance moves.
Option 1. Use a moving dolly
If you’re moving next door (to a neighboring house, to another apartment in the same building, etc.), you won’t need a moving vehicle – you will be able to take all your items to your new place with the help of a dolly.
Just pack your belongings in boxes, stack 3-4 of them on the dolly (secure them well), roll them to your new home, unload them, and go back to your old place to take other 3-4 boxes – repeat until all your stuff is in your new digs.
When moving furniture and other larger household items, you may need to disassemble some bulkier pieces or to use a furniture dolly.
Keep in mind that this moving method will require a lot of walking back and forth – and be sure to get a few friends to help you.
Related: The moving dolly – your best friend when moving house
Option 2. Move with your car
If you’re moving without furniture and appliances, you will likely be able to relocate with your personal vehicle – especially if you’re moving short distance.
You’d be amazed how much stuff you can actually fit into an average sized car – just be sure to maximize the space in your vehicle (remove any items that don’t need to be there, lower the back seats, etc.) and pack your items in such a way that they take as little room as possible.
Even if your items don’t fit in your car at once, it won’t be much of a problem if you’re moving locally – you’ll just have to make several trips between your old home and your new one.
When moving long distance, things become more complicated – making multiple trips won’t be an option, so you’ll only be able to take as much stuff as you can cram into car. In such a case, it may be a good idea to invest in an overhead carrier – to get some extra packing space.
Additional useful information: Tips for moving with your own car
Option 3. Use a tow-behind trailer
Even if you’re moving across the country and there is no way to fit all the things you want to take to your new home into your personal vehicle, you may still be able to move with your car – provided that it can tow a trailer.
Moving trailers offer a cheap and convenient way to move house – you can rent a cargo trailer or a utility trailer and use it to transport your belongings to your new home.
In order to use a tow-behind trailer, you will need a trailer hitch, of course – if you don’t already have a hitch installed on your car, you can get one from the trailer rental company.
Be careful not to exceed the towing capacity of your vehicle – and be extra careful when driving with a trailer!
Must-read: How to tow a trailer
Option 4. Move with a pickup truck
A pickup truck may be technically a truck, but it is not a moving truck – yet, it provides quite a convenient way to move.
A pickup truck can fit a lot of stuff – including small furniture – so you will likely be able to transport all your goods to your new home in it. Just be careful not to exceed the payload limits of the vehicle and to strap everything down tightly before you hit the road. (See also: How to pack a pickup truck for moving)
Even if you don’t own a pickup truck, you probably know someone who does – just ask them to borrow their vehicle for your move (and be sure to get them a small gift of gratitude).
Option 5. Ship your boxes
If all the things you’re moving to your new home fit in boxes, you can simply get the boxes shipped to your final destination:
- Shipping boxes by mail is one of the best solutions when moving small loads across the country – you can send your items with the United States Postal Service as domestic packages. It is very convenient and easily affordable;
- If both your current city and your destination city are serviced by Amtrak, you can ship your boxes by train. Amtrak Express Shipping is probably the cheapest way to ship boxes across country;
- Shipping boxes by bus – via Greyhound or Busfreighter – is another good option to consider when you have just a few boxes to relocate to another city or state;
- If you’re moving a lot of stuff and need to ship several dozen boxes to your final destination, your best option is to use shared load moving or freight shipping services.
Option 6. Use a moving pod
If you’re moving long distance and have a lot of stuff to relocate – including some furniture or other larger household items – none of the above moving truck alternatives may work for you. You won’t be able to fit your belongings in your car, in a pickup truck, or in a few boxes – even a moving trailer may not be able to accommodate all your goods.
In such a case, the only way to move without a moving truck is to use a pod.
Portable moving containers offer an extremely convenient moving solution – when you rent a pod, the container is dropped off in front of your home and, once you’ve loaded your items in it, the unit is picked up by the pod moving company and transported to your new address. When you unload your goods, the company picks up the container.
Scheduling is very flexible, so you can pack and unpack at your own pace – and the pod can be used for temporarily storing your belongings (either outside your home or in the movers’ facility), if necessary.
See also: How to move with portable moving containers
Tips for moving without a truck
When wondering how to move without a moving truck, first you need to make it possible to perform your relocation without a big moving vehicle. Then, you should try your best to make things as simple and easy as possible.
Purge your possessions
The fewer items you have to relocate, the easier it will be to move without a moving truck – your goods won’t take up too much space, so you will be able to fit them in your car or in a moving trailer, etc.
The best option is to sell everything and move, of course – in this case, you will have only some personal essentials to take with you, so there will be nothing to worry about.
Yet, you may not want to go to such extremes – you may prefer to keep most of your belongings and take them to your new home.
If so, you’re advised to sort out your items and get rid of everything you don’t really need or love before the move. (See also: How to get rid of unwanted items when moving)
Remember – the goal is to lighten the load as much as possible, so be sure to sell, donate, or throw away all the things you can do without. Take with you only items of great practical or sentimental value – so you can easily move them without a truck.
See also: How to declutter your home before moving
Don’t take any furniture and appliances
Smaller items take up little space and fit in boxes and bags – they can be transported in a car or trailer, shipped by mail or train, etc.
Larger items, however, such as furniture and appliances, take up a lot of space – they need to be transported in a large moving vehicle. Therefore, it’s very difficult – oftentimes, downright impossible – to move larger household items without a truck.
When relocating without a moving truck, you need to leave your furniture and appliances behind – sell them or give them away before the move, so you don’t need to worry about how to transport them to your new home.
Related: What to do with furniture when moving
Break things down
If you want to move without a truck but still take some of your furniture or other larger household items, you need to break them down into smaller parts.
Most wardrobes, bed frames, bookcases, sectional couches, tables, and other large furniture will come apart – and the disassembled pieces will be compact enough to transport in your car or in a moving trailer. You just need to know how to safely disassemble your furniture items, so you can move them in several smaller pieces.
Must-read: How to disassemble furniture for moving
Pack to save space
When moving without a truck, you want your items to take up as little room as possible. To achieve that, you need to use some efficient space-saving packing techniques:
- Whenever possible, nest items inside one another – and always fill hollow items with stuff;
- Leave lightweight, non-breakable items in their drawers;
- Pack soft, voluminous items into vacuum bags;
- Roll up your clothes;
- Use older clothes, towels, linens, etc. as wrapping and cushioning materials.
Additional useful information: How to pack to save space when moving
Last but not least – before you decide to move without a truck, be sure to find out how much it will cost you to rent a moving vehicle and to hire professional movers for your relocation. It may turn out that the price is easily affordable – and unless your move is really very small, using professional moving services or transporting your items in a rented moving vehicle will definitely be safer and more convenient than trying to relocate without a truck.
The choice is yours – choose wisely, so you can have a smooth and successful relocation experience.
