Moving Day: To change from one place of residence to another.
Side Effects: Side effects of moving day may include, but are not limited to: headaches, frustration, anger, rise in blood pressure (or at least it feels that way), sense of defeat, procrastination, regret, sadness, urge to rip ones own hair out, yelling, crying, sobbing, making future plans to live as a minimalist so you never have to pack again, anxiety, inability to tell where all the time has gone, under eye bags and/or twitching, hopelessness, despair, and giving away all your belongings at the very last minute to avoid loading the truck in a few short hours.
Prescription Remedy: MI-BOX may relieve most of these symptoms, resulting in peace of mind. Read below to find out how MI-BOX may be right for you.
But first, here are 5 hidden costs to consider before you get into a moving truck rental.
1. Mileage Charge
Moving truck rental companies are charging $0.69 a kilometer or more on average. Initially, this cost of moving may not seem too high until you factor in other moving realities. If you are moving to another city, this can be a hefty fee. For example, moving from Edmonton to Calgary is approximately 300 Km. The Mileage fee equals just under $210! Oh yeah – this does not include sales taxes, cost of rental, cost of equipment, insurance, gas and other unforeseen expenses…Holy smokes!
So far we are at $210 (no sales tax, or anything else included) for a city to city move. This amount covers a non-stop trip. However, the reality is, there may be some very necessary detours along the way, like finding a place to fuel the truck up and places to eat and potty.
Now, what if you need to turn back for any reason at all? Maybe you left your wallet on the counter of the old place before locking up? Perhaps you set the keys to your new home down on the counter before heading out? Or even worse, you forgot to pack up Mr. Fluffy?!! The reality is, a lot can go wrong in the middle of the hustle and bustle of a move. These can all be unexpected mileage rack ups.
2. Cost of Fuel
We all know that gas rates vary from gas station to gas station, and those rates never sit still for long. Infact, this cost is 100% uncertain as fuel prices fluctuate on a weekly basis. Luckily, a quick google search will tell us what kind of rates we are looking at prior to departure. This way, you can get a pretty good estimate on how deep you need to reach into our pockets.
Let us continue with our Edmonton to Calgary move, shall we?
Say we rented a 10-foot truck (among the smallest moving trucks), 1 tank of fuel will last roughly 598 Km. A 10 foot truck’s fuel tank averages at 118 liters capacity. Fuel rates in Alberta are roughly at $0.98. This means that fueling a nearly empty tank will run you $115 give or take.
That leaves us at about $325 so far. Keep in mind that this is the average cost for a small truck that has the capacity to only move a small 1 bedroom apartment. This cost nearly doubles for a large truck capable of moving a 3 bedroom home. If you have an extra large home and family, two trips may be needed unless you pay more money for a bigger truck. Yikes!
Feel like your soul has left your body a little bit? Well, we aren’t done with potential moving budget busters yet! Read on to further inform yourself.
3. Insurance Costs
Moving is almost always a heavy financial impact, so it makes sense to opt out of insurance options if you are extra careful, right? Well, maybe not so much.
Insurance rates depend on the vehicle size, how far you are traveling and how long the vehicle is in your possession. The bigger the truck, the higher the insurance rate will be. The farther you travel, the higher the rate. The longer the vehicle is in your possession, the higher the cost. Pretty straight forward.
The insurance options might seem a bit steep when we calculate the three factors discussed above. On average our insurance rate would be about $15-$40 CND per day for the 10 Foot truck.
But what kind of costs are we looking at if we opt out of insurance coverage and misfortune strikes? Well, I think it is safe to assume that the driver will be 100% liable for repairs if you don’t pay for protection.Take a look at what it will cost (on average) to pay for repairs.
P.s. Brace yourself.
- Windshield- $600 or more
- Mirrors- $150 or more
- Bumper- $760 or more
- Grill- $250 or more
- Fender- $400 or more
- Scrapes- $900 or more
Ok, you can breathe now! These are just a few examples of the problems you can run into without insurance.
Our charges are sitting at about $365 just to use a 1 bedroom home rental truck for 1 day! Granted lady luck is on your side that is.
4. Moving Truck Return Delays
Moving truck return delays might be every movers nightmare. With good reason too! Some companies may charge a flat rate per day (even if it’s only late a few hours), and others may charge you an extra days truck rental and/or moving equipment rental as well (even if it’s only a few hours late).
Weekends are particularly frightening for return delays. It’s always busier meaning there are less back up trucks for the next customer if you haven’t finished moving before your drop off deadline. You may be asked to rent another truck (smaller or larger) to avoid reservation interruptions for the next customer. This means you can incur another rental fee and more fuel costs.
It’s important to plan ahead and give yourself a bit of wiggle room. Another great tip is to be in contact with the drop off location so you can warn them of any delays. They may be able or willing to work with you.
5. No Availability
If you’ve ever moved in the spring or summer, you know how busy moving truck rental companies can get.
We have all experienced that dreaded reply or message online that says “Our trucks are in high demand in Calgary, AB. Please select an alternative date or city for available equipment options.”
The downside is that our moving dates are not always as flexible, so if a truck rental can’t be found when you need it, you’ll have to start looking at alternative, more expensive options; self storage, expensive movers, delay’s, borrowing a friends truck to move things little by little – which in the end will cost you a fortune in gas.
If the size you need isn’t available, you may need to rent a bigger, or worse, a smaller truck which will require multiple trips to finish the move – racking up unplanned mileage and gas charges.
Alternative Solution to Moving Truck Rentals
Ok, we have gone over all the horrible and cringe-worthy disasters that can present themselves during a move. At this point you may be asking yourself “There has to be another way, right?”
Good news! MI-BOX has arrived to sweep you off your feet! (and gently catch you).
MI-BOX is a self storage and moving container conveniently delivered to you, whether you want it at home or your business. MI-BOX is designed to fit in a standard driveway so you can pack and store at your own pace. No need to burden yourself with:
A. Tracking down a moving truck.
B. Arranging transportation to pick up the moving truck.
C. Driving the moving truck.
D. Securing a large team of “lucky” friends and family members to load the truck quickly to keep your schedule.
E. Taking out a small loan to feed your army of movers.
F. Worrying about hidden fees that can accumulate rather quickly and catch you by surprise.
At MI-BOX we pride ourselves on transparency in all aspects. We will never take your bank account on an unexpected joy ride.
We will always be pleasant and happy to assist on your journey. We know what it is like to face all of these moving stresses, so we have worked hard to deliver an anxiety free experience, so you can focus on your new adventure.
Convenient, stress free, affordable, move at your own pace, reliable, trustworthy, secure, easy and flexible are all words used to describe the MI-BOX experience by our happy and unstressed customers. MI-BOX really is relief from the dreaded moving blues.
Click here to receive a quote today!
Remember, we are always happy to assist.
