Delivery Times for Moving

When you book with professional movers, you may end up waiting anywhere between 1 and 21 days to receive your belongings. It’s a huge window, but it really depends on how much you’re moving, how far you’re traveling, and a few other important factors that can throw a wrench into scheduling and logistics.

“I’m only moving a few items. That means it’ll be done faster, right?”

Unfortunately, moving less doesn’t always mean waiting less time. If your belongings don’t fill up an entire trailer, that means a lot of empty space - and movers don’t like to send half-empty trucks all over the place. In the world of moving, that empty space is wasted money.

Instead, moving companies will wait until they have multiple customers lined up on the same route. Bundling those moves is great for efficiency (and your price tag), but it does mean delays for pickups and deliveries along the way.

Of course, the distance of your move also makes a big difference in terms of delivery times. Thanks to rules and regulations, drivers can’t clock more than 400 miles of interstate travel per day. This is arguably for the best, because fatigued drivers handing giant 18-wheelers is probably not a winning combination.

However, this does mean you can math out a hard minimum for your move’s duration. Got a 1600 mile move? It’ll take you 4 days at the very least. Only moving 500 miles? You know it’ll take at least 2 days.

Speaking of distance, are you working with long distance movers, or local movers? In the moving industry, anything over 100 miles or across state lines counts as a long distance move. Anything under 100 miles and within the same state is a local move.

Long distance movers and local movers will both transport your stuff and unpack it at your destination. But long distance movers charge per mile and per pound, and local movers charge per mover, per hour - and it usually takes about 2 movers per room.

If you’re working with local movers, schedule carefully, and plan ahead. Rush hour and challenging packing or unpacking can add minutes and hours to your move - and it’ll make the whole experience more expensive too!

To keep your delivery window as small as possible, it’s a good idea to set up a staging area in one part of the house. Keep all those boxes in one room - or even just a corner of your apartment. This way, it’s less time for your movers to walk through your house to collect everything.

Aside from the main factors (your distance and your amount of belongings), there are a few other factors that affect your move’s duration.

• Specialty Packing: If you have any hard-to-move items, your movers will have to spend extra time building custom crating, or even winching these pieces out the window. It’s extra steps, but how else are you getting a grand piano out of a 5th-floor apartment?

• Shuttle services: Some cities don’t like it when big rigs park on their tiny little streets. In these cases, your movers will have to station the large truck on the outskirts of town, and use a smaller truck to ferry everything back and forth from your place.

• Route and Accessibility: Movers typically operate on their own preferred routes. While Google maps may show a 15-hour drive, think about any major cities along the way. Moving companies may make detours to pick up or drop off other moves at each city.

• Local / Short Distance Moves: Local moves are pretty straightforward, and since they’re under 100 miles, they can theoretically be completed in just one day. But if you have a McMansion and you’re moving across a gridlocked city, it could take a few days to finish.

• Long Distance / Cross Country Moves: Long distance moves can take up to 21 days. Your driver can’t log more than 400 miles of interstate travel per day, so divide your mileage by 400 for an (optimistic) estimate.

• Understand Your Moving Company's Process: Communication is key. Get in touch with your movers and try to get an idea of their moving process. Do they bundle moves? Do they offer express shipping? Ask plenty of questions about your timeframe.

• Consider Off-Peak Moving Times: June, July, and August are the worst months for moving. Everyone else is trying to move during the summer, and everyone else is taking a vacation, too. This means traffic, delays, and higher prices. Avoid it if possible.

• Prepare for Potential Delays: You never know what’s going to come up. To be on the safe side, book a few extra nights at a nearby hotel, and look into storage units in case it’s taking longer than expected to get everything situated at your new place.

• Keep it easy: If you want your movers to get it done fast, you have make it easy. Stage everything in one easy-to-reach corner or room, and make sure everything is already packed by moving day. The actual move should be the last thing you do.

“How long will my move take?”

There’s no easy answer to that question, but it can be done in as little as 1 day, or as long as 21. It all comes down to how far you’re moving, how much you have to transport, and whether you’ve done all you can to keep the process as smooth as possible.

If you’re looking for a rough estimate, take your mileage, divide it by 400, and you’ll get a baseline. Or, you can avoid crunching the numbers altogether by contacting a professional mover for a free quote!

Check out our favorite moving companies to get started, and best of luck with your move!