Trying to estimate the precise timing of a move is impossible. Each move is unique and there are just too many variables to be very specific. Factors affect timing involve things like the type of home, the size of the doors, the number of levels, the type of furniture, the amount of furniture disassembly required, the knowledge of the movers, or the nature of the weather conditions.
That said, you can use this rule of thumb for 3 workers (one on the truck and two in the house):
- How long will it take to load the truck? It will take approximately one hour to load each fully furnished room (basements count as three rooms…garages count as one) Add 25% more time for each extra flight of stairs, extreme weather, or if the truck is more than 50 feet from the door. Take away 25% if the house is close.
How long will it take to unload? It will take approximately one-half the time to unload as it took to load.- Driving time between residences is 10 to 25 % slower for a truck than a car.
For example, you are moving from a six-room Cape in Warwick that is close to the road with a full basement and a one-car garage. That means it has 10 “rooms”. That gives you a guesstimate of about 7 to 8 hours to load and 4 to 5 hrs. to unload.
What is the average time or duration of a long-distance move?
A long-distance move has three components that affect timing; origin services, driving, and destination services. We’ll tackle each separately with an estimate of workdays rather than hours.
How long will it take Liberty crew to pack all of the items into cartons? It depends on the weight of the shipment. Shipments with an estimated weight between 0 and 12,000 pounds would be considered a (1) one-day pack. Shipments estimated between 12,000 and 24,000 would be a (2) two-day pack. Shipments larger than 24,000 pounds would generally be a (3) three-day pack. Unpacking takes about one-half the time that packing does.
How long will it take Liberty crew to load all of the items into the truck or trailer? Shipments with an estimated weight between 0 and 12,000 pounds would be considered a (1) one-day load. Shipments between 12,000 and 24,000 would be a (2) two-day load. Shipments above 24,000 would generally be a (3) three-day load.
For example, you have a seven-room home in Narragansett with an estimated weight of 9,680
lbs. Liberty is packing and loading everything. That gives you a guesstimate of two days; one day to pack and one day to load.
How long will it take Liberty crew to deliver all of the items out of the truck or trailer and unpack?
Shipments delivering with an actual weight less than 14,000 pounds would be considered a (1) one-day delivery. Shipments between 14,000 and 28,000 would be a (2) two-day delivery. Shipments larger than 28,000 would generally be (2) two to (3) three-day deliveries.
For example, you have a shipment with an actual weight of 12,560 lbs. Liberty is delivering and
unpacking everything. That gives you a guesstimate of one day to deliver and a half-day to unpack.
How long will it take Liberty Moving and Storage driver to drive to my new location?
The interval between loading and delivery depends on many factors besides distance. These include how many other shipments are on the truck (if any), what order they are loaded, what order they have to be delivered, weather, traffic, customer availability, and legal driving limitations on the driver. That said, the rule of thumb to estimate the absolute minimum “legal” time it will take to transport the shipment from origin to destination is:
- Multiply the mileage between locations by 2.2 That will give you the number of minutes of professional driving time. Professional driving time is the combination of actual time behind the wheel and legally mandated time for rest and sleep.
- Divide the minutes by 60 to get the number of hours. Divide the number of hours by 24 to get the number of days. Round up to the next full day.
For example, you’re moving from Cranston to West Palm Beach, FL, a distance of approximately 1,400 miles. 1,400 times 2.2 equals 3,080 minutes. Divide that by 60 and you get 51.4 hours of professional driving. Divide that by 24 and you get a minimum of approximately 2.1 days for a professional truck driver to legally drive from Cranston to West Palm Beach.
