U-Haul requires its drivers to be at least 18 years old with a valid driver's license. If you sign the agreement and have a friend or relative drive, you are still liable for any damage to the equipment. The company has a wide variety of moving options: a single truck, a trailer attachment for your vehicle, a truck with a trailer attached or a truck with an attachment to carry your vehicle. Trucks come in 10-foot, 14-foot, 17-foot and 26-foot sizes. The 10-foot truck is enough to carry the furniture for an apartment, and the 26-foot truck has the capacity for the contents of a four-bedroom house. Trailers also come in a variety of dimensions: 4 feet by 8 feet; 5 feet by 8 feet, 9 feet and 10 feet; 6 feet by 12 feet; and sport trailers.
U-Haul bases its rates on a number of variables: the size of the rented equipment, your home location, your moving destination and the timing of the move. In order to get a rate estimate, you'll need to know all of these factors. Rates generally are lower if the move is in the Sunday to Thursday range. Get the rate estimate through U-Haul's website or by calling your local U-Haul location. U-Haul can change its rates at its whim, so lock in the reservation if you are satisfied with the quoted rate.
U-Haul will calculate the number of days and mileage needed to travel the distance from origin to destination. This estimation usually has a slight cushion of extra time and miles than is actually needed. U-Haul offers no bonus if you complete the trip in fewer days or miles than it estimates. It does, however, charge a penalty if you exceed these parameters. As of August 2008, the company charges about 40 cents per extra mile and $40 per extra day for rented trucks. Trailer attachments carry a $20 penalty per extra day but have no mileage limitations.
U-Haul sells a number of specialty accessories to help movers. These include specialty packages tailored to the size of a move, from a small move to a studio apartment to a package of more than 100 standard and specialty boxes. You can, however, acquire many moving supplies for free. Grocery stores and big-box retailers, for example, often will give away shipping boxes for free if you stop by in the early morning, and a simple wrap in old newspaper will be enough to protect most kitchenware. Through U-Haul, however, you also can purchase specially sized boxes for difficult-to-pack items, such as lamps, DVD players and flat-screen televisions. U-Haul gives a partial refund for returned boxes.
