Rental Trucks,and What DIY Really Costs
Renting a truck is the cheapest transport line on any move and the most expensive in your own time and risk. These guides price the whole trip, not just the rental, and cover the truck sizes and the drive itself.
- Truck sizes
- 10–26 ft
- consumer rental range
- CDL required
- No
- rated weight under 26,001 lb
- What you avoid, 2-bed 1,000 mi
- $4,500 – $6,000
- full-service movers, our model
- Freight alternative
- $2,160 – $2,880
- you load, they drive
Start here
The rental is only the first line. Add fuel at truck mileage, tolls at truck rates, a damage waiver, pads and a dolly, lodging on a multi-day drive, and the days you are not working. Then compare with what you are avoiding: a two-bedroom home at 1,000 miles is $4,500 – $6,000 with full-service movers and $2,160 – $2,880 by freight trailer in our model, both with the driving done by someone else.
Truck size is the second decision. Consumer rental trucks run from about 10 feet to 26 feet, and the box count is the honest way to choose: a studio's 27 boxes and a bed fit a small truck; a four-bedroom house's 120 boxes and furniture need the largest. Under-sizing means a second trip or a shipment left behind, and one-way rentals do not do second trips.
None of the consumer trucks needs a commercial driver's license, because their rated weight is under the 26,001 lb threshold. That does not make them easy: they are tall, slow to stop, sensitive to wind and expensive to fuel. The driving guide below covers clearance, grades, weigh stations, tolls and parking a loaded truck overnight.
Rental Trucks guides
5 guides in this section, every figure from the published model.
7 min readNewest
Driving a Moving Truck Across the Country: What to Know
A 26-foot rental truck is 13 feet tall and gets 8–10 mpg from a 50-gallon tank: plan 2,800 miles as six or seven driving days with a fuel stop every 300 miles.
Sep 24, 2026
7 min read
Moving Truck Rental Cost: How the Price Is Built
Fuel alone for 1,000 miles in a 26-foot diesel truck is $653–$816 at this week's EIA price, before the rental itself. Here is every line and how it is built.
Sep 24, 2026
7 min read
What Size Moving Truck Do I Need? Sizes by Home
Rental companies size trucks by rooms, not bedrooms: a 26-foot truck is rated for 5–7 rooms by Penske and a 2–3 bedroom home by Budget. Here is how to choose.
Sep 24, 2026
What to know before you start
The five things that decide most of the outcome in this part of a move, in the order you will meet them.
- 1
Price the trip, not the truck
The headline rate is a fraction of the cost. Fuel at single-digit miles per gallon, tolls, the damage waiver, equipment, lodging and your own days all belong on the same worksheet before you compare it with a mover's quote.
- 2
One-way and in-town are different products
In-town rentals are a daily rate plus a per-mile charge. One-way rentals are a flat quote that depends on the route, the date and which direction the fleet needs trucks to go. The same truck can be very cheap one way and very expensive the other.
- 3
Size by the box count
Cubic feet, not weight, is what runs out in a rental truck. Use the box calculator for your home, add the furniture, and go one size up if the list has a sofa, a mattress set and a dining table on it.
- 4
The waiver is not your auto policy
Personal auto insurance often excludes rental trucks above a certain weight, and credit-card rental coverage usually excludes them entirely. Check your policy; if it does not cover the truck, the rental company's damage waiver is the only cover you have.
- 5
Plan the drive like a trucker
Height signs, fuel stops, grades, wind, weigh-station signage and where you will park a loaded truck overnight. The cross-country driving guide below is the checklist.
Rental Trucks: questions people ask
How much does it cost to rent a moving truck?
It depends on the truck size, whether it is in-town or one-way, the route, the date and the direction the fleet needs trucks to move. The rental itself is the smallest line: fuel, tolls, the damage waiver, equipment and lodging usually add more than the rate. Price the whole trip before comparing it with a mover.
What size moving truck do I need?
Consumer trucks run from about 10 feet to 26 feet. A studio fits the smallest, a one- or two-bedroom home the middle sizes, and a three- or four-bedroom house the largest. Use the box count as the check: 27 boxes for a studio, 61 for a two-bedroom, 120 for a four-bedroom, plus the furniture.
Do I need a special license to drive a moving truck?
No. Consumer rental trucks are rated under 26,001 lb, which is below the commercial driver's license threshold, so a regular license is enough anywhere in the United States. Some rental companies set a minimum age.
Is renting a truck cheaper than hiring movers?
On the transport line, yes. In our model a two-bedroom home at 1,000 miles is $4,500 – $6,000 with full-service movers, and a rental truck's rate is a fraction of that. The gap narrows once fuel, tolls, lodging and your own days are on the worksheet, and a freight trailer at $2,160 – $2,880 often lands in between with the driving done for you.
Can I tow my car behind a rental truck?
Usually, with a tow dolly or a car carrier the rental company supplies for a charge. Check the truck's towing rating against your car's weight, and expect the combination to be slower, longer to stop and harder to park.
More guides
All 14 topics →How this section is written. Every cost figure on this page and in these guides is generated from the same published model that powers the calculator, and every carrier figure comes from the federal register with the snapshot date shown. We do not operate trucks, we collect no customer reviews, and no company pays for placement.