Determining the amount of time it takes for a cross-country truck rental move can be tricky. Read our tips to determine what factors influence the amount of time to drive cross-country.
Moving locally presents it's own challenges, but those challenges can pale in comparison when moving cross-country. That's because those possible logistical nightmares can really multiply if you're planning a do-it-yourself or truck rental move across country. Perhaps the greatest area of concern is properly planning the amount of time it will take you to drive the truck rental from your old place to your new residence. And correctly calculating that time is important not only for knowing how long you'll need to take off work, but how much you'll need to spend for your truck rental. To help you determine the length of time needed for that drive across the country, you'll need to analyze the following variables.
Number of drivers
If you're doing all of the driving, don't count on driving more than eight hours per day, as anything more than that could be too tiring. Then, calculate the distance you can drive in eight hours per day and multiply it by the number of days, for the total number. If there's a second truck rental driver, you might be able to drive up to 16 hours in the truck rental, thereby greatly reducing the overall amount of time that it would take to reach your final destination. Just keep in mind how long you think you'll be able to be cooped up in a truck in one day.
Accommodations
Unless you don't mind sleeping in the truck rental, you'll have to make sure that there are accommodations at each stop. That could be a problem if you're traveling during the busy season and there are no hotel or motel vacancies along the way. To prevent this problem from occurring, try to make reservations beforehand. If you don't make reservations and there are no vacancies, you might have to drive out of your way to find the closest available room.
Weather conditions
If moving during the winter months, you'll have to take into consideration delays due to snow. Check the weekly weather forecasts on your route so that you can best estimate any delays. Even rainstorms during spring or summer could delay your trip so check the weather forecast.
