The busiest time of the year for moving is during the summer

The busiest time of the year for moving is during the summer. The peak of the summer moving season is during August and September. Movers run out of crews, truck, and container rental companies run out of inventory, and self-storage units fill up as people are between homes. Do not panic. If you are getting ready to schedule your move in the next four weeks, the MiniMoves® team has options available. We will help you explore how to find moving dates during the summer moving rush. 

• Look for cancellations – Some customers need to change moving dates because their real estate closings get postponed, or the apartment they wanted needs new carpeting and is not available on the date they planned. Moving companies often have cancellations that occur three days to a week in advance. Call many moving companies, ask if they have availability for the date you need and if they don’t, ask to be put on a waitlist for cancellations. 
• Explore your options – You might have planned to rent a truck for your cross-country move only to find out that a truck is not available on the dates you need. Consider other DIY options like storage container rental. You might not need storage, but many companies will haul your loaded container cross-country and deliver it to your new home. You might need two or three containers versus one rental truck, and you still need to do your own loading and unloading, but if you are planning a DIY move, storage container rental may be an option. Be sure to check with the apartment manager or HOA where you live to make sure they will allow a moving container to be dropped in the lot at your complex or the driveway, of your home. 
• Contact moving companies in your destination city – Movers often have empty space on the truck going back to their home terminal. Contact a moving company near your destination city and ask if they have any drivers that will be in your city during the time you need to move. Finding a “deadhead” hauler heading back to your new city might help you find a truck with space for your move when most other movers are sold out.  
• Extend your dates – Flexibility might be your lowest cost option to find the right resources for moving. Having someone else release your shipment to the movers a week or two after the peak period can get you moved at a better price. Rental trucks might not be available the week you planned to move, but it is likely there will be trucks inbound to your area available the following week. If you must vacate your current home but cannot find a cross-country mover, local self-storage might be an option, but it will add to the expense of your move. If you must “go” because of your lease or to get to your new job on time, a self-storage unit might be the elastic in the calendar you need. 
• Research alternative moving methods – MiniMoves® is changing the way people move by using specialized shipping containers, a high-quality process using cloth furniture pads, local crews to perform the loading and unloading, and the unlimited capacity of the general freight industry to transport our containers between our terminals. We often have capacity when other movers and truck rental companies are sold-out. We offer full service moving and provide the labor to load, transport, deliver, unload, place and arrange your furniture and boxes. Our prices are competitive with the all-in cost of Do-it-Yourself moving, and we do the heavy lifting! 

Be flexible, resourceful, creative, and most importantly, be determined. Even if you have just decided that San Francisco or San Antonio will be your next destination and want to go now, you can get it done! The good news is that you have options. You might need to dig a little deeper to find the option that works best for you.