I Compared 7 Quotes for My Illinois to North Carolina Move: Here’s What Happened
As told to moveBuddha
- Katie M. moved from Chicago, Illinois, to Durham, North Carolina, in September 2022 to join a doctoral program at Duke University, an approximately 800-mile move covering a 3-bedroom apartment.
- After comparing seven quotes, she rented a 16-foot truck from Penske, and her Illinois to North Carolina truck rental came in at exactly $1,750, matching the quote.
- This is Katie’s story, shared as part of moveBuddha’s Better Moves Project.
This account is based on a conversation we had with Katie M., who moved from Illinois to North Carolina in September 2022 using Penske. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
In March 2022, I accepted an offer to join a doctoral program at Duke University. My husband and I were thrilled, but it meant uprooting our family from Chicago and moving 800 miles to Durham, North Carolina, by September, with a two-year-old in tow.
I’m a planner by nature, and I wanted the whole thing to be as organized and stress-free as possible. My biggest concerns going in were the possibility of needing last-minute storage if our housing situation got complicated and figuring out what to do with everything we weren’t taking. We were also moving some musical instruments and large paintings that needed extra care.
Full-service movers were our first thought, but after seeing a few surprisingly high estimates, we ruled them out quickly. We ended up building our own hybrid move, renting a truck and driving it ourselves, then hiring movers for loading and unloading at each end.
I used moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator to compare options and figure out what we could realistically afford.
My Penske experience at a glance
rating
4 / 5
- Communication: Penske kept me informed throughout the process, confirming my reservation and service dates multiple times in the week before my move.
- Pricing accuracy and transparency: The quote I received for a one-way trip from Chicago to Durham was exactly what I paid. No surprises.
- Service: My Penske truck was clean and ready on move day, but only 7 of the 12 moving blankets I had reserved were available when I arrived.
- Overall value: Renting from Penske was a good overall value, especially given how fuel-efficient the truck turned out to be on the road.
- Would I use Penske again? Yes. The truck was reliable, averaged about 11.5 miles per gallon, and the online quoting process was easy and accurate.
My move at a glance
| Moved from | Chicago, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Moved to | Durham, North Carolina |
| Distance | About 800 miles |
| Move size | 3-bedroom apartment, approximately 900 square feet |
| Truck rental company | Penske |
| Moving quote | $1,750 (for a 16-foot truck, one-way with unlimited mileage) |
| Actual cost | $1,750 |
My entire move cost $4,365.92, including packing materials, loading and unloading labor, tips, the truck, gas, and lodging.
Quotes I compared
After ruling out full-service movers, I got quotes from moving container and truck rental companies using moveBuddha and the companies’ own websites. I looked at seven options in total:
| Company | Equipment | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| U-Haul | 15-foot truck | $1,654 |
| Penske | 16-foot truck | $1,750 |
| MovingPlace | 12 feet of floor space on a moving van | $1,910 |
| U-Pack | 13 feet of floor space on a 28-foot trailer | $2,232 |
| PODS | 16-foot container | $3,754 |
| 1-800-PACK-RAT | 16-foot container | $3,989 |
| Zippy Shell | 15-foot container | $4,040 |
My first choice was actually MovingPlace, but the company didn’t service our destination address in Durham, so I went with Penske instead. My husband and I also hired movers for both ends of the move since carrying heavy furniture while watching a two-year-old wasn’t realistic. Here’s how those quotes looked:
| S & L Express (booked through HireAHelper) | $513.46 – 3 movers for 3 hours in Chicago |
|---|---|
| TROSA Moving (referral from our realtor in North Carolina) | $1,081.50 – 5 movers for 5.5 hours in Durham |
TROSA’s quote was on the high side, but I ended up paying much less because the crew in Durham finished faster than expected.
rating
4 / 5
Why I chose Penske
U-Haul’s quote was lower, but I wanted the extra space of Penske’s 16-foot truck over U-Haul’s 15-foot option. Penske’s fuel mileage estimate was better, and the rental period was five days compared to four with U-Haul.
That buffer day mattered to me. After running the numbers, I felt the potential fuel savings and the extra flexibility made up for the price difference. Penske also had many positive reviews on moveBuddha, and nearly everything could be handled online, which I appreciated.
I reserved a bundle of moving blankets from Penske but skipped the additional insurance since my auto and renter’s policies already covered the truck and my household goods.
In the week before the move, both Penske and TROSA confirmed my reservation and service dates several times. To make the most of our limited time, I scheduled my toddler for daycare or time with grandparents so my husband and I could focus on decluttering and downsizing, packing, and working through our housing logistics.
Pickup day
My Penske truck was clean and in good working order when I picked it up, but only 7 of the 12 moving blankets I had reserved were available. That was frustrating, though it turned out not to matter for reasons I didn’t expect.
The movers from S & L Express arrived a few minutes late, but they called ahead to let me know they were on the way, so it wasn’t a problem. The crew was friendly, but I wasn’t particularly impressed with how they handled my things.
Near the end of the loading process, I noticed they hadn’t used any moving blankets or shrink wrap to protect my furniture. I considered saying something, but by the time I caught it, it was too late to make changes.
At one point, my husband walked by and spotted a dining room chair on its back with an upside-down box marked “fragile” and a wardrobe carton marked “heavy” sitting on top of it.
The crew packed the truck efficiently and finished in about 2.5 hours while my husband and I ran errands and packed last-minute items. I had paid for the loaders by credit card through HireAHelper the day before the move, with payment released once I confirmed the job was complete.
Delivery day
We set out on our 800-mile road trip Friday afternoon, shortly after the truck was loaded. We could have made the drive in a day and a half, but we spread it over 2.5 days to make it manageable for our toddler. Everyone was exhausted by the time we checked into the hotel the first night.
The next morning, we drove to our new home and waited for the TROSA crew, who arrived on time and got straight to work after a quick walkthrough.
Compared to the loaders in Chicago, I was impressed by how careful the TROSA team was with everything. While they unloaded, my husband and I directed them on where things should go and took turns keeping our toddler busy in the backyard.
Everything was off the truck and inside the house about an hour later. A few boxes ended up in the wrong rooms, but that was on us since some still had labels from previous moves.
Despite everything I had worried about after watching S & L load the truck, only a few items were damaged, and my musical instruments and artwork came through fine.
I signed an invoice before the TROSA crew left, but even though I had already given them my credit card information, the charge still hadn’t appeared on my statement a week after the move.
Final thoughts
rating
4 / 5
I got good value from Penske. The quote was accurate, the online process was straightforward, and the truck averaged about 11.5 miles per gallon, which is solid for a rental truck. The only real letdown was that only some of my reserved moving blankets were available on moving day, but since the loading crew didn’t use them anyway, it ended up being a non-issue.
I would use Penske again on a future move. I would not use S & L Express, because the crew didn’t protect my furniture the way they should have. That said, with nearly 3,000 positive reviews on HireAHelper, I may have just gotten a less experienced crew, so my experience isn’t necessarily representative of the company overall.
The TROSA team in Durham, on the other hand, did excellent work, and I ended up paying far less than the original estimate because they finished ahead of schedule.
Tips for future movers
These are the practical steps we recommend based on Katie M.’s experience:
- Run errands and get cash the day before your move: Stock up on water bottles and have cash on hand for tips and any miscellaneous expenses that come up on move day. It’s one less thing to manage when things get hectic.
- Keep an eye on the movers while they load: The S & L crew skipped the moving pads entirely, and Katie M. didn’t catch it until it was too late. Staying present during loading lets you address problems before they become permanent.
- Pack as if every box will end up upside down: Movers regularly turn boxes on their sides, stack them upside down, and wedge them into tight spaces. Extra cushioning on all sides, not just the top, makes a real difference.
- Don’t rely too heavily on star ratings: S & L Express had a 4.8-star rating on HireAHelper, but Katie M. was not impressed with how the crew handled her belongings. Reviews reflect averages across many jobs, not a guarantee about the specific crew you’ll get.
- Give yourself more time than you think you’ll need: Packing and unpacking consistently take longer than expected. Building in extra days at both ends of your move reduces stress and leaves room for the unexpected.
- Don’t depend solely on free used boxes: You may not be able to find all the sizes you need when you need them. A mix of new and used boxes is a more reliable approach.
- Use colored labels and cover old markings on reused boxes: Boxes with labels from a previous move can end up in the wrong rooms. Fresh labels in a distinct color for each room help movers place things correctly on delivery day.
Before you go, check out these helpful posts:
- Penske Truck Wizard: A Great Tool for Determining How Much Truck Space You Need
- Penske vs. U-Haul 2026: Comparing Moving Truck Rental Options
- Tips for Driving a Moving Truck
- How to Establish Residency in a New State
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