I Earned $500 for Sharing About My Oregon to Ohio Move
Portland, OR → Westlake, OH
$7,386
2-bedroom home, 850 sq. ft.
$7,386+
One extra foot of trailer space
2,262 mi
Long-distance, interstate
- I compared seven quotes, five for my household goods and two for my car, before I hired U-Pack and Mr. Car Shipper for my Oregon to Ohio move.
- Mr. Car Shipper quoted $1,625 and charged exactly that. U-Pack quoted $5,761 and came in a little higher, because the trailer’s logistics tracks were spaced every other foot and I paid for a foot of floor space I never used.
- I shared all of it, my quotes, my bills, and what went wrong, as part of moveBuddha’s Better Moves Project.
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This account is based on a conversation with Ryan C., who moved from Portland, Oregon, to Westlake, Ohio, in June 2022 using U-Pack and Mr. Car Shipper. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
My move from Oregon to Ohio
My wife and I spent a while planning our move from Portland, Oregon, to Westlake, Ohio. We wanted to be closer to family and get the benefit of a lower cost of living, and because we were buying a new home at the same time, every dollar we could hold onto mattered.
We also had two kids, which made the logistics of a 2,262-mile move feel higher-stakes than they otherwise would have. I spent close to a month comparing options before I committed. I researched movers on moveBuddha and ConsumerAffairs, read every contract line by line, and collected multiple quotes before I picked anyone.
I used moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator to get a baseline for what a move like mine should cost and to see how different service types compared. According to moveBuddha, users who compare movers that way save more than 30% versus taking the first quote they get.
My U-Pack and Mr. Car Shipper experience at a glance
Both companies did what they said they would, and nothing was lost or damaged on a 2,262-mile haul. Here is how it broke down.
- Communication: U-Pack and Mr. Car Shipper both stayed in regular contact before and during the move, answered my questions thoroughly, and confirmed every detail ahead of schedule. I felt informed at every stage.
- Pricing accuracy and transparency: My quotes were accurate and no unexpected fees showed up. The one small surprise was a slight overage with U-Pack tied to how the logistics tracks in the trailer were spaced, which I explain below.
- Professionalism: U-Pack, Mr. Car Shipper, and the local crew I hired for loading, Oregon Trail Movers in Portland, all met or exceeded what I expected. Everyone showed up and did the job.
- Timeliness: My household goods and my car were both picked up and delivered on schedule. U-Pack’s final delivery window was wide, but the trailer arrived within the hour once they told me it was on the way.
- Loss and damage: Everything arrived in good condition. Nothing was lost or damaged in transit.
- Would I use U-Pack and Mr. Car Shipper again? Yes, without hesitation. You can compare U-Pack against other container and freight options with moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator.
quoted across U-Pack and Mr. Car Shipper, and I still paid a little more
Find out what a move from Oregon → Ohio actually costs before a mover tells you.
Why I chose U-Pack
I had actually settled on 1-800-PACK-RAT first, because its $5,155.25 quote came in below U-Pack’s $5,761, and I was ready to book until I read the contract. Fuel surcharge and repositioning fees were not included in that estimate, and they could have pushed my total up significantly. The PACK-RAT rep offered to waive or discount some of them, but I was not comfortable with the uncertainty, so I walked away.
U-Pack was not the cheapest option, but the quote was transparent and the company’s reputation held up when I dug into it. I liked that I would only pay for the trailer space I actually used, that there was no weight limit to worry about, unlike containers, which tend to have lower limits, and that I could handle most of the booking online. The flexibility of a hybrid move appealed to me too: U-Pack handles the driving, I hire local crews for loading and unloading on each end, and I keep control of the timeline. I also checked with my insurance agent at Liberty Mutual and learned that my auto and renter’s policies would provide limited coverage while my goods and car were in transit, so I went with U-Pack’s standard coverage.
- Long distance moves only
- Only pay for the space you use
- No deposit or initial fees
- Fast delivery time frames
My move at a glance
Here are the basics of my relocation, including what I was quoted and what I ended up paying for my Oregon to Ohio move.
| Moving from | Portland, OR |
|---|---|
| Moving to | Westlake, OH |
| Distance | 2,262 miles |
| Move size | 2-bedroom home, about 850 square feet |
| Moving companies | U-Pack and Mr. Car Shipper |
| Moving quote | U-Pack $5,761.00 and Mr. Car Shipper $1,625.00 |
| Actual cost | Mr. Car Shipper’s quote was spot on. I paid slightly more than the estimate with U-Pack, because the trailer’s built-in logistics tracks were spaced every other foot instead of every foot |
We found that when you use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator, you can save 30% on moving costs compared to customers who go with the first quote they receive.
Quotes I compared
I collected four container quotes and one full-service quote for my household goods. Prices across the board came in higher than I expected, mostly because fuel costs had climbed since I started shopping, and the spread between my cheapest option and the full-service mover was more than $7,600.
| Company | Container size or estimated weight | Cost estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Zippy Shell | 680 cubic feet | $5,009.00 |
| 1-800-PACK-RAT | 830 cubic feet | $5,155.25 |
| U-Pack | 864 cubic feet, space on a 28-foot freight trailer | $5,761.00 |
| PODS | 835 cubic feet | $6,124.74 |
| North American Van Lines (full-service mover) | 6,500 pounds | $12,612.19 |
I got two quotes for shipping my car, and they landed within $50 of each other.
| Mr. Car Shipper | $1,625 |
|---|---|
| ACME Car Shipping | $1,675 |
How I prepared
Both U-Pack and Mr. Car Shipper reached out before my move to confirm reservation dates and details, so I never had to chase either of them for information. U-Pack’s team answered my questions about how much trailer space I would need, how to load efficiently to maximize space and prevent shifting in transit, truck clearance at both ends, and how to get a street parking permit for the trailer in Portland. Their trailers are 13 feet, 6 inches tall, and they require 14 feet of clearance at the origin and the destination.
Oregon Trail Movers, the crew I hired to load in Portland, helped me prepare ahead of time too. They accurately estimated how many moving blankets and cargo straps we would need, which mattered because I was responsible for supplying pads, straps, and stretch wrap myself. That is the tradeoff with a freight trailer instead of a moving van.
One thing I handled on my own: while I was scouting the truck’s route to the house, I spotted drooping power lines. I got the utility company to raise them to at least 14 feet before the U-Pack driver delivered the trailer. If you are doing a hybrid move, scout your route early, because a line that is six inches too low can stop a 28-foot trailer at the end of your street.
rating
5 / 5
Pickup day
The single best scheduling decision I made was booking my loading crew for the morning after the trailer arrived, not the same day. Container and trailer companies typically give wide service windows, often 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., which makes coordinating two service providers at once close to impossible. I scheduled Oregon Trail Movers for the morning after U-Pack dropped the trailer, and it took most of the stress out of the day.
The U-Pack driver texted me his ETA on the morning of May 31, arrived on time, and dropped the trailer in front of the house. While Oregon Trail Movers loaded, I cleaned the apartment and got ready for the final walk-through with the property management company. Loading ran about an hour longer than expected, but the crew was efficient and easy to work with. They did put a minor chip in the front door, and the company owner offered to repair it when I called in.
After loading, I noticed something I had not anticipated. The logistics tracks in the trailer, the built-in hardware used for cargo securement, were spaced every other foot instead of every foot. My bulkhead could only go where a track was, so I paid for a foot of floor space I never used.
U-Pack’s pay-for-what-you-use pricing is one of the things I liked most about the company, so the track spacing stung a little. If you are booking U-Pack, factor the logistics track spacing into your space estimate before you sign anything.
About a week before pickup, Mr. Car Shipper confirmed my services and dates by phone and email and sent a detailed checklist for prepping my car for transport. My family had already left for Ohio by then, so I had a neighbor meet the driver from Diesel Express, Mr. Car Shipper’s carrier partner, on June 6.
Delivery day
Diesel Auto Express delivered my car on time and in good condition, five days after pickup in Oregon. U-Pack notified me that my trailer had reached the local terminal 13 days after we loaded it in Portland.
When I called to schedule final delivery, U-Pack could only tell me the trailer would arrive between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. By 4:30 p.m. I still had not heard anything. I called for an update and was told the truck had just left the terminal and would arrive within the hour. That nine-hour window was the most stressful part of the back end of my move.
We hit a low-wire problem in Westlake, too. Unlike in Portland, I could not get the utility company to raise the lines in time, so I lifted them myself with a long-arm pool skimmer while the truck came through. I do not recommend that for obvious reasons, but sometimes you do what you have to do. The truck cleared the wires, the driver dropped the trailer in a perfect position for unloading, my bulkhead and lock were both intact, and everything came off fast.
I mowed the lawn while the movers unloaded the trailer. That is multitasking.
Final thoughts
My move went about as well as a 2,262-mile move can. U-Pack, Mr. Car Shipper, and Oregon Trail Movers all did what they said they would, and no hidden fees or major surprises turned up on any of my invoices.
Two things I was not thrilled about. U-Pack’s nine-hour delivery window left me waiting most of the day, and paying for that extra foot of trailer space was money I had not budgeted. The low-wire situation in Westlake was not U-Pack’s fault, but clearance problems can crop up at your destination just as easily as your origin, especially in older neighborhoods.
U-Pack felt a little pricey next to some of the other quotes I collected, but the service was worth it. I would use all three companies again and I would recommend them to anyone planning a similar move.
Compare a few companies before you book. According to moveBuddha, users who compare quotes with the moving cost calculator save more than 30% versus taking the first quote they get.
The downsides of freight trailers
Freight trailers are solid options for DIY and hybrid moves of any size, but they come with two tradeoffs worth weighing before you book one.
- Spring suspension instead of air ride: Most freight trailers ride on spring suspensions, which are harder on household goods than the air-ride suspensions found on nearly all moving vans. If you are shipping sensitive, fragile, or high-value items, that difference matters.
- A 48-inch deck height: U-Pack trailers sit 48 inches off the ground. Walk boards are included, but loading and unloading at that height is more physically demanding and less forgiving than working with a ground-level moving container.
More moving resources
Tips for future movers
These are the practical steps we recommend based on Ryan C.’s experience:
- Book as early as you can: Capacity fills fast during peak summer season, and Ryan C. watched quotes climb with fuel costs while he shopped. Booking early gives you more options and better pricing.
- Consider a freight trailer over a container: With a freight trailer you only pay for the space you use, and there is no weight limit. Just factor in logistics track spacing when you estimate, since tracks spaced every other foot dictate where your bulkhead goes and what you end up paying for.
- Read the fine print on every contract: Ryan C. was ready to book the cheaper 1-800-PACK-RAT quote until he found that fuel surcharges and repositioning fees sat outside the estimate. Know exactly what you are agreeing to before you sign.
- Scout the truck’s route at both ends before move day: Check for drooping utility lines along the path at your origin and your destination. Ryan C. got the lines raised in Portland and had to lift them with a pool skimmer in Westlake, and getting them addressed in advance is far easier than solving it on delivery day.
- Book your loading crew for the morning after drop-off: Trailer and container companies give 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. windows, so trying to line up a crew on the same day is a gamble. Give yourself a day of buffer and the whole thing gets calmer.
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