How Much Does it Cost to Rent a U-haul Truck Compared to Tyler’s Hauling?

February 2025

Hiring a local hauling company is more efficient than renting a U-haul truck because… U-Haul trucks might be available at low rates but the hidden fees add up. Rental fees are more than just a daily rate. Add in mileage, gas, taxes, and insurance and u-haul rentals go way up. Plus there’s the time and labor of the actual haul. Hiring a local hauling company has all those costs already factored in. There is only flat rate to pay and all the work is done by someone else. Apple to apples, hiring a local hauling company is the better way to go.

Moving any amount of property will always involve your time and money. Naturally, you’re looking for the best, easiest hauling deal, but with so many options, this can be a challenge. Do you go with a local hauling company or go with the popular U-Haul truck rental option? You may be surprised to learn that your local hauling option like Tyler’s Hauling can actually be better priced and easier for you.

In this article, we’ll answer the following:

How does U-Haul compare to hauling services?
What are the hidden fees, costs, and logistics of U-Haul truck rental?
How much does it cost to rent a U-haul truck compared to hiring Tyler’s Hauling?
How can you determine the best option for you?

How does U-Haul compare to hauling?

When it’s time to move, knowing your main options well before you move will save you a lot of struggle, time, and money. Generally, you have two options: do-it-yourself, or hiring local hauling services to move for you. Both offer valid options depending on the scale of your move, budget, timing, and physical labor you want to take on. Let’s look break down how these options compare based on these categories.

Moving Scale

The size of your move, including the distance between locations, the weight/mass of particular items, and the amount of items needing to be moved are all key considerations.

U-Haul Truck Rental

U-Haul is a proven DIY option for customers due to the availability of different truck sizes available for rent. With 10ft – 26ft truck rental options, you can choose which truck you need based on the volume of items, the length/height of specific objects, or both. If you plan ahead, you’ll be able to reserve the truck size you require, but here is the first hurdle you have to face. While U-Haul Trucks generally provide ample space, sometimes, larger items will take up most of the space, forcing you to make multiple trips. Additionally, you’ll have to be sure that the truck size you want is available. If you have a sudden move and have extremely tall or large items that require a specific size, there is a chance the truck you require might not be available. If this is the case, you may have to delay your move or find a further U-Haul location to rent from.

Hauling

Hauling services like Tyler’s Hauling, are equipped to safely and efficiently move the largest items you have. Our open-roof trucks allow for the largest items to be safely secured and transported, and we can deploy them whenever you need to move. Another benefit of hauling services is that by default, we handle any scale of move. Because we utilize a team and our trucks can be loaded efficiently, this also means that you save time and effort as well. This is also why our local hauling service is often preferred over U-Haul rentals in junk projects. Speaking of junk, if, in your move, you do want some of your items removed for junk, we can work with you to address that too. This eliminates the need for multiple rentals and services. We’ll help you move some items to your new location and dump whatever you distinguish too.

Budget

Naturally, you’ll want to cap costs and get the most value from your move. Is U-Haul as cost-effective as it seems though? While U-Haul is quite affordable and is often very reasonable in pricing, the underlying costs can mount up to where local hauling services could be more cost-effective in several situations. Let’s look at how much it costs to rent a U-haul truck compared to hiring Tyler’s Hauling.

U-Haul Truck Rental

What’s great about U-Haul rentals is that upfront rental fees are pretty inexpensive. Daily rental fees start around $20 but will vary depending on the size of the truck you need. Because of this, many people choose this option without realizing the presence of underlying costs that can surpass their initial budget goal. For starters, final U-Haul rental fees are calculated based on a flat daily rental fee and a per-mile charge. If your move is extremely local, this probably won’t affect you much. However, if you’re moving across the county or further, you may have to factor in the per-mile charge. There’s also gas use that you have to consider. Fuel is not part of the rental fee, you are responsible for your own gas consumption and you need to fill up the gas tank to replace the fuel you used before returning the unit. Failure to refuel will incur another fee. While purchasing U-Haul insurance isn’t required, if you’re concerned about damages to your items or the vehicle, this is also a cost consideration. All of these factors add up to the final charge while also costing you time and labor.

Hauling

Hauling services typically have a higher upfront price than U-Haul, but there’s a reason for this. At Tyler’s Hauling, when we present you with our rates (we start at $99), this number encompasses all the cost factors already applied. There are no hidden fees with our hauling services. There’s no need to pick a specific truck size, our trucks will service any size you require for whatever trips you need. Our flat rate pays for the work of loading up your items, transporting them to your destination, and unloading them for you. That’s right, we do the work. While you might pay more of an upfront cost, all the costs you pay for hauling give you a much better deal. Besides taking a lot of the logistics and effort off your hands, hiring a hauling team like Tyler’s offers you more utility in general. You can apply yourself to other moving tasks or planning while we do the heavy lifting. What’s more, our team is fully insured should any issues with transport occur, whether it’s to your property or our moving equipment – but at no extra charge to you. Even with U-Haul, you must purchase their insurance as an add-on. With us, we are already insured, giving you peace of mind without the price tag. As you’ll see in the other categories though, you get more for what you pay for.

U-Haul Truck Rental 

Hauling

Timing

There are two ways to consider timing when comparing U-haul truck rental to hiring a hauling team like Tyler’s. The first is how quickly and conveniently you can be serviced and then how either option allows you to complete your move within your desired time frame.

U-Haul Truck Rental

Your U-Haul rental is heavily determined based on what truck size you need when it’s available. Based on availability you may or may not have instant access to your desired truck at the location you want. If you’re planning ahead this might not be an issue, but if you’re running behind and need to move your items soon or within the week, this could pose a problem. It’s important to make sure your required U-Haul truck is available when you need it, or you may have to go with a size too small or too big, which will affect moving times and costs. When it comes to loading and unloading your items from the U-Haul, that is totally on you and the help you have, so this will depend on your endurance and comfort level. You may or may not need extra trips too if you cannot get a sizable truck within your desired time period. Another thing to consider is the pickup and drop off of your trunk once your job is complete, adding more time and effort to your moving project.

Hauling

One of the key benefits of hiring local hauling services is that typically they are available whenever you need them, so it should be easy to schedule, even on short notice. One thing that Tyler’s Hauling always stands by is our commitment to on-time arrival. We commit to getting your items moved promptly and safely so that way you can focus on other needs. What’s more, our team does the moving for you, and given that we’re professionals, we can typically load up our trucks quickly and more efficiently than individuals having to self-load a U-Haul. Of course, you don’t need to return any vehicles or equipment, so once your items are hauled to your desired location, we unload them, and you’re good to go.

Physical Labor

One of the key differences between DIY moving vs. hauling services is the physical toll it takes on your body and those of your friends or family. Not only that, but there is also the driving, loading, and unloading you have to consider around the vehicle itself- and that’s on top of organizing all your things once moved.

U-Haul Truck Rental

U-Haul rental can be inexpensive in terms of upfront expenses, but in the end, you’re paying to rent a truck to do all the moving and lifting yourself. It is on you and your helpers to drive to each location, load, unload, and then return the truck. This isn’t counting time maneuvering or securing your items in the unit. This means that you are exposing yourself to more physical injury, especially if you have joint problems or recent injuries you’re dealing with. Another thing to consider is actually driving the truck itself. U-Hauls can be unwieldy for those unaccustomed to driving them. You may need to take extra time to safely drive and navigate the vehicle, which can add extra stress to your move, and even cause delays.

Hauling

With hauling, your labor is extremely reduced. You point and we load and deliver. The only thing you’ll need to do from here is simply maneuver your items to where you want them once we drop them off. Our team will load and secure your items safely and then drive them to your destination. This means you do not have to make any extraneous trips yourself, drive a large vehicle, or strain to put furniture into a tall truck. You can simply focus on prepping your home or destination for the delivery of your items. This brings greater safety and other logistical benefits to your move.

How to determine your best hauling option for you?

Ultimately, deciding on whether to rent a U-haul truck or rely on local hauling services like Tyler’s Hauling will depend on your monetary preferences and the size of your move. For a small, very local move, a U-Haul truck might be more inexpensive, but you’d still have to account for any extra fees and have to do all the work yourself. If you’re moving multiple large items for some distance, hauling services offer more ease, utility, and, ultimately, more return on your investment. The cost of services through Tyler’s Hauling covers all transportation and physical labor involved in moving your items as opposed to U-Haul rental, which is just a truck. If you’re interested in a deal that puts more time, energy, and still cost-savings back in your hand, consider getting a free quote from Tyler’s Hauling today.

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How Much Does it Cost to Rent a U-haul Truck Compared to Tyler’s Hauling?

How does U-Haul compare to hauling?

Moving Scale

U-Haul Truck Rental

Hauling

Budget

U-Haul Truck Rental

Hauling

U-Haul Truck Rental

Hauling

Timing

U-Haul Truck Rental

Hauling

Physical Labor

U-Haul Truck Rental

Hauling

How to determine your best hauling option for you?

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