Van drop-off for small move in Canada

March 8, 2008 9:22 AM

Moving company in Canada that allows drop-offs for cargo or cube vans out-of-province?

I'm moving from Ontario to Nova Scotia, a bedroom's worth of stuff. Looking for the cheapest way to do it. I've phoned several companies here but none of them seem to allow drop-offs out-of-province for anything except cars.

I knew someone years ago that moved out west and dropped a cube van off in BC. He said it took him awhile to find the company, but there was one that did it. Unfortunately, I don't have this guy's contact info anymore.

I found the threads on moving in the U.S. but most of the companies are different. Looking for information on Canada specifically.

Thanks!

posted by Idiot Mittens to Travel & Transportation around Canada (8 answers total)

U-Haul does it but they're pretty bad to deal with. The date they say you'll get your truck doesn't often resemble the date you actually get it. Nor does the place you chose to pick it up at.
posted by jon_kill at 9:59 AM on March 8, 2008

Yeah, U-Haul does this. I've used them a couple of times, and every time has been a pain in the ass as far as picking it up/dropping it off/getting the right truck, but it's cheap.
posted by drycleanonly at 10:01 AM on March 8, 2008

Response by poster: Cool, U-Haul will definitely be looked into. As a followup, is there any kind of freight-shipping options in Canada for a few pieces of furniture on a palete? I saw a couple of AskMe questions that mentioned USPS as one that does it in the U.S. Is there a similar option in Canada?
posted by Idiot Mittens at 1:06 PM on March 8, 2008

As for trucks you might have luck with one of the majors: Discount, Budget, National, etc. but it depends on the direction and destination. They allow some interprovincial moves and disallow others. For example, the only company that allows one-way moves into Quebec was U-haul. Call all the national car-rental places though to be sure.

I just moved back to Quebec from Toronto last summer so I had to use U-haul and it was horrific but it got done. Book very early for the best prices.

What you should also know about U-haul is that they have an interprovincial fleet and a local fleet. They are separate. That means that people will be coming in later than you to pick up the same size truck you want and leaving before you. Be prepared to accept other sizes of truck if they offer them to you. They won't rent you one of the local vehicles if you're going one-way. I saw people beg. Take a book with you when you go to pick it up, and don't make any plans for the rest of the day -- you'll be there a while.

If you're in Toronto I'd use the location on Kennedy just south of the 401. The location I spent all day at eventually sent me there to pick up one of their trucks and they at least seemed organized and humane, and there are convenience stores and fast food nearby. I'd avoid the one on Kingston Road. It is tiny and disorganized the only place to sit was on the floor or on a curb outside. There wasn't anywhere in the vicinity to get a drink or pee. Good luck.
posted by loiseau at 1:18 PM on March 8, 2008

(I should add that you really have no choice of locations but you can call their 800 number and request a specific one. Worth a try.)
posted by loiseau at 1:20 PM on March 8, 2008

If you use U-Haul, go to one of their own depots (e.g. big lot with hundreds of trucks) to make the reservation rather than a dealer (the gas station with two trucks in the corner of the lot).

There are also places like PODS who will drop off a huge storage bin on your lawn, you fill it up, and they deliver it to the lawn of your new place. There are several places that provide this type of service in Toronto (I don't remember the other names). (I haven't used any of them)
posted by winston at 4:12 PM on March 8, 2008

Maybe you've investigated this already, but have you looked into Penske? My partner and I have used them for all our long distance moves after a scary move with Uhaul and we've been impressed. The state of the truck and the customer service were way better. They were more expensive than Uhaul but I'm not sure if anything will be as cheap as Uhaul. Penske's website won't give oniine quotes for one-way rentals in Canada but instead they say to call them directly. Possibly one more alternative to Uhaul if you need one. Good luck on your trek!
posted by onoclea at 10:44 PM on March 8, 2008

OP, regarding your follow up question -- I've heard that if you're shipping just a few pieces of furniture, Greyhound is a cheap and easy. I have friends who did this with some bikes and other mid-sized items when they moved from Alberta to Quebec, and I remember them saying that after shopping around, it was the best option.
posted by drycleanonly at 2:46 PM on March 9, 2008