I have started to try to rent a small truck--preferably a cargo van--for my daughter to move from Brooklyn to Indiana, and am having the usual problem: I can't find any company that lets you rent a cargo van for a one-way move. Am I missing something? Do you really have to rent a 10- or 12-foot truck for $1700+? That's about the value of the stuff she wants to move--well, probably not, if you actually add things up, but it seems to be a lot to pay for moving a bed, bookshelves, a few small tables and boxes.

Not all cities have them, but try PODS. They let you have them for awhile at origination and destination and costs are pretty reasonable.

PODS.com

You pack it up, they pick it up and transport it to new location and you unpack it.

I think PODS work only if you have a house and somewhere to put one. With an apartment - there's no place to put it - so you're loading up all at once - just like a regular truck. (You can't just put drop one the street - there would be parking tickets, and possibly other fines, even if you could find a place big enough to put one.)

Are they really that much cheaper for the moving part?

PODS serves neither Brooklyn nor South Bend, where she is moving. And no, it wouldn't have worked on the Brooklyn. We used something called Mini Moves 2 years ago when she moved there--they come, take your stuff, and deliver it when they have a truckload going to your destination. As I recall, that was also about $1700--we were hoping to find a cheaper alternative.

The cost of truck rentals has gone out of sight. Here in Florida people moving a lot of stuff from up north are finding more and more moving companies that will schedule a partial move for less money (sharing a moving van). I'm not sure how common that might be to Indiana, but it's worth a few calls, if you're flexible in the dates. Also I know someone who found such an offer on Craigslist.

Thanks, Patrick. As I said, we used this method when she moved to Brooklyn, but this still seems very expensive (to me) to move what will basically fit in a cargo van, which we would be willing to drive, but you--or at least I--cannot find any available for a one-way interstate rental. I'm not so sure we could drive a 10 foot truck--the one time we reserved one, they didn't have one at pick-up, and we had to take their offer of a 14-foot one at the same price, which was hair-raising to drive even for the 90 miles we used it, and I can't imagine maneuvering in the New York metro area!

Enterprise Rent a Car rents cargo vans. They can do it one-way if you're in a metropolitan area. Check their website.

Thank you, I will call. I have rented from them several times, but couldn't find anything about one-way rentals on the web site.

Why not get one of those that you attach to a hitch and tow yourself with your own vehicle. Also try Penske they are alot cheaper than the others....

I can't imagine driving one of those. Anyway, she doesn't HAVE a vehicle. Penske and UHaul gave almost exactly the same rate for their smallest truck.

What about contacting the University to see if there is some sort of student transport board? She might be able to get her smaller things moved that way. If all else fails, I would sell the bed and move the rest by car.

Well, Enterprise does not offer one-way rentals from Brooklyn with drop-off in Indiana or Chicago. I know (alas, from experience!) that the bed will fit in a minivan, but not the bookshelves etc. Thanks for all your suggestions! I'm now asking myself whether I am foolish enough to get a cargo van, and drive it BACK to Brooklyn, too!

I'm following your thread with interest. We will have a similar challenge this summer, moving stuff from Baltimore to Colorado or California. The furniture isn't the best, but it's only about two years old, and it's worth moving.

I think there's a business idea here, because I know a lot of college graduates, especially, who are in this situation.

In a similar vein, I remember how much stuff was literally thrown out of dorm rooms after freshman year. The students had no place to store stuff over the summer. Printer tables, TVs, chairs, sofas, all sorts of stuff is left for the taking.
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The no place to store part has been answered, I think--I read somewhere that storage was the fastest growing business in the US. Probably there would be a business solution to small interstate moves, but it involves paying more than I want to! It just seems wrong that I could rent a cargo van for a week for $400, but the one-way part seems unavailable. We got her stuff home (Chicago)from Miami via an incredibly lucky find on a one-way minivan rental, and sent it and more on to Brooklyn via Mini Moves, one of those partial-load specialists, for about $1700. It just doesn't seem worth doing that again!

My friend is moving from Portland to Albuquerque in a few weeks, and she is looking at a similar situation. It's really expensive to rent a truck (plus the fuel you have to buy - and these vans probably get 12 MPG). I suggested she try Craigslist.org ride share, to see if she can go in with someone who may be doing the same move at about the same time.

(PODS was ungodly expensive for PDX to ABQ, way more than renting a truck.)