ABF U-Pack® Trailer Review
This long-distance moving company offers a freight trailer option with unmatched experience in shipping goods
Updated Thursday, April 25th 2024
Pros
- Someone other than you is hauling your stuff across the country
- Can combine with HireAHelper movers for a move that's cheaper than Full Service movers, but with the same value
- You save some money for any unused space inside the trailer
Cons
- No local moves
- No online customer service agents
- Lots of potential hidden fees
- They don't have air-ride suspension. Your stuff needs to be expertly wrapped and loaded to survive this ride intact
U-Pack® Moving Company Trailer Overview
U-Pack's promise is to be a "quick, convenient way to move long distances." It is part of the ABF® Freight System, Inc. family, which, according to its site, can move your things anywhere in the country within two to five business days. They have more than 250 locations (which they call "terminals"). In all, ABF provides service to all 50 United States, 9 Canadian provinces, Puerto Rico, and Guam.
When you request a quote from U-Pack, your move details determine whether you need a trailer or ReloCube® moving container, which is essentially a steel box they transport for you. But their containers are typically for those moving to and from a studio apartment or dorm, while trailers are for those who are moving from a large home.
For the purposes of this profile, we'll be focusing on the U-Pack trailer. You can get more information on ABF containers on the ReloCube Moving101 profile page.
U-Pack® Reviews and Pricing
Local Move
Under 50 mi.
Medium Distance
50-250 mi.
Long Distance
250+ mi.
Average Cost
$1,100
25.0% cheaper than other companies$1,679
4.2% higher than other companies$3,276
3.4% higher than other companiesAverage Review
5/5
20.0% better than other companies4.35/5
1.6% lower than other companies4.45/5
0.2% lower than other companiesAverage Cost Per Mile
N/A
$9.20
4.9% higher than other companies$2.81
2.5% higher than other companiesLocal Move
Under 50 mi.
Compared to Other Companies
Average Cost
$1,100
Average Review
5/5
Medium Distance
50-250 mi.
Compared to Other Companies
Average Cost
$1,679
Average Cost Per Mile
$9.20
Average Review
4.35/5
Long Distance
250+ mi.
Compared to Other Companies
Average Cost
$3,276
Average Cost Per Mile
$2.81
Average Review
4.45/5
U-Pack® Container Sizes
|
Options
|
Length
|
Width
|
Height
|
Capacity
|
| ReloCube | 6'3" | 7' | 8'4" | 305 cubic feet/studio size apartment |
| Trailer | 28' | 8' | 9' | 1,944 cubic feet/3- 4 bedroom home |
Photos of U-Pack® in the Wild
U-Pack® Services Offered
Services Legend
- Available
- Not Offered
Small Containers
Medium Containers
Large Containers
Large Containers
Storage Container
Packing Supplies
Local Movers
My move with U-Pack®
Author: Francesca Di Meglio
Updated: Thursday, April 25th 2024
How does U-Pack work?
Like many other transportation companies, U-Pack has customers coming to its website to get a quote. Fill in the requested information, crucially including the size of your home or apartment, and you get a free quote for either space in a trailer or for a metal moving container known as ReloCube.
In the case of a small apartment or home, you will get the far more economical option of renting one or more of their containers, whereas those with larger homes will be given a quote for space in a trailer.
The U-Pack trailer is a beast and will require more room for parking because of the ramp that makes loading easier and the truck that transports it. ReloCubes and trailers are only available for long-distance and state-to-state moves.
In the case of a small apartment or home, you will get the far more economical option of renting one or more of their containers, whereas those with larger homes will be given a quote for space in a trailer.
Once you choose one over the other, you will pick a delivery date. Once the trailer has been delivered and parked at your home, you will have up to three days to load it. After your time is up, a professional ABF driver will come to your place, pick up the loaded freight trailer and deliver it to your next destination. When it arrives, you will have another three days to unload it before having it picked up.
For a move of a large home from northern New Jersey to central Florida, U-Pack recommended the 17-foot trailer. It will take 3 to 5 business days in transit.
How does U-Pack work with local moves?
U-Pack's strength comes from its affiliation with ABF, an enduring, well-respected freight trailer company. As a result, U-Pack does not provide local moves. If you're moving one or two towns away, then this is not the service for you. You can, however, move from state-to-state, which could mean moving a few hours in one direction or the other. But a trailer or ReloCube are not available for short distance moves.
How does U-Pack work with long-distance moves?
Long-distance moves are the bread and butter of U-Pack, and the process is fairly simple. After you decide on the trailer, you'll schedule a delivery date. Once the trailer or container arrives, you will have up to three days to load it. Then, a professional driver picks up the loaded trailer and brings it to your final destination. At that point, you have another three days to unload it.
Long-distance moves are the bread and butter of U-Pack...
My long-distance move
To get my long-distance move quote (about 1,100 miles), I planned to transport a 3-bedroom home from Fort Lee, New Jersey (New York City area) to Kissimmee, Florida (Orlando area), two places with which I'm familiar.
My quote was for $2,649 for 17 linear feet in a 28-foot trailer. (You can learn more about what's included in the price below.)
How much does U-Pack cost?
Prices vary based on the distance of the move and the equipment you choose (trailer versus ReloCubes). What really makes a difference in the price is how much space you need for your stuff in the trailer.
For a long-distance move of a 3-bedroom home from New Jersey to Florida, my cost was:
- $2,649
This price included:
- 17 linear feet in a 28-foot trailer
- Driver
- Taxes
- Fuel
- "Free" additional liability coverage
- "Free" ramp
Though there are a couple of ways to bring down the price of your bill. First, by booking online, I received a $25 discount. It's not much, but it's better than nothing! Students and military also score savings. (Too bad for me, I don't belong to either group.)
You also save $75 per unused linear foot. (For example, you'd get $75 slashed from your bill if you used only 16 linear feet instead of the estimated 17.) Finally, I could load and/or unload at a U-Pack service terminal instead of my house for a $200 price cut.
U-Pack does not provide local moves.
Put another way, if I packed my stuff into a trailer in Carlstadt, New Jersey, the U-Pack terminal about 20 minutes from my home, and then picked it up at the Orlando, Florida center, which is about 15 minutes from my address, I could save a total of $400. (But I'd drive a heck of a lot more.)
By the way, for an additional $255, I could have signed up for U-Pack Guaranteed. This would guarantee the day of delivery for my stuff. Yep, U-Pack only delivers in windows of time! If my stuff failed to arrive on the agreed upon day, I would be eligible for a refund of 100% of the transportation charges. Of course, the reason for tardiness would have to be the fault of U-Pack. In other words, if a natural disaster closed off the highway, and the driver brought everything two days later, I would still have to pay.
How does insurance with U-Pack work?
U-Pack offers two types of liability coverage for your goods. The first coverage is catastrophic liability which covers your items at $3.00 per pound per piece, subject to a maximum of $60,000 per trailer and $7,500 per ReloCube for these specific events only: trailer or ReloCube fire, trailer overturn, trailer collision, or complete theft of the trailer or ReloCube. This is included with your quote at no additional charge.
Standard liability comes with your reservation and space rental price at no additional cost. First, U-Pack offers catastrophic liability, which covers $3 per pound, per piece up to a maximum of $60,000 per trailer. But this only includes a trailer fire, trailer overturn, trailer collision, or complete theft of the trailer. The standard coverage covers items at $0.10 per pound, per piece for loss or damage that are a result of carrier negligence.
This is not technically "insurance", and the bill stipulates that ABF does not provide insurance for your goods. But you can call your homeowner's and renter's insurance to find out about adding a rider or floater to your policy to cover items in transit.
If you're worried about damages, for an additional fee you can increase the amount of coverage.
- For $75, your coverage increases to $1 per pound, per item up to a maximum of $20,000 per trailer
- For $125, coverage increases to $2 per pound, per piece up to a maximum of $40,000 per trailer
- For $175, you can increase coverage to $3 per pound, per item for a maximum of $60,000 per trailer
According to the site, you do have to call an agent on the phone before the scheduled date of your trailer's arrival to request any additional coverage.
Downsides of using U-Pack
Hidden costs may surprise you … in a bad way.
When I read the fine print of the bill that was emailed to me after I made my reservation, I learned of a few ways I could end up spending way more than my estimate. The first way is obvious and totally acceptable; just as I would get a $75 price cut for using one less linear foot of space, I would be charged $75 for each additional foot I used.
If you pack the ramp with your stuff inside that freight divider, then you'll face additional charges.
However, if you cancel within one week of your scheduled date, you'll be charged $50. If you cancel on the day of the scheduled date, then you will pay a steep $150. This is confusing because I got far more time to cancel without getting charged from literally any of the truck rental companies. I definitely would have assumed I had more cancellation time had I not noticed that note in the receipt.
(By the way, you could be charged for the "gypsy moth quarantine," which is a problem if you're unpacking in California. This has something to do with laws and restrictions about gypsy moth eggs that could be living on your stuff and that California wants to keep out of its borders. Sounds legit.)
You only have three days to load and three days to unload the trailer at either end.
If you exceed the allotted time, then you will be charged $50 per day, per trailer. Although if you don't take an immediate delivery of the shipment at the destination terminal, the company will hold your stuff in the trailer for two days for free. But unless storage is pre-arranged, subsequent days will cost you $50 per day per trailer. And your shipment will not be released at the destination until you have paid in full. In addition, you'll have to pay $150 per redelivery attempt should the company have to bring the trailer to you more than once.
You are responsible for parking fees and parking.
You'll have to do research about where you can park a trailer of such heft in your loading and unloading neighborhoods. Trash or boxes left in the trailer or a customs delay could also cost you more. In some places, such as Manhattan, you can't park the trailer, so you have to arrange for a live load/unload, which is where the driver waits while you pack or unpack everything and then leaves immediately. In these cases, the customer has four hours to get the truck ready to go. U-Pack will apply additional fees if it takes you longer.
You have to return the ramp, or you get charged $1,000
If you get the trailer as opposed to the cube, then you need a ramp. It comes as part of the package, but you have to know exactly how to return it or you could end up spending extra money.
The ramp has to fit within the trailer and be loaded outside the bulkhead wall (this is the divider that U-Pack gives to you to keep your stuff from catching cooties from other people's stuff). If you pack the ramp with your stuff inside that freight divider, then you'll face additional charges. And if you fail to return the ramp, there's a warning about replacement charges costing up to $1,000. Yikes! While I'm sure most people would realize they had to return the ramp, I think many would fail to pack it in the right place unless told ahead of time.
What I learned using U-Pack
Read the fine print.
There are many opportunities to save money. But you could end up spending more if you're not careful. Read the entire agreement and pay attention to all the details. Then, make sure you follow the rules so you don't get hit with unexpected fees.
You get a window of days for delivery, not a specific time.
Make sure you're nice and traveled by the time your trailer is scheduled to arrive, because you very likely aren't going to arrive at the same day across the country. This is not unlike most freight trailer companies. However, U-Pack did offer scheduled-day delivery, but it would have put me back another $255!
Someone else does the driving.
There's really nothing else to say here. For someone like me who is intimidated by the thought of driving one of those big moving trucks, this is the ultimate perk.
Should you choose U-Pack over other moving options?
Those who are willing to spend more money to avoid driving long-distances in a gigantic rental truck themselves are the best fit. If you are more interested in rental truck prices or a company that strictly does moving containers, then this is not the place for you. Otherwise, space on an ABF U-Pack trailer could fetch a decent value for the price point. Definitely include them in your comparison shopping between other freight trailer companies.
Plus, if you hire professionals from HireAHelper, you can hack a Full Service move at a fraction of the cost, which means you get the movers and the giant truck driven for you for far cheaper than if you just called a Full Service moving company straight out of the phone book. (Okay, straight from a search engine.)
Contributing Author: Francesca Di Meglio
Francesca Di Meglio is a writer, editor, and moving professional featured on Businessweek and About.com. As a wife and mother of two little ones, she is always on the move.
U-Pack® Reviews
I requested a live load and for the truck to arrive at 9:00 am rather than within a specific window of time. The truck arrived on time as per my request and the driver was friendly and courteous. The driver was also helpful in managing the mechanics of the bulk head in the trailer truck. I would recommend ABF and would use again.
Did someone say "ramp?" A broken ramp? Unusable, non-existent? Plus, they don't tell you that they fill up the rest of the unit with toxic chemicals that get all over your stuff. And they cut off our lock. Why? Who knows. They did get there on time, but make SURE you have the driver put the (hopefully existing) ramp on for you and walk up and down it.
Exactly what we needed for our move with a month of storage
Good service with the trailer - especially the communication. We did have a problem with the ramp provided. Why not leave the ramp on the truck? The ramp should stay with the truck - it's certainly easy to track a ramp. The company cut off our lock to add a ramp on the destination end b/c they claim they didn't know if there was one on the truck, despite our following their specific instructions on the beginning end to leave it off the truck. Poor communication internally with this part.
On time but did not provide a ramp for loading the trailer.
The trailer was delivered without a ramp. We spent four hours trying to find one because it was the weekend and ABF was closed. We finally found and rented a ramp, but it was way too short. ABF delivered the ramp on Monday, but by that time 98% of the trailer had been loaded. We have used ABF in the past without any problems, but this time someone dropped the ball.
Broken items and obvious shift during transit. It is to be expected since it was a long distance. But otherwise very happy with U-PACK. The drivers were very polite and professional.
We moved from Connecticut in July if 2015, other than we knew we wanted to live in warmer climes we had no definite destination. We planned on living in our motor home until we found a place we liked. We got rid of large furniture but had a number of stationary power tools and over 300 boxes and bundles of stuff that we packed ourselves. Our stuff just filled a whole 28 ft long u-pack trailer, but we would have rented the entire trailer anyways. he provided loading ramp was convenient but despite being made mostly of aluminum it was heavy and awkward to handle. I managed to unload it once myself but it really needs two people to do it comfortably. The trailer was old and had obviously seen a lot of freight over the years, so I'd describe it as "beat up but reasonably clean" . After we loaded the trailer U-pack it was moved to the ABF/ U-pack secure yard in Enfield CT. Where it sat thru the CT winter. Storage was $395 per month, perhaps a tad high but much cheaper than unloading a moving truck into conventional storage and re-loading it again. Obviously this was not a climate controlled storage but we planned for that. When we found our new place to live in Florida, we called U-pack and had the trailer delivered, in June of 2016. All our stuff was there in the trailer just as we left it locked with our locks on it. On the day we planned to receive the trailer bad weather was moving in so we called and asked to re-schedule for two days, no problem for u-pack. We are only about 20% unpacked and so far found only 1 cracked glass plate, remember however that we packed the stuff ourselves- hard to blame U-pack for that. Others have pointed out that the u-pack trailers are not fitted with air suspension like many moving trailers, true, we just anticipated that. For us it was a convenient and economical way to relocate. U-pack customer service varied a bit from good to great. Occasionally the fact that you are dealing with a commercial trucking company (not a residential mover) came through but overall they were responsive and cooperative (sometimes the cooperative part needed a nudge) . We used hire a helper on both ends of the move.
UPack was wonderful at a great price. If I move again and I hope I don't; I would use UPack again in a heartbeat.
Excellent at dropping off the truck and cube. Picked up the trailer at the time they offered. The cube was picked up 3 days late with poor communication (why can't they call to keep in touch?) I called every day asking for a pick up.
Very efficient, with good communication. Several items were slightly damaged in transit, which I think was the result of the way that they packed the truck.
We used the ABF trailer and it was a great experience. They work with you every step of the way and give you confidence that your stuff is protected and secure. Of course, it is not for everyone, as you need to do extra work to load the trailer, but using Hire-A-Helper took care of that and saved us over $2500.
The U-Pack® image above is used solely for identification purposes and serves as the primary means of visually identifying the subject of this article and provides an illustration of the entity that is represented.
U-Pack® and the U-Pack® logo are the registered trademarks of Moving Solutions, Inc. HireAHelper, LLC has no affiliation with Moving Solutions, Inc. and Moving Solutions, Inc. has not authorized the use of its trademarks.
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