How Long Does It Take Movers to Load a Truck?

While the entire moving process tends to be hectic and chaotic, moving day is, without a doubt, the culmination of the chaos. The only way to bring some semblance of order to it is to have a detailed plan in place – and in order to make that plan, you need to know exactly how moving day will go. You need to know what will happen when – and how long it will take.

First and foremost, you need to find out how long it will take to load the moving truck – as everything else is connected to it.

You need to know how long loading will take, so you know:

• How early to start your move so there is enough time to complete the job without rushing things out;
• When your old home will be empty so you can decide whether you will have enough time to clean it yourself or will need to hire professional cleaning services (and for what time to hire these services);
• What time you will be able to leave your old place – so you know for what time flight to book (if you’re flying to your new home); etc.

Most importantly – if you’re moving locally and using professional moving services, you need to know how many hours the movers will need to load your items on the moving truck, so you can estimate how much your move will cost (local movers charge by the hour).

So, how many hours are needed to load a moving truck? How long do movers take to load a truck?

Read on to find out – so you can plan your moving day in the most efficient and beneficial way possible.

How long does it take to load a moving truck?

Depending on the size of the move and the complexity of the job, loading can take anywhere between a couple of hours and an entire day:

Size of the move

Needless to say, the more items you have for moving, the more time it will take to load them into the moving truck:

• More items means more boxes – so you (or your movers) will have to make a lot of trips between your home and the truck in order to take all the packing containers into the moving vehicle. You can use a moving dolly (professional movers definitely will) to take several boxes to the moving truck at once, but it will still take a lot of time;
• The more furniture pieces, kitchen appliances, and other larger household items you’re moving, the more difficult and time-consuming the loading process will be – Big and heavy items are very difficult to maneuver out of the home and into the moving truck. The process takes a lot of time and effort – even with the help of professional moving equipment.

Related: How to decide what to take and what to get rid of when moving

Complexity of the job

No matter how large the move is, if the items are easy to move and there are no complications, loading will go smoothly and quickly. Specialty items, difficult access, and other obstacles, however, will considerably slow down the process:

Specialty items

Pianos, pool tables, safes, antique furniture, and other specialty items are extremely difficult to move. A single specialty item can add up to 30 minutes to the time needed to load a moving truck.

Stairs  

Taking heavy boxes and bulky household items down stairs is difficult and risky – you (or your movers) will need to be very careful and to walk one step at a time. It will significantly slow things down.

Besides, it will be very tiring to go up and down stairs over and over again – so people will need to take more breaks and will work less efficiently.

All things considered, each flight of stairs your items will need to be taken down in order to be loaded on the moving truck will add about 20-30 minutes to your move.

Elevator

If you’re moving out of an upper-floor apartment, access to an elevator will be the most important factor in determining how much time your move will take:

• If there isn’t an elevator in the building, all your boxes and items will need to be taken down the stairs. It will be very exhausting and very time-consuming, so your move will take many long hours;
• If there is an elevator, but you haven’t reserved it for moving day, you (or your movers) will need to wait for it while other residents in the building are using it. This will result in a lot of wasted time;
• If the elevator is small and some of your furniture or other larger household items don’t fit in, they will either need to be carried down the stairs (which will take a lot of time and effort) or hoisted through a window (which will make your move very difficult, very expensive, and very time-consuming);
• If there is a freight elevator in your building and you have reserved it for the time of your move, it will take very little time to take your items from your upper-floor apartment to the ground floor – and, then, to the waiting moving truck.

Weather

The weather conditions on moving day will also affect the time it will take to load your items into the moving truck:

• If the weather is nice, loading will go smoothly;
• If it’s very hot or very cold, you and your movers will need to take frequent breaks to cool down or warm up, so things will go more slowly;
• If it’s raining or snowing, extra precautions will have to be taken to keep your items dry and safe – and these extra precautions will take extra time;
• If the walkways are slippery (because of ice, snow, mud, wet leaves, etc.), you (or your movers) will have to walk very carefully – and, therefore, very slowly – to avoid accidents while carrying your items to the moving truck;
• In the event of a thunderstorm, a blizzard, or other extremely bad weather conditions, your move may be delayed by hours – or may even need to be cancelled for another day.

Related: Tips for moving in the rain; Tips for moving in the snow; Tips for moving in hot weather

Distance between the home and the moving truck

Needless to say, the distance from the entrance of your home to the parked moving truck will also play a big role in determining how long loading will take.

If the moving vehicle cannot be parked close to your home, your items will need to be carried a long distance to the truck – so, loading will take longer. Besides, you and your moving helpers will get more tired, so you will work more slowly and things will drag out.

People loading the truck

Last but not least, the time it will take to load your items on the moving truck will depend on the people working on the job.

• Do they have any experience loading moving trucks?
• Do they have – and know how to use – specialized moving equipment that will make the job safer, easier, and faster?
• Do they know how to pack a moving vehicle the right way?
• Do they know how to secure items in a moving truck?

If you’ve hired professional movers to help you relocate, the experts will have the specialized equipment, technical know-how, and rich experience required to load a moving truck in the safest and most efficient way possible. (See also: Benefits of hiring professional moving services)

If you’ve decided on a self-move, however, and you’re loading the moving vehicle yourself – or with the help of family and friends – you will probably not be able to complete the job as quickly and effectively. (See also: How to load a moving truck like a pro)

How long does it take movers to load a truck?

Professional movers know their job and can load a truck in record time. This “record time”, however, can vary greatly from move to move – depending on the above-detailed factors, the required extra services, and the number of movers working on the job.

How long does it take movers to pack a truck?

In case no additional services are required and there are no obstacles or problems – so the movers can focus on loading the moving truck – the pros can be expected to complete the job in:

• an hour or so when loading a 10-foot truck
• about 2 hours when loading a 16-foot truck
• about 3 hours when loading a 20-foot truck
• about 4 hours when loading a 24-foot truck

Keep in mind that these numbers apply for 2 professional movers loading a moving truck that is parked less than 50 feet away from the house or first-floor apartment (so stairs and elevators are not an issue).

How many hours does loading take?

Based on the size of the job, professional movers may need from 2 to 8 hours to load the moving  truck:

	2 movers	3 movers	4 movers
Studio apartment	2 hours	1.5 hours	1 hour
1-bedroom apartment	3 hours	2.5 hours	2 hours
2-bedroom home*	4-5 hours	3-4 hours	2-3 hours
3-bedroom home*	5-6 hours	4-5 hours	3-4 hours
4-bedroom house	8 hours	6-7 hours	5 hours
4+ bedroom house	10+ hours	8+ hours	6+ hours

*Good to know: When moving out of a house, loading usually takes longer than when moving out of an apartment with the same number of bedrooms – simply because there are many things in a house that are not present in apartments (garden tools, patio furniture, etc.).

Besides, houses typically have more storage areas than apartments (you may still have a garage and a basement when you live in an apartment, but a house may also have an attic, a shed, etc.) and there may even be some additional rooms in a house (a 2-bedroom house, for example, may have not only a kitchen, but also a dining room (which is highly unlikely for a 2-bedroom apartment), there may be a separate laundry room, etc.).

All this means that there is usually much more stuff in a house than in an apartment with the same number of bedrooms – so, there are more items to relocate and, thus, loading takes more time.

You can use the above general timeframes to get an idea of how long your move will take, but don’t forget to add 20-30 minutes for each specialty item you have for moving, about 20% of the baseline time for each flight of stairs your belongings will have to be taken down, and another 15%-20% for every 50 feet of distance from your front door to the moving truck.

Also, keep in mind that any required additional services (packing, crating, furniture disassembly, appliance servicing, hoisting, etc.) will add extra time to your move – some specialized services may take hours to complete.

Needless to say, adverse weather and any accidents and problems that may occur on moving day will slow down the loading process even further.

See also: Moving day checklist: Tips to survive the big day

How to make loading faster

The better prepared you’re when the movers arrive, the less time your move will take. So, if you want to speed things up on moving day, you’re advised to:

• Be fully packed and have all your items ready for shipment by the time the moving vehicle parks in front of your home – so the movers can start loading the truck right away;
• Reserve a parking space for the moving truck as close to the entrance of your home as possible;
• Reserve an elevator for the time of your move (when applicable);
• Remove obstacles from the entrance and hallways of your home, so the movers can safely and easily maneuver your items out of the residence. Clear the way from the front door to the parking spot for the moving vehicle of obstacles too – to reduce the risk of accidents during loading;
• Do everything possible to ensure a safe path between your home and the moving truck in case of rain or snow;
• Cover the floors and stairs with protective materials, so the movers don’t waste time taking measures to protect your property from damage;
• Provide refreshing beverages (or hot beverages, if you’re moving during the winter) and easy-to-eat nutritious snacks, so your movers can replenish their energy (so they can work faster) without wasting any time.

Related: How to prepare for movers; What to do when movers are working too slowly on purpose

Can you hire movers just to load a truck?

You may be able to transport your belongings to your new home yourself, but you may need help loading the moving truck – because you have large and heavy items that are difficult to lift and carry, because you’re moving a large household and don’t have enough time and energy to load all your stuff yourself, because there are time restrictions you won’t be able to meet if you’re loading the moving truck on your own, because you don’t want to risk injuries and damages, etc. – and you may not have physically strong friends who are free (and willing) to help you with your move.

In such cases, you can hire professional moving helpers. That’s right, you can hire movers just to load a truck. The pros will do all the hard work for you and will ensure that the moving truck is packed in the safest and most efficient way possible. You will save yourself a lot of time and effort, the risks of accidents and damages during loading will be reduced to a minimum, the space in the moving vehicle will be perfectly optimized, and your items will be well secured in the truck.

But how much does it cost to hire movers to load a truck? It depends on a number of factors, but on average, you can expect to be charged between $75 and $150 per hour for loading services only.

See also: What to know when you want to hire movers just to load a truck

How long does it take movers to unload?

Generally, it’s quicker to unload a moving truck than it’s to load it – there is much less coordination and organization involved in the process so things go much faster.

Exactly how long it will take to unload a truck depends on the number of items, the weather conditions, and the number of people working on the job. What matters the most, however, is whether everything will be taken to its rightful place in the new home or will just be brought inside.

• If the movers only need to take the goods out of the truck and leave them all in one place (in front of the home, just inside the entrance, etc.), unloading will take very little time;
• If the pros have to take every item and every box to the room where it belongs, the process will take much longer – approximately 60-75% of loading time;
• If the movers need to reassemble and set up furniture, reconnect appliances and electrical devices, etc., unloading will take as long as loading – sometimes even longer.

To facilitate unloading, be sure to label your items and boxes with their destination room (and to label the rooms in your new home accordingly), so the movers know where to take your things as they unload them from the moving truck.

Related: How to unload a moving truck the right way

Knowing how long it takes to load and unload a truck will help you plan move-out and move-in days in the best way possible – so everything runs like clockwork and you have a smooth and successful relocation experience. Best of luck!