I moved from Detroit to Phoenix in 2015. My third cross country move in 16 years.
At the time PODS was not shipping cross country from Detroit.
I used ABF Upack containers for part of our move. very happy with the experience. The Upack containers are about half size or smaller compared to a POD. I got the second ABF container for half price. These containers allowed us to occupy our AZ house while we were selling the Michigan house.
I used Mayflower for the rest of our stuff. Also a good experience. It’s all about your sales rep. He and I estimated the weight and locked in a price. Price could go down but not up. Estimate was very close. We got a few bucks back. I saw the weight ticket before the driver started loading and followed him to the scales after he loaded our stuff.
If you get a bad vibe off the rep. call another company because IMO he or she can make or break the move. I fired the first rep from allied before we got very far in the process. My Mayflower rep brought us special boxes for TVs, mattresses, pictures, dishes etc. no extra charge. Wouldn’t hurt to ask about these items if you go with a company. Special boxes can be required and aren’t cheap.
Every piece, box etc. will get a numbered sticker. Have someone on the receiving end that has the sole job of checking each number off a master list especially if someone else’s stuff is still on the truck.
We packed everything ourselves. Moving usually sucks but moving cross country sucks more! Stay organized, keep paperwork etc all together so it doesn’t get packed.
Buy at least two tape machines, and a whole box of sharpies. Fill every box full and tight. Many plastic totes will collapse if they are on the bottom of a 10 ft. stack if there’s even a little room in the tote. Write contents on the top and at least one side of the box. Top, and two adjacent sides is even better.
ABF was a great way to move my shop. I built small pallets for both the drill press and the bandsaw and strapped the machines to the walls of the containers.
My wife and I drove one vehicle out. Remember though, you have to beat the moving van to your new location depending on their schedule. We were last on, therefore first off.
I sold my 15 year old, rusty truck, in Michigan and had previously bought my Jeep in AZ and stored it out there with a friend.
Sorry for the random thoughts. Just typing as things come to mind.