Enter shipment weight and distance to see what a long-distance or cross-country move will likely cost. Weight is the variable most people guess wrong.
Estimate only. Final linehaul price depends on the actual scale weight at pickup.
A cross-country or interstate move runs on a different formula than a local one: shipment weight times distance at a per-pound-mile rate, plus a base handling fee. Time on the job barely factors in.
The linehaul figure above, weight times distance times rate, is the bulk of a long-distance bill. The base fee covers loading, unloading, and paperwork regardless of how far the truck drives. Cost per pound is the number worth comparing across quotes, since it strips out the distance variable and isolates what a carrier is actually charging.
Plug in the default numbers this calculator loads with, a 6,000 lb shipment going 1,200 miles at $0.0007 per lb-mile: the linehaul comes to 6,000 × 1,200 × 0.0007, or $5,040. Add the $600 base fee and the total lands at $5,640, which works out to roughly $0.94 per pound. Stretch that same shipment to 2,400 miles and only the linehaul term moves, doubling to $10,080 before the base fee, since the base fee is a flat charge that does not scale with distance the way the per-mile rate does.
Long-distance carriers price on weight and miles, not time. That arithmetic changes the math on decluttering: a couch you donate before the truck loads saves you money for every mile of the trip. Get binding written estimates from at least three licensed interstate carriers, then compare them line by line. Stair fees, long-carry charges, and storage-in-transit add up quickly and rarely appear in headline quotes.
Shipment weight on the bill of lading is the number that resets everyone's math. Movers estimate weight during a phone or video walkthrough, but the truck only bills the number that comes off the certified scale at pickup. A household that runs heavier than estimated, more books, a home gym, dense furniture, pushes the linehaul term up even if the mileage and rate never change.
Price the local end of a move, or a rental truck, before you book the long haul.
Commonly $2,000 to $5,000 for a smaller load on a moderate route, up to $8,000 or more for a full household going coast to coast. Weight and distance drive both figures.
Carriers multiply shipment weight by distance at a per-pound-mile rate, then add a base handling fee. Extras like stair carries, elevator waits, and storage-in-transit appear as separate line items, which is why comparing estimates side by side matters.
A useful starting point is 1,000 lbs per fully furnished room. A 3-bedroom house typically ships at 6,000 to 8,000 lbs. Weigh-in happens at the truck, so the estimate here is just that.
No. Only a licensed interstate carrier can give you a binding estimate, and you should get at least three before booking.