Warning about using a moving truck vs renting a pod for Chicago move

I moved to Chicago last month from Ohio and compared using a U-Haul versus a POD for my stuff. The U-Haul seemed cheaper upfront at $200 but I didn't think about gas, tolls, and the fact I had to drive it myself through downtown traffic. The POD cost $450 total but they dropped it off, I packed it over a week, and they delivered it to my new place on a scheduled day. For anyone moving into the city, the POD saved me so much hassle with parking and timing. Has anyone else used pods in Chicago and found the same thing?

2 comments

2 Comments

ray_miller417d agoTop Commenter

@alicecooper nailed it with the parking thing. My buddy moved to Logan Square last summer and rented a U-Haul from the suburbs. He drove it down into the city and spent 45 minutes circling blocks looking for a spot big enough. Ended up double parking and his girlfriend had to run stuff inside while he watched for cops. A ticket showed up in the mail two weeks later for blocking a hydrant he didn't even see. He told me the POD would have been way less stress since they handle all that crap. The tolls on the Skyway got him too, like $12 just to cross once lmao.

alicecooper7d ago

Read an article a while back about how U-Haul actually loses money on the one-way truck rentals because of all the hidden costs people don't think about. Sounds like you found that out the hard way with the Chicago traffic. The parking situation alone here makes the POD worth it. My buddy did a U-Haul to Wicker Park and ended up getting two tickets because he couldn't find a spot to unload. Tolls on the Skyway will get you too if you're not paying attention.