Loading & Unloading Help in Sacramento
You've got the truck or the container. You just need the people who know how to pack it so nothing shifts on the freeway — priced by the hour, booked online.
always on time
Renting the truck is the easy part
Loading a truck badly costs more than hiring someone to do it right. Weight goes to the front and low, mattresses and mirrors go on edge against a wall, and every gap gets filled — because anything with room to move will move for the next two hundred miles. Most damage on a DIY move happens in the first mile, not the last.
Not sure how many hours your move will take, or whether your building's rules will slow the day down? Send us the two addresses and roughly what's moving, and we'll tell you straight — no site visit, no sales call.
Labor you'd actually let near your things
Our employees, not a gig app
The crew that arrives is on our payroll — trained, certified and background-checked. Not whoever accepted the job on an app twenty minutes earlier, and not two people meeting each other for the first time in your driveway.
Covered while we're handling it
We’re licensed, insured and bonded: MTR0192675 with the California Bureau of Household Goods and Services, USDOT 3810402 with FMCSA, carrying up to $1,000,000 in general liability cover. Worth checking before you let anyone carry a sofa down your stairs.
What we'll load or unload
Rental trucks. U-Haul, Budget, Penske — you drive, we load.
Moving containers. PODS and similar, loaded to travel rather than just to fit.
Freight trailers. Loaded and secured for long-haul.
Storage units. Into the unit, or out of it and into whatever’s next.
Unload only. You drove it here, and you’d rather not carry it all in yourself.
Get a loading quote
Tell us the size of the truck or container, roughly what’s going in, and the access at your end. You’ll have a price online.
How it's priced
By the hour, on the same rate card as a full move: from $159 an hour for two movers. No truck is involved, so you’re paying for the crew and nothing else.
Stairs, distance from the door to the truck, and whether anything is still being packed when we arrive are what stretch the time. A ground-floor load with everything boxed goes fast.
Related services
Loading into or out of a storage unit is the most common version of this job — see storage, which we can price together with the labor. If you’d rather we handled the transport too, that’s local moving or long-distance moving. Anything over 250 lbs going on or off the truck falls under heavy item moving. If you still need boxes and wrap, we carry packing supplies.
Further reading
How to prepare furniture for movers · Can movers move heavy furniture safely?
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FAQ
How much does a move cost?
Rates start at $159/hour for two movers and a 16ft truck, $199/hour for three movers and a 26ft truck, $249/hour for four, and $299/hour for five. Add a one-time $99 flat rate for truck and gas, whatever truck size you need. You price the job yourself online — pick your crew, date and addresses and the quote comes back in minutes. No in-home visit, no sales call.
What isn’t included in the hourly rate?
Six things, all of them listed up front: the $99 flat rate for truck and gas; packing supplies such as boxes, paper and bubble wrap; a $200 handling fee for any single item over 250 lbs (piano, gun safe, pool table, treadmill, massage chair); double drive time when your two addresses are more than 10 miles apart; overnight storage; and custom crating or specialty handling for antiques and delicate pieces.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. Smoove holds MTR0192675 with the California Bureau of Household Goods and Services and USDOT 3810402 with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and carries up to $1,000,000 in general liability cover. Basic cargo protection for your household goods is included in every move. Both license numbers are public records — look them up before you book, with us or anyone else.
What areas do you serve?
The Sacramento region and the Bay Area — more than 70 cities, from Auburn and Elk Grove through to San Jose and Walnut Creek. We also handle long-distance moves within California, originating in either region. We are not currently authorized for interstate moves, so if you are leaving the state we will tell you straight away and point you to a carrier who is.
For thirteen of those cities we have written up the local parking rules, permits and truck access, and what each one actually means on move day: Sacramento, West Sacramento, Folsom, Rocklin, Placerville, El Dorado Hills, Stockton, Manteca, San Francisco, San Mateo, Walnut Creek, Vallejo and Petaluma.
Learn more before your move
23 September 2026
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