Moving labour & loading help · Montreal
Rented the truck?
We'll load it for you.
You rent the U-Haul, we bring the experienced crew. AKA sends movers by the hour to load or unload your rental truck, pod or container, with the covers, straps and dollies included. It saves your back, saves your weekend, and an expert load fits far more in the same truck, often your whole move in one trip.
Moving labour, explained
You supply the truck. We supply the muscle.
Most people who rent a U-Haul do not actually want to carry the couch. They want the cheap one-way truck, and someone strong and careful to load it. That is called moving labour, or labour-only help, and it is one of the most useful things we do. You keep the rental truck you already booked, and AKA sends two or three experienced movers, by the hour, to load it, unload it, or both.
It is the middle option nobody tells you about. On one side is doing it yourself with friends, which is free until someone drops a dresser or throws out their back. On the other is full-service movers, where we bring the truck too. Labour-only sits in between: professional hands and the right equipment, at a lower price because the truck is yours. Compare it against the full cost of a rental on our U-Haul vs movers breakdown.
What you get
Professional hands, the right gear, and far more in the truck
A U-Haul is just an empty box. What actually protects your things and saves your day is the crew and the technique. Here is what comes with AKA loading help.
How it works
Three steps, and you never lift the heavy stuff
Rent the U-Haul, Penske or Discount truck, or use a moving pod or container you already have. You keep the cheap one-way rate.
Your crew arrives with blankets, straps and dollies, sizes up the job, and protects doorways and floors before anything moves.
We wrap, carry and stack it tight so nothing shifts on the road. You watch it get done, and pay only for the time it takes.
Booked in minutes Tell us the truck size, the pickup, and whether you need loading, unloading, or both, and we send a fixed quote.
What it costs
Cheaper than full-service, because the truck is yours
Because you supply the truck, you skip our biggest cost, so labour-only is usually our most affordable way to move: billed by the hour, no hidden fees, and you pay for the crew and the time, not a vehicle. Tell us the job and we send a fixed quote. Here is how the three ways to move actually compare.
| You and friends | AKA loading help | Full-service movers | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who carries it | You and whoever shows up | Experienced crew, by the hour | Experienced crew |
| The truck | You rent it | You rent it (you keep the cheap rate) | We bring it |
| Blankets, straps, dollies | Buy or rent extra | Included | Included |
| If something breaks | Yours | Covered, double coverage | Covered, double coverage |
| Fits it in one trip | Maybe, if you pack well | Usually, expert load | Usually |
| Your back and weekend | Gone | Intact | Intact |
| Best when | Tiny move, strong free help | You want a cheap truck and pro muscle | You want it all handled |
Not sure which you need? Our moving cost guide breaks the numbers down, and a fixed quote gives you the real figure for your move.
Loading it yourself
What tends to go wrong when you load a U-Haul yourself
Free help is not free once something breaks. These are the usual reasons people call us halfway through a self-load.
Poorly stacked furniture slides and topples the first time you brake hard. An expert load is tied off so nothing moves for 3,000 kilometres.
A fridge on a spiral staircase is how weekends and discs get wrecked. Trained movers carry it the way it is meant to be carried.
Scraped doorframes and gouged floors come out of your deposit. We pad the corners and protect the building before we start.
Load it loose and half of it is left on the sidewalk. A tight professional load usually turns two trips into one.
Drop your own TV and that is simply gone. When AKA handles it, it is insured at double coverage.
Two amateurs take all day and are sore for two more. A trained crew loads a truck in a fraction of the time.
Any load
A whole house, or one stubborn couch
Loading help is not just for full moves. Book the crew for as much or as little as you need, and we bring the same care to all of it.
Questions
Moving labour and U-Haul loading help: FAQ
Q Can I hire movers just to load or unload my U-Haul?
Yes. This is called moving labour, or labour-only help, and it is one of the most common things we do. You keep the U-Haul or any rental truck you booked, and AKA sends experienced movers to load it, unload it, or both, by the hour, with covers, straps and dollies included.
Q How much does moving labour cost in Montreal?
Because you supply the truck, labour-only is usually cheaper than a full-service move, and it is billed by the hour with no hidden fees. There is no vehicle cost in it, only the crew and the time. The exact rate depends on the crew size, the load, the stairs and the access, so we give a fixed written quote before the day.
Q Do you bring dollies, straps and blankets?
Yes. The crew arrives with furniture blankets, the right lifting straps and dollies as part of the service, so you do not have to buy pads and tape at the rental counter. We protect the furniture and the building before anything moves.
Q Can you load the truck so everything fits in one trip?
That is the whole point of an expert load. We stack tall, tie it off and use every inch, so a rental truck holds far more than a loose amateur load. For many moves that turns two trips into one, which saves you mileage and gas.
Q Is labour-only moving cheaper than full-service?
Usually, yes, because you are not paying for our truck. If you already want a cheap one-way rental, labour-only gets you professional hands and equipment at the lowest safe price. If you would rather not deal with a truck at all, full-service is the better fit.
Q Are your movers insured for labour-only jobs?
Yes. AKA is a licensed, insured Montreal moving company, and your things are covered at double coverage while our crew handles them. If you load it yourself with friends, any damage is simply yours.
Q How many movers and how long to load a 20 foot truck?
A typical one-bedroom to two-bedroom load is a two-mover crew for a few hours; a full house is often a three-mover crew. Since it is billed by the hour, more experienced hands can actually cost less because the job is finished faster. We estimate the time in your quote.
Q Can you help load a moving pod, container or storage unit?
Yes. Loading or unloading a moving pod, a shipping container, or a storage unit works the same as a rental truck. Tell us what you have and where it is, and we bring the crew and the gear.
Get the truck. Let us do the lifting.
Tell us your truck size, your pickup, and whether you need loading, unloading, or both. We will send a fixed quote with no hidden fees, and put an experienced, insured crew on your move.
