ABF UPack® Reviews
I am highly satisfied with using a 28-ft ABF Pack Trailer for a long-distance move from North Dakota to Poughkeepsie, NY. I filled the entire trailer with furniture, hundreds of boxes of things, and many artworks (since we are artists). Although I have read that it is not recommended to use such a moving trailer (unless you want a lot of broken things), I was very careful in tightly packing things into the trailer. As careful as I was, I still expected things to bounce around somewhat. But I was surprised to see no apparent shifting of my stuff after the trailer made its way over 1500 miles to my new place of residence. Almost everything I transported made it without even minor damage. The drivers who delivered the trailer to my old and new addresses were also very nice and helpful. There were no problems or time delays. I am a very satisfied customer! Of course, if you are inexperienced in loading things in moving trucks or trailers, this might not be the best way to move. You need to know what you are doing. But I have moved on several occasions and I guess practice makes perfect.
They were cheaper then renting a truck and driving ourselves. They arrived at our destination sooner then we had anticipated and held our belongings a few days until the weather was better. When I hired unloading help, it was on their website that I read about how much damage occurs with freight trailers and sure enough, quite a few of our items were damaged. It would have been nice to have been given ideas of ways to prevent damage from excessive movement of the trailer during transport.
Containers were they most economical method of transporting my items. Looked into trailers and PODS. They containers are a bit small and I required two, but my items were fine. They were banged up on the outside, but I inspected them thoroughly on the inside and didn't see any holes. Any damage that was done was due to the loaders not properly packing the containers and my items being tossed about the container and bumping into each other (as was evident by the disheveled condition of the container when the doors were opened). I would definitely ship using this method again for the distance. I also did a guaranteed delivery date since I needed my items by a certain date. This was also much cheaper than their competitors, but I really probably could have done without it since they were slated to arrive before I needed them. I just wanted to cover any events happening that would possibly delay delivery without a guaranteed date.
Upack is affordable and reliable; I've used them before for a longer move with no problem since that time things were packed and strapped well. You need to make sure you pack well since freight isn't as gentle as other methods. Working with ABF/u-pack is easy by phone and online. I did have some trouble with the destination delivery bringing me a unloading ramp but otherwise ok.