Moving in the fall can be a good call. The summer swelter has melted away, highways are clear of the vacationing hordes, and, since most people move in summer, it’s much easier to snag a rental truck on the day you need it – not to mention a quality moving crew!

But moving in autumn also comes with certain challenges and potential pitfalls, like the weather, school being in session, and unpredictable hazards on the road. Here we lay it all out for you – the good, the bad, and the natural – so you can decide if relocating in the fall is the right move for you.

Pros of Moving in the Fall

Move when you want

Of the millions of Americans who move during the year, the majority – one major van line says over 75% – move during the summer. From June through August movers are insanely busy with individual, corporate, and military moves, and it can be tough if not impossible to nail down movers on the day you need them. But, once the summer rush ends in the fall, you’ll have an exponentially better chance of finding movers who can show up right when you need them.

Cheaper in general

The high demand during summer also means higher moving rates, so if you move in autumn instead, you can snag high-quality movers without breaking the bank. Be aware, though, that a full-service move will still be pricey, so you might want to consider renting a truck yourself and hiring moving labor if your budget is really tight. 

But it’s not just the movers that cost less in the fall! Gasoline prices drop after the big summer vacation rush (along with other factors), and many major van lines like United, Allied, and North American often have stacks of used packing boxes that they will sell for a fraction of what new boxes cost after their busy season.

It’s easier to find the right rental truck

Every year more people are renting trucks for their move, often hiring helpers to load up their UHauls for them. In summer, finding the right size rental truck in a nearby location can be as tough as finding good movers. This is seldom the case in the fall, when you might actually be able to go to your nearest rental truck office, walk out onto the lot, and tell them which truck you want to drive away in.

You’ll likely get better movers

To manage the insanity of the summer season most moving companies hire summer labor, i.e. energetic young men who may or may not have any idea what they are doing. Once summer is over moving companies are back to their core crews of experienced movers, a clear benefit for you and your valuable belongings.

Moving in comfortable weather

While gas prices might be at their lowest in winter, so are the temperatures, bringing snow and ice to many parts of the country. Fall comes with cooler days but without the extremes – and dangers – of winter (though there still are certain weather hazards to consider, which we will cover below).

Cons of Moving in the Fall

School Year Conflicts

Moving in the fall means putting kids in a different environment, and being the new kid can be tough. If kids start the year at a new school in their old town, only for the family to move after a few weeks or a month, they’ll have to go through the minefield of making friends twice.

It’s a tough choice to make between moving in the summer when school’s out but your kids don’t get a last hurrah with their friends vs. plunking them into a new school and possibly challenging environment. But kids are resilient, so ultimately, do what’s best for your family after weighing the options. 

Traffic

So it’s not as bad as the holiday season or summer vacation time, but in the fall you have schoolkids running around, college students coming back to the dorms, football games happening over the weekends, and tourists flowing in for many local events in the autumn. 

 

“Catalytic converters are generally kept protected behind a heat shield, but…there can still be more than enough heat emanating from the bottom of a rental truck to set a pile of leaves smoking. In other words, parking on a pile of leaves is never a good idea.”

 

To put it another way, there are plenty of things in the fall that can cause traffic jams or some road conditions that require especially careful driving. All that weight in a rental truck makes it harder to stop when something jumps out at you, after all. And please watch out for school buses, which often come with kids running out into the street.

Later sunrises, earlier sunsets

After September 21st there are more dark hours than daylight, with each new day growing shorter, meaning there’s only so much time to safely move stuff in and out of the house. Any movers you hire will be in the same boat, and may have to choose between hurrying up and finishing while it’s still light or working into the dark of night. Either option is less than appealing, and possibly dangerous.

No time for games 

Speaking of sports, back-to-school events, and local festivals…autumn has a lot of them. If you’re a Halloween buff, involved in homecoming/alumni activities, a big football fan, or love taking your family to state fairs and pumpkin patches, a move during this season might put a damper on all of that.

Especially if you plan to do everything yourself for your move, the planning, packing, and other tasks will take up a significant chunk of free time in your likely already busy life. So, you’ll have to weigh the benefits of moving in the fall and possibly missing out on all the fun the season brings. 

Your Best Move is to Be Prepared

If you’ve decided to move in the fall and do it all by yourself, you should make sure you can handle the shorter days, the weather, and whatever else the season throws at you. Get started by having the following with you on the road:

• Flashlight
• Blankets & warm clothes
• Food & bottled water
• Ice scraper (the further north, the better the chance you’ll need it)
• Cell phone & charger
• Emergency flares
• Spare tire in good working order
• Jack and proper tools for changing that spare tire1
• Salt or sand
• Clean rags or towels
• Sunglasses
• Cash

Be aware that many rental truck companies do not provide spare tires and related tools, as the risk of allowing customers to change a tire on a loaded-up box truck is too great. Instead, rental companies will provide roadside service. Know which you are getting before you drive away.

Dealing with the Dangers of the Season 

Moving in cooler weather may be preferable to dealing with the summer heat, but those lower temps bring hazards that demand consideration. Fall also brings a couple of dangers unique to the season. Whether you’re driving a rental truck or your own car, be aware – and stay safe.

Weather patterns

Fall means lots of foggy mornings. When warm, moist air cools rapidly, fog forms. Using your high beams may seem the logical thing to do, but high beams decrease visibility – and increase the glare reflecting off the fog. Use your low beams instead.

Even if the visibility doesn’t seem bad, remember that your headlights do more than just help you see the road. They also help others see you. And keep in mind that when you turn on your headlights, your tail lights come on too, which can keep speedy and inattentive drivers from slamming into you from behind.

According to NOAA, the fog can also freeze exposed surfaces, like vehicles and roadways, when it gets cold enough. It can also lead to black ice, which forms when water freezes without air bubbles getting trapped inside, making it appear black and wet like water. Black ice most often forms when there is little to no traffic to disrupt the freezing process. Early morning is when the danger is particularly prevalent, but be alert on those quiet country roads too!

Windshield woes

When it’s cool outside but warm and humid inside your vehicle, there’s the danger of your windshield fogging up. When this happens, you can either keep the windows open or use your vehicle’s defroster.

And if the defroster isn’t working? Wiping your windshield with your hand is a temporary but poor fix; the oil from your skin gets all over the glass and can screw up your visibility when cars coming the other way have their headlights on. Clean rags or towels come in handy here. 

Overinflated/underinflated tires

The optimal air pressure for your tires is NOT what’s molded into your tires’ sidewalls. That psi (pounds per square inch) figure is the maximum air pressure they are designed to handle, not what they should be inflated to. For that information, check the decal on the door jamb of your vehicle’s driver-side door, or the specs in your vehicle’s owner’s manual. 

Why is this a problem? Over-inflated tires have less contact surface with the road, which is bad news for a loaded box truck on wet, potentially icy pavement. Excess air pressure makes tires rock-hard, making them less likely to grab the road while increasing your chances of having a blowout. 

“…it’s not just the movers that cost less in the fall! Gasoline prices drop…and many major van lines…have stacks of used packing boxes that they will sell for a fraction of what new boxes cost after their busy season.”

On the flip side, under-inflated tires can lower steering precision and cornering stability, things you don’t want to lose in any conditions, let alone on a slippery road. Interestingly, low air pressure, just like high air pressure, can heighten the possibility of a blowout.

Keep in mind that cooler temperatures can further decrease air pressure, so check your tires regularly as the weather turns colder.

Leaves: what the season’s known for

Fallen leaves plus cooler weather equals treacherous conditions. A road covered with wet leaves is many times more slippery than just wet pavement. And wet or dry leaves can hide ice patches, puddles, potholes, curbs, and debris. 

Even a simple pile of dry leaves can be a hazard. Did you know if your catalytic converter is clogged it can get hotter than 1,600 degrees? (A catalytic converter, by the way, is a wonderful bit of chemistry and science that converts toxic by-products of engine combustion from your car into less harmful gases.)

Catalytic converters are generally kept protected behind a heat shield, but at those extreme temps, there can still be more than enough heat emanating from the bottom of a rental truck (or your car) to set a pile of leaves smoking. In other words, parking on a pile of leaves is never a good idea.

Amorous Deer

Mating season for deer – also known as the “rut” – occurs between mid-October and mid-December, with the peak coming in mid-November. This means as autumn creeps toward winter, the bucks are chasing the does all over the forest – and all over the road. They are generally most active at dusk and dawn. 

Purdue University cites the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and tells us that around 1.5 million deer-vehicle crashes occur annually on U.S. roads, most of them occurring during the annual mating season. While a rental moving truck might do more damage to a deer than vice versa, losing control of your vehicle after hitting or avoiding a deer is a common and very real danger. Be on the lookout for deer and other nocturnal critters, particularly along rural roads and while driving through forested areas.

There are also some tips on how to avoid deer that you should be aware of if you’re driving through an area with a high population of them. 

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And while fall comes with certain dangers and disadvantages, you may find enough positives to make your move this autumn.

Take note of all of the above and you’ll be well-prepared for everything these cooler, shorter days may throw out at you. And if you’d rather not deal with it all on your own, let us help you find a few good movers to help you along the way.