Loading and unloading help
Labor only movers
in Vancouver
You have already rented the truck. What you actually need is two people who lift things for a living and are insured while they do it.
- 2 movers, hourly
- $140/hr2 movers, hourly
- Minimum, $280 on the 2-mover crew
- 2 hrsMinimum, $280 on the 2-mover crew
- Liability insurance
- $2MLiability insurance
Labour-only means you provide the vehicle — a rental truck, a container, a pod, your own pickup — and we provide the crew, the dollies, the straps and the blankets. Loading, unloading, or both. It is billed at the standard hourly crew rate of $140/hr for 2 movers with a 2-hour minimum of $280 plus 5% GST. Operating out of Kitsilano since 2017 — 9 years, 500+ moves, 5.0 on Google across 90+ reviews, licensed in BC, $2M liability insurance and WorkSafeBC compliant.
The Rate Is the Same, and Here Is Why
Our hourly rates normally include a truck and equipment, so the reasonable question about labour-only is whether it costs less. It does not. The rate is $140/hr for 2 movers either way.
That is worth stating plainly rather than leaving you to notice it at the quote. What the hourly rate actually buys is a trained, insured crew and the equipment they carry, and none of that gets cheaper because the truck outside has somebody else’s logo on it. Whether labour-only saves you money depends on what you paid for the rental and the fuel, and how you value the day you spend driving it. For some moves it comes out ahead. It is a genuine trade-off, not a discount, and you should be able to do that arithmetic with real numbers.
When Labour-Only Makes Sense
The clearest case is that you have already committed to the vehicle. A one-way rental booked for a move out of province, a container sitting on the driveway with a collection date, a van you can borrow for nothing. The truck is settled; the problem is the sofa on the second floor.
The second case is physical. Moving is not simply heavy — it is heavy in awkward shapes, on stairs, under time pressure. A crew that does it daily loads a truck in an order that keeps the load stable and uses the height of the box, which is the difference between one trip and two.
| What differs | Asking friends | Boss Moving crew |
|---|---|---|
| Who lifts | Friends, on a Saturday, as a favour that gets repaid later | A crew that does this every day and is being paid to |
| If something breaks | An awkward conversation and nobody to claim from | Covered by $2M liability insurance |
| If someone hurts their back | Your friend, your problem, no coverage at all | A WorkSafeBC-compliant crew, covered as a workplace |
| Loading the truck | Heaviest thing goes in first and everything else fits around it | Loaded to a plan so the load does not shift and the space is actually used |
| How long it takes | The whole day, plus the day you spend recovering | Priced by the hour with a 2-hour minimum |
What the Booking Covers
Four things worth knowing before you book the truck.
Whatever you have rented
A rental cube van, a one-way truck, a portable container dropped on the driveway, a flat deck, or a friend’s pickup making three trips. If it holds things and you are responsible for it, we can load it. The vehicle being yours changes nothing about how carefully the contents get handled.
Load, unload, or both
Plenty of people want the loading done and are happy to drive and unload at the other end. Plenty want the reverse — a container arrives full and they want it emptied into the right rooms. Either half is a normal booking; so is both, with you driving in between.
We bring the equipment
Dollies, straps, blankets and the rest arrive with the crew. What you should confirm is what your rental company gave you — some include a ramp and a supply of pads, some do not, and a truck with no ramp changes how the day goes.
Insurance follows the crew, not the truck
Our liability coverage and WorkSafeBC compliance apply to the people doing the work. The vehicle itself is covered by whatever you arranged with the rental company, so it is worth reading what you agreed to when you signed for it.
What It Costs
$140/hr for 2 movers and $195/hr for three, with a 2-hour minimum — $280 plus 5% GST on the 2-mover crew. Nothing is added for stairs, lift use or mileage. The vehicle, its fuel and its insurance are yours to arrange, and they are not part of this price.
A three-mover crew is often the better choice here even though the hourly figure is higher, because loading is the bottleneck in a DIY move and a third pair of hands shortens it. If it turns out you would rather not deal with the vehicle at all, our hourly moving service is the same crew at the same rate with our truck included — full rates for every crew size are on the pricing page.
Frequently Asked Questions — Labour Only Moving
Can you just load my rental truck?
Yes. Loading only is a standard booking — you take it from there and drive it yourself. It is billed at the same hourly crew rate as any other job, $140/hr for 2 movers with a 2-hour minimum.
Do you do unloading only?
Yes. If a truck or a container is arriving full and you want it emptied into the right rooms rather than piled in the hallway, that is exactly the same booking in reverse. Tell us roughly what is in it and how the access looks at the receiving end.
How much is moving labour without a truck?
It is the same hourly crew rate as a full move — $140/hr for 2 movers, $195/hr for three, with a 2-hour minimum. Worth being direct about this: the rate does not drop because you brought the vehicle. What you are paying for is the crew, their equipment and the insurance behind them, and none of that changes based on whose name is on the truck rental.
Do I need to provide equipment?
No. Dollies, straps and blankets come with the crew. Check what your rental includes anyway — a loading ramp in particular, because a truck without one is slower to load and worth knowing about in advance.
What if my truck is too small for everything?
It is the most common problem with a DIY move and it is usually found out halfway through loading. If you are unsure, describe what you have when you book and we will give you an honest read on whether it fits. If it genuinely does not, a full move with our truck may work out simpler than two trips.
Can you help load a storage container or pod?
Yes. Containers are a good fit for this service because the loading is the hard part and the driving is somebody else’s job entirely. The main thing we need to know is where it is sitting and how far it is from the door.
Is labour-only cheaper than a full move?
Not on the hourly rate, which stays the same. Whether it saves money overall depends on what the truck rental, the fuel and your own time cost you, and for some moves it does work out cheaper. It is an honest trade rather than a discount, so it is worth doing the arithmetic before assuming either way. If you would rather not run the vehicle at all, our hourly moving service includes the truck at the same rate.
Tell us what needs loading
Mention the vehicle you have and whether you need loading, unloading or both in the notes. Or call (604) 726-9828 — 7am to 10pm, 7 days a week.