An important question on the minds of everyone is the duration of a move. Whether you have contacted the moving company and are waiting for arrival, have your goods in transit and you're waiting at your new location for an offload or considering hiring a company but want to be sure of the length of time for delivery, the concern remains the same - how long would the moving service take?

The usual narrative is that the plausibility of correctly predicting the time for a move is high if fast-moving companies are employed; as such, you are advised to consider each moving company and hire a fast-moving company. However, regardless of the speed classification of a moving company, there are a host of factors that directly influence the duration of a move. Subsequent paragraphs detail all you need to know about the duration of a move as well as factors that could speed up or cause a delay.

Factors That Contribute to the Duration of a Move

Asides from the services of a reliable moving company, other factors directly impact the duration of a move. These include:

• Type of Move

The type of move largely affects the duration. There are several moving service options, including residential moving service, commercial moving service, piano moving service, office furniture movers and more importantly distance-classified services (local moving services, long-distance moving services and cross-country moving services).

A local service saves time because of the short distance, while a long-distance service would expectedly eat up more time because of the number of miles to be covered. Cross-country moving service however is not bound by this rule because of its peculiarity. Rather than experience delays because of single truck hire, there are specialized routes plied by moving trucks transporting numerous homes at once, providing quick delivery and cost-effectiveness.

• Weather Conditions

No moving company would be willing to risk the safety of their workers and more importantly your items if the weather is not suitable for travel. This has a subtle effect on local moves but a much more pronounced effect on long-distance and international moves.

• Apartment and Shipment Size 

If you own a big apartment, chances are that clearing the room will take a longer period. This would also suggest that you would have many items, disassembling and loading onto trucks could therefore take more time than anticipated, thus affecting the duration of the move.

• Season and Time of the Year

The demand for moving companies is high during summer or spring and the holidays. Having to attend to many clients would spell a delay in your move, hence the need to make decisions early enough.

• Unpredictable Circumstances

Unforeseen situations like traffic conditions, mechanical challenges, weather conditions, elevator and security delays, etc. might not be expected. All these could increase the duration of your move.

For local moves, based on the size of your apartment, a moving service could take 2-10 hours on average plus travel time. This could however be extended with long-distance moves and in the presence of other factors.

While many factors can influence the duration of a move, the need for hiring a reliable and fast moving company is an important factor that eases your worries when you are ready for a move.