Moving help when you already have the truck
Sometimes you do not need a moving company — you need movers. You have rented a truck, a portable container is sitting in your driveway, or a family member is lending a van, and the missing piece is people who know how to load it safely and fast. That is what our labour-only service is: experienced Simplex movers who come with their equipment, load or unload your vehicle, and leave the driving to you.
Labour-only moving is billed by the hour: $120 an hour for two movers, plus $40 an hour for each additional mover. You pay for the people and their time, not for our truck. It is a good fit for small moves, for do-it-yourself moves where the heavy lifting is the problem, and for anyone who has already paid for a rental vehicle or container.
When labour-only makes sense
- You rented a truck from a rental company and need it loaded properly and quickly.
- You ordered a portable storage container that must be packed tightly before it is picked up.
- You are moving a few items and a friend has a van, but the sofa and the dresser are too heavy.
- You are unloading at the other end after driving a rental truck from another city.
- You need furniture moved inside your home — between floors, out of rooms being renovated, or rearranged.
- You are loading a storage unit and want it packed so you can still reach things later.
When a full-service move is better
Labour-only is not always cheaper. With a full-service move, the truck, fuel, blankets and insurance on the road are included, and the crew drives. For a larger home — a 4½ or a house — the cost of a rental truck, fuel and your own time often brings a do-it-yourself move close to the price of a full-service local move. If you have not rented anything yet, ask us for both prices and compare.
What our helpers bring
Our crews come with the equipment that makes loading safe and fast:
- Four-wheel dollies and a hand truck or appliance dolly
- Moving blankets to protect furniture in your vehicle
- Straps to secure the load
- Basic tools to take apart beds, tables and shelving
- Floor runners and door-frame protection
And they bring experience. Loading a truck well is a skill: heavy, flat items go first against the front wall, the load is built in tight tiers from floor to ceiling, mattresses and tabletops stand on edge, and everything is strapped. A well-loaded truck carries more in less space and arrives without broken furniture.
Loading a rental truck: how we do it
- Plan the order. Appliances and heavy furniture go in first, against the front wall.
- Build tiers. Boxes and furniture are stacked in tight layers, heavy at the bottom, light on top.
- Protect the finishes. Furniture is wrapped in blankets so nothing rubs or scratches.
- Use every gap. Soft items fill spaces between hard ones, so nothing can shift.
- Strap each tier. Every section is strapped to the truck’s rails before the next one starts.
- Load the last-needed items last. Beds and kitchen boxes go in at the end so they come out first.
Portable containers and storage units
Portable containers are lifted, tilted or carried on a truck, so their load must be tighter than a regular truck’s. We load them in the same way, with extra attention to weight distribution — heavy items low and spread along the floor, not piled at one end.
Storage units are different: you will want to reach some things later. We load them with an aisle or with frequently needed boxes at the front, and label the stacks so you know where everything is.
Unloading at the other end
If you drive a rental truck to a new home in Greater Montreal, we can meet you there and unload. Tell us the arrival window; the crew comes to the new address, protects the floors, carries everything to the right rooms and reassembles beds and tables. If you are arriving from another city, call us when you are on the road so we can confirm the time.
Moving furniture inside your home
Labour-only also covers jobs that are not moves at all: carrying furniture between floors, moving a heavy dresser to another room, clearing rooms for painters or flooring installers and putting everything back afterwards, or bringing furniture up from a basement. These jobs are billed the same way, by the hour.
Pricing
| What you need | How it is billed |
|---|---|
| Loading only | by the hour, from the time the crew arrives |
| Unloading only | by the hour |
| Loading and unloading | by the hour, including the time between if the same crew does both |
| Furniture moved within a home | by the hour |
$120 an hour for two movers, plus $40 an hour for each additional mover; a third mover helps on walk-ups and large loads. Your written quote states the number of movers and the minimum time. There is no charge for stairs, weekends or fuel.
Insurance: what is covered
Our movers work carefully and our liability coverage applies to the work they do. Once your belongings are in your vehicle and on the road, they are covered by your truck rental’s protection plan or your home insurance, not by ours, because we are not transporting them. Check your rental agreement and home policy before moving day. If you want our cargo insurance to cover the transport too, a full-service move is the way to get it.
Preparing for your helpers
- Have the truck or container on site and parked as close to the door as possible.
- Pack and close all boxes before the crew arrives — on an hourly job, packing time is paid time.
- Clear a path from each room to the vehicle.
- Tell us about heavy items such as pianos, safes or appliances in advance; they may need extra people or equipment.
- Reserve the elevator if you live in a condo or apartment building.
Moving helpers across Greater Montreal
A crew of helpers can meet your rental truck anywhere in Greater Montreal — a storage unit in Laval, a driveway on the South Shore, a walk-up in Montreal — at the same hourly rate. The service areas page lists every region we cover.
Helpers versus day labour
Online marketplaces make it easy to hire anyone with a free afternoon. The difference with our helpers is that they are Simplex employees who move furniture every day, with our equipment and our training, and who are covered by our liability insurance while they work. If something goes wrong, you have a company to call, not a stranger’s phone number.
Labour-only or full service: a quick comparison
| Labour only | Full-service move | |
|---|---|---|
| Truck | You rent it | Ours, included |
| Driving | You | Our crew |
| Fuel, tolls | You | Included |
| Blankets, straps, dollies | Included | Included |
| Insurance on the road | Your rental or home policy | Our cargo insurance |
| Best for | small moves, containers, DIY with a rented truck | most apartments and houses |
A tip for renting a truck
If you are renting a truck for a Montreal move, rent one slightly larger than you think you need: a half-empty truck costs a little more to rent, but a truck that is too small means a second trip, and a second trip costs more than the difference. A 20-foot rental truck usually suits a one- or two-bedroom apartment; a 26-foot truck — the largest most rental companies offer — a larger apartment or a small house. Check the truck’s height before driving into underground garages or under low bridges, and reserve early in June — rental trucks sell out around July 1 just like moving crews.
How many helpers do you need?
Two movers handle most studio and one-bedroom loads. A third mover is worth it for a 4½ or larger, for third-floor walk-ups, and whenever the truck cannot park close to the door: the carrying is shared and the job ends sooner, which usually means a similar or lower total.
What to expect on the day
The crew calls when they are on the way. On arrival, the crew lead looks at the truck or container and at what is going into it, and agrees the plan with you: what goes first, what must travel upright, what you want to reach first at the other end. Floor runners go down in the home, furniture is wrapped and taken apart where needed, and loading starts from the front of the vehicle. Before leaving, the crew straps the last tier and closes the door with you. If you have booked unloading too, the same crew or a second one meets you at the new address at the agreed time.
Help for seniors, families and anyone short on hands
Labour-only help is not only for do-it-yourself moves. Families often use it to bring a parent’s furniture into a new apartment, to clear a room before a new baby arrives, or to move heavy items between floors after a renovation. Seniors use it to rearrange a home so it is safer — a bed moved to the ground floor, a heavy dresser taken out of a hallway. These jobs are short, billed by the hour, and done by the same careful crews who handle our full moves.
Where our helpers work
Our helpers load and unload rental trucks and containers across Greater Montreal, from the Plateau and Verdun to Laval, Longueuil and Vaudreuil-Dorion. If you are driving a rental truck into Montreal from another province, call us from the road and we will confirm a crew for your arrival.
