Parking the truck in Los Angeles
A cross-country truck needs a legal place to stand while the crew carries everything in, and in Los Angeles some streets lose that place on short notice. When the City declares a Red Flag Day (winds of 25 mph or more with humidity at 15% or less), parking is banned on posted streets in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, and vehicles left there are towed. The posted spots are narrow roads, sharp curves and hairpin turns in the hills, where the Fire Department needs a clear way in. LAFD says the city averages 4 to 7 such days a year (LAFD Red Flag parking).
If your new address sits in the hills, look for the red signs on your block, sign up for LAFD's alerts, and send us the street when you book. A street that is tight for a big truck on any day means a longer carry, so we would rather know before loading than at the curb. For an apartment or condo, reserve the freight elevator, ask the manager about loading hours, and forward the insurance wording the building wants on our certificate. Permits and reservations are yours to book; we tell you the truck's size and where it has to stop.
Two thousand miles of I-40
From Charlotte the truck heads out on US 74, climbs into the mountains on I-26, and joins I-40 west at Asheville. From there I-40 carries it across Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle, New Mexico and Arizona, about 2,050 miles in all. In California it turns onto I-15 at Barstow and takes I-10 into downtown Los Angeles. Count on about 34 hours behind the wheel. Federal hours of service allow a driver 11 hours of driving after 10 hours off duty (FMCSA), which splits this trip into 4 driving days. Fuel for every one of those miles is part of your rate.
- Loading day in Charlotte: pads go on, furniture comes apart where it has to, and you walk the empty rooms before signing the bill of lading.
- Four driving days on the interstate, with the required rest between them.
- Unloading in Los Angeles 5 to 8 days after loading: furniture goes where you point, beds and tables are rebuilt, and a Damage Report is written if anything needs one.
Winter at 7,000 feet
In northern Arizona, I-40 climbs past Flagstaff, which sits at about 7,000 feet and which the Arizona Department of Transportation calls one of the snowiest cities in the country (ADOT). A storm there can slow a truck down, and that is one reason delivery comes as a window of 5 to 8 days. If you fly ahead of your furniture in winter, book a few spare nights on the Los Angeles end.
Your car in California
Once you become a California resident or take a job there, you have 20 days to register your car, and it has to meet the state's emission control rules before the DMV will register it (California DMV). Pack the title and your current registration in the car you drive west. Moving the other way later? See Los Angeles to Charlotte. Questions about this move go to our Charlotte office, and the pricing page lays out how a flat rate is built.
