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Boston to New York Moving: Movers vs. a Rental Truck With a Driver You rent and load the truck. Our professional driver keeps it off the truck-banned parkways. New York to Boston works the same way.
Boston to New York is about 215 miles, but the route is full of roads a rental truck isn’t allowed on: Boston’s Storrow Drive, Connecticut’s Merritt Parkway and New York’s parkways. Every year, rental trucks get wedged under low bridges on those roads. Here is how movers, driving it yourself and hiring our driver compare.
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Boston to New York at a Glance
| Route | Approx. miles | Typical drive time (loaded truck) | Main highway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston ↔ Manhattan | ~215 | 4–5 hours (traffic dependent) | I-95 (coastal) or I-90 / I-84 |
| Boston ↔ Brooklyn / Queens | ~215–225 | 4.5–5.5 hours | I-95, then a Long Island Sound or East River crossing |
| Cambridge / Somerville ↔ NYC | ~215 | 4–5 hours | I-90 / I-84 / I-684 |
| Boston ↔ Westchester | ~190 | 3.5–4.5 hours | I-90 / I-84 / I-684 |
Short moves are quoted by a person, not a price table: the driver’s travel to and from your truck, parking and your dates change the cost more than the miles do. Why short moves are quoted individually.
Movers vs. Renting a Truck and Hiring a Driver
Full-service movers bundle the truck, crew and driver. With a rental truck and our driver, you pay each piece separately and do the loading, by yourself or with local help hired by the hour at each end.
| What you pay for | Full-service movers | Rental truck + our driver | Drive it yourself |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truck | Included | One-way rental, quoted by the rental company | One-way rental |
| Driving | Included | Personal quote from a person | Your time: most of a day |
| Fuel and tolls | Included | Fuel at cost; tolls billed at cost | At cost |
| Loading and unloading | Included | You, or local help by the hour | You, or local help by the hour |
| Typical full-service range (100–250 miles) | 1–2 bedrooms: $600–$2,400 3–4 bedrooms: $1,300–$4,000 | Rental + driver quote + fuel + tolls | Rental + fuel + tolls + your day |
Those are Extra Space Storage’s national estimates for 100 to 250 miles. One-way truck rentals between Boston and New York vary widely by date, and September 1 in Boston is the busiest truck day of the year.
Route Notes: Banned Parkways, Low Bridges and Tolls
- Storrow Drive, Memorial Drive and Soldiers Field Road are cars only. Massachusetts DCR says their bridge clearances are as low as 9 feet, and rental trucks that ignore the signs get stuck. Use the Mass Pike, Beacon Street or Commonwealth Avenue instead.
- The Merritt Parkway bans rental trucks. Connecticut DOT prohibits all rental trucks, box trucks and trailers on the Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways. Use I-95 or I-84.
- New York parkways are off-limits. U-Haul trucks count as commercial vehicles in New York, and commercial vehicles are banned from New York parkways, many of which have bridges as low as about 7 feet.
- Bigger rental trucks count as trucks in New York City. NYC defines a truck as a goods vehicle with two axles and six tires, which covers rental trucks with dual rear wheels, so the city’s truck rules apply to them.
- Tolls: the Mass Pike, and the bridges and tunnels into New York City, bill two-axle trucks at truck rates. I-95 in Connecticut has no tolls. Tolls are billed at cost.
Fuel Cost: Boston to New York in a Moving Truck
Miles ÷ MPG × price per gallon. About 215 miles at 8 to 10 MPG uses roughly 22 to 27 gallons, about $75 to $95 at an example price of $3.50 a gallon.
When to Move Between Boston and New York
- Avoid September 1 in Boston if you can. So many leases turn over that trucks, parking and streets are jammed, and DCR issues its annual low-bridge warnings.
- Winter storms can slow I-95 and I-84; keep a day of flexibility from December to March.
- Avoid weekday rush hours at the New York City crossings.
How It Works
- Request a quote with both addresses, your dates, truck size and any towing. A person reviews every short move and emails your quote the same day.
- Rent a one-way truck in your name and add our driver to the rental agreement (how to add a driver).
- Load the truck yourself or with local help.
- Our driver meets the loaded truck at your pickup address; you or someone you designate hands over the keys.
- Delivery. The driver takes the truck to your new address. Passengers don’t ride along, so you travel separately.
Get a Driver for Your Boston ↔ New York Move
Tell us both addresses, your truck size and your date. A person reviews every short move and emails your quote the same day. No obligation.
Boston to New York FAQ
How much does it cost to have someone drive my U-Haul from Boston to New York?
Short moves are quoted individually by a person. Send your addresses, truck size and date for a same-day email quote. The truck rental, fuel and tolls are separate.
Can a rental truck use the Merritt Parkway?
No. Connecticut prohibits all rental trucks, box trucks and trailers on the Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways.
Can a moving truck drive on Storrow Drive?
No. Storrow Drive, Memorial Drive and Soldiers Field Road are cars only, with bridge clearances as low as 9 feet.
Do you drive from New York to Boston too?
Yes, in both directions, including Brooklyn, Queens, Westchester, Cambridge and Somerville.
Can I ride in the truck with the driver?
No. Passengers don’t ride with our drivers, so you drive your own car or travel separately and meet the truck at your new home.
Who loads the truck?
You do, or you hire local labor. We supply the professional driver only; we don’t rent trucks or load them.
Key facts
- Route: Boston to New York City and back, about 190 to 225 miles on I-95 or I-90 and I-84.
- Pricing: short moves are quoted individually by a person; there is no published price. Quotes come by email the same day.
- The customer rents and loads the truck; the driver meets the loaded truck at the pickup address.
- Fuel is paid at cost and tolls are billed at cost, separately from the driver quote.
- No passengers ride with the driver.
Related
Sources: Extra Space Storage, How Much Does It Cost to Hire Movers (Oct 2026), Massachusetts DCR, Storrow Drive warning, Connecticut DOT, parkway restrictions, U-Haul, Moving in New York: parkway restrictions, NYC DOT, truck and commercial vehicle classifications; checked November 2026. Mover and truck-rental prices are third-party national estimates, not quotes. Moving Truck Driver is an independent driver service and is not affiliated with U-Haul, Penske, Budget or Enterprise.