Darwin Che

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Driving UHaul from Toronto to Pittsburgh

Details, Route, and Comments

  • Life-Tips

Background

I am leaving Toronto to go to Pittsburgh for school in August. The most convenient option is definitely plane or car. But I decided to drive a UHaul across the border! The primary reasons are:

  • Carry more luggage: Every extra piece of luggage (over 3 checked bags) cost almost $100.
  • Avoid car import: Avoid the paperworks, plus I don’t plan to keep the car since I won’t have much time to drive around.

Details

I followed the route recommended by Google Map.

Toronto -> Queen Elizabeth Way -> Peace Bridge -> Buffalo -> I-90 -> Erie -> I-79 -> Pittsburgh

Route Image

I am driving the 10 foot smallest UHaul truck. (I wanted to drive van or pickup instead, but none of them are available for cross border.)

Truck Image

The price is surprisingly cheap: less than $300 CAD covering 3 days and upto 380 miles. (The google map route was 333 miles.)

Steps

I took the truck on day before the trip, loaded my luggage during the day and evening.

  • I started the trip around 8:30AM in the morning, arrived at Peace Bridge on 10:20AM.
  • There was a congestion on the bridge, waited about 40 minutes in line till the border crossing inspection station.
  • Then I spent another 20 minutes in the building for visa stuff.
  • I am back on road on 11:20AM.
  • Google map didn’t route me on I-90 directly, I drive on 5 and 20 for some miles. I eventually stopped at the McDonald’s to have lunch soon after I entered PA. The time was 1:20PM.
  • I finished lunch and continued driving on 2:10PM.
  • I tooke a nap at a rest stop around 3PM.
  • I stopped for gas again at 4:40PM before entering the city.
  • I eventually arrived at 5:15PM.
  • On the next day, I drive the UHaul to purchase some secondhand furniture, then returned the truck.

Comments

  • I drove 351 miles and used 23 gallons, that’s 15 mpg or 15L/100km. It is actually more fuel efficient than I thought!
  • The truck best cruising speed is 55 to 65 mph. It is hard to steer above that.
  • The truck is not that wide, it is still driveable on city roads, but be careful about the turning radius for sharp turn e.g. into gas stations.
  • The truck is higher than I expect: be careful whether you will hit tree branches.
  • The truck has backup camera for reverse!
  • Get phone clamped to a easy to read place while driving for google map!

The following are the items that I learned from ChatGPT:

  • I don’t need to go into ‘truck inspection station’ on highways, those are for commercial trucks.
  • I don’t need to go into the lane for ‘truck’ on the border, again those are for commercial vehicles. I can just go in the lanes for RV/Bus.
  • Bring a checklist of items to show at the border.
  • Optional online I-94 application is useful to complete the visa interview faster.

Driving in Pittsburgh is quite a different experience compared to Toronto. The main difference is that Pittsburgh roads are very hilly. Secure your stuff in place (with ropes or tapes) to avoid damage or inconveniece!

Final

In general, this is a great adventure! When I(you) choose UHaul for this trip, there are lots of excitement, convenience, and cost saving.

My Image