Greg Pettinger here. I run dispatch, which means I map every Spokane move around the things that go wrong: an ice-glazed driveway, a gravel lane a truck cannot climb, a closed pass on the way to Seattle. After fifteen years, I can tell you most move-day disasters are planned away weeks ahead. Here is how we do it.
Winter: the ice decides everything
From December into March, the weather is the whole job. A Spokane ice storm turns a South Hill driveway into a sheet no loaded truck should back down, and the daylight-basement stairs get slick fast.
- Leave a day or two of slack in the date so an ice storm can move the job without breaking your plans
- Salt and clear the driveway and the front walk the night before
- Keep the heat on in both homes so ramps and floors stay dry, not frosted
- Book midweek and mid-month, when winter dates and rates sit at their best
The trade-off is honest: winter is our quietest stretch, so you get roomier scheduling, against real weather risk. Plan for the risk and the flexibility is yours.
The gravel driveway problem
Out on Green Bluff, Mead, and Colbert, plenty of homes sit at the end of a quarter-mile gravel lane. A 26-foot truck cannot always make it, especially after snow softens the surface.
Tell us about the driveway before anything else. The stretch between the tailgate and your front door is the most expensive ground in this whole trade, and on a Green Bluff acreage lot it can run a quarter mile. We close that gap for free if you mention it early. — Dave Pettinger
We walk the lane in advance and decide whether the big truck reaches the door or we shuttle the load on a smaller rig. Either way it gets settled before the date, not in your driveway with the clock running.
The passes and the cross-state run
A lot of Spokane moves are not across town. They head west to Seattle over Snoqualmie, south to Boise, or down to Portland — and the passes are their own kind of weather.
| Season | What it does to an Inland Northwest move | The play that makes it work |
|---|---|---|
| Winter | Ice on driveways and stairs; passes close on short notice | Build in slack, salt the drive, watch the pass forecast |
| Spring | Dry, mild, ideal — so the calendar fills fast | Reserve three to four weeks out to lock your date |
| Summer | Heat and peak demand at month’s end; Gonzaga and EWU turnover | Start at dawn, aim mid-month, book well ahead |
| Fall | First snow on Snoqualmie and Fourth of July passes | Time the cross-state run against the forecast |
On a winter run to Seattle, we time the Snoqualmie crossing against the weather and keep a backup window. A set delivery date hundreds of miles out needs real route planning, so the more lead time you give us, the better the date we hold.
Worth knowing before you book
Our two-mover crew runs $120 an hour, and most local jobs go flat-rate: a studio or one-bedroom is $450 to $650, a two-bedroom $900 to $1,400, a three-bedroom $1,700 to $2,600. Whatever the season, the figure we write down is the figure you pay.
Summer and the university rush
August is the busiest month of the year, and the last weekend of any month is the worst of it. Gonzaga, EWU out in Cheney, and WSU students all turn over their leases at once, and the calendar jams solid.
- Book two to four weeks ahead for any late-summer or end-of-month date
- Start early — a dawn load-out beats the August afternoon heat
- Aim for mid-month and midweek where your schedule allows
- For a Gonzaga or EWU-Cheney move, expect every nearby crew to be booked the same week you are
When the closing slips
Spokane closings drag. The sale funds, the new keys are not ready, and suddenly you need somewhere to put a houseful of furniture for two weeks.
- Set up storage before the date. Climate-controlled, locked, billed by the month — arrange it when you book, not the morning of.
- One crew, one load. We hold the load and deliver when your keys come through, so you skip a frantic double move.
- Keep the flat rate. The storage bridge stays on the written quote, no scramble pricing.
FAQ
What if an ice storm hits my winter move day?
We sort it out by phone. On a winter booking that risk is already on our radar, and if a driveway or pass turns truly unsafe we would rather reschedule than gamble with your furniture. That is exactly why a little slack in a January date pays off.
Do you handle the downtown COI and parking?
Every time. Sara files the Certificate of Insurance for Kendall Yards and downtown buildings and books the elevator window, so the crew loads at your door instead of hauling your furniture an extra block on the clock.
None of this is complicated once you stop treating the calendar as fixed and start treating it as a tool. Every Inland Northwest season has an upside and a catch — pick the one that suits your life, disarm its catch in advance, and the weather works alongside you.