How do you find a truck to move something several hundred miles, that's too big for UPS or Fedex, without renting one and driving it yourself? No problem! It should be a snap, right? Just Google "find a truck" and look at the top few results? Oh, how I wish that were the case. I spent several hours finding the right way so I thought I'd share the experience with anyone else in the same predicament.

When you search for terms like "find a truck" or "find truck" you will get millions of page results with everything from "Benny's Big Ford Blowout Sale!" to "Load board" sites that truckers and freight brokers use to coordinate the transport of commercial freight loads across the US. If you are a self-employed trucker or broker, you can get a much shorter list by searching for "Load board" or "find freight". However for those of us withe big stuff to move without the benefit of our own big rig and private driver, try the following:

First, use Google and search for one of the following terms "freight delivery city-name" (with city-name being your actual town or city name). You should be able to find something on page one. But that does not mean you have to settle for the first thing you find, which leads us to the second option...

Go to an auction site like eBay and run a search for an item like the one you need to move. Try to find one from a highly-rated professional seller of company that specializes in the item you have. They are the ones who do the most research on getting fast, safe, reliable and affordable shipping deals. Of course you can ignore any results that say Pickup Only. When you find one that offers shipping, click on the Shipping tab and you will see anywhere from one to four freight shipping and delivery options, complete with phone numbers or website addresses.

Again, the sellers have already done the groundwork and there's no reason for that effort and expertise to go to waste. Just specify either "curbside" or "hub/warehouse" pickup and delivery when you speak to any shipping representative. That little detail can make a big difference because the truck might need a special lift gate for residential pick-ups and deliveries.

Either of these methods should get you exactly what you want with little effort or confusion, but there's one more trick you can use that can save you some cash.

Call local moving companies that do interstate jobs and ask if they have room on any trucks going to your destination, for your item. Some companies combine loads instead of sending a half-empty truck so they can give the customer a cost break and make a bit more profit as well. Tip: Make sure the company is bonded and has a good reputation.

I hope this information helps the next time you run into the situation. Good luck.