Three Toll Roads, Then I-70 and I-270
The trip is about 697 miles. It leaves Chicago on I-90 along the Indiana Toll Road, crosses northern Ohio on the Ohio Turnpike (I-80/I-90, then I-80) and runs east through Pennsylvania on the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76), which shares its lanes with I-70 for the last stretch to the Breezewood interchange. From there I-70 heads south into Maryland, and I-270 carries the final miles down to the Capital Beltway.
That is roughly 11 to 13 hours at the wheel without stops. Those are driving hours, not a delivery promise. A shared trailer serves other customers along the way, so your arrival date comes from our transit schedule (see the questions below).
When Winter Closes the Turnpike to Trucks
In Pennsylvania, winter storms can bring truck restrictions. On January 5, 2025, PennDOT and the PA Turnpike put Tier 2 commercial vehicle restrictions on the Turnpike from the Cranberry exit (Exit 28) to the Breezewood exit (Exit 161), which is most of this route’s Pennsylvania mileage.
If a restriction like that holds your shipment, you pay no fee for the delay, and it is rescheduled as soon as the weather clears.
Pickup in the Gold Coast, Old Town and Lakeshore East
Before a mover can use the freight elevator or loading dock, a Gold Coast co-op board or a Lakeshore East tower manager may ask for a certificate of insurance (COI). We issue them for $100 per building, each one written on a $1 million policy. Ask management what the certificate must show and send that to us.
The charge is per building, so a DC condo that also wants one means a second $100 COI. In an Old Town walk-up, the cost to watch is stairs rather than paperwork.
White glove pickup from the first floor comes with every estimate. We schedule pickup for 2 to 10 business days after you book, so a 10 day lead suits a building that wants to approve the COI first.
Delivery in the District: Permits, Posted Signs and Parkways
DC requires a DDOT public space permit to park a moving truck, and that includes alleys. Emergency No Parking signs must be up 72 hours before the truck arrives on an unmetered block, or 24 hours ahead on a metered one, and a single permit covers no more than 2 days.
We provide the permit, and its charge is listed with your delivery accessorials. Since the signs may need three days on the street, settle your delivery appointment several days out; a weekday window between 9 and 3 costs nothing extra.
A common car route into Northwest DC leaves I-270 and the Beltway for the Clara Barton or George Washington Memorial Parkway, and the National Park Service restricts trucks and commercial vehicles on both. The truck uses other roads, so it can arrive later than a car’s estimate.
Historic Districts and Tight Blocks
The District has seventy historic districts, Capitol Hill, Georgetown and Dupont Circle among them, and some of their streets can be tight for a freight trailer. Where the truck cannot get to your door, curbside delivery is not available at that address; you would book inside delivery, which brings a crew and a smaller truck.
Pricing a Small Load: What Chicago to Washington DC Movers Charge For
The bill follows the weight and volume we actually load. With an accurate inventory, the quote lands within a couple of percent of the final figure. There is no deposit, and canceling after the contract is complete carries a $75 minimum fee.
We carry anything from one piece up to about 2,000 lb, and a small single item starts at a $600 to $700 minimum. The online estimator or (866) 333-8018 gives your exact price.
Extras are itemized:
- Stairs and elevators: in most markets, $100 per flight after the first floor, or $100 flat for an elevator above the fourth (rates can vary by city).
- COIs and the DC permit: $100 per building that asks for a COI; the DDOT permit charge sits with delivery accessorials.
- Packing: furniture packing and crating are in the shipment price; on-site packing of loose items is $150 an hour (2 hour minimum) plus materials, or pack your own boxes.
- Assembly: $100 an hour, and simple bed frames are usually free.
Financing is available through Enhancify.
A Lane That Runs Both Ways
People move between Cook County and the District in close to equal numbers. In 2022 to 2023, 565 Cook County households (654 people) moved to DC and 526 households (595 people) made the opposite trip, according to IRS county migration data. A year earlier the balance tipped the other way, 562 households to DC and 570 from it.
One customer, Kelsey S., who shipped from Washington, DC to Washington State, wrote: “All of our shipment arrived without damage, and they wrapped and unwrapped all of our furniture for extra protection.”
