Billings is the genuine cross-state pull, the Garden City to the far eastern edge of Montana. Budget for about 345 miles of I-90: out of Missoula over the western passes, on through Butte, Bozeman, and Livingston, then the long open run down into the Yellowstone Valley, roughly five hours of driving when the road plays nice. The crew loads at first light, crests the western summits, and rolls into the state’s largest city to set things down, usually the following day, around the Heights, the West End, downtown, or out by Lockwood. A pull this far rides on our interstate authority, US DOT 3445120 and MC 1108940, with the number locked as a flat written figure before the truck pulls out.
It is a long stretch but mostly open, the western passes dictating the early hours and the eastern flats the rest. Homestake and Bozeman Pass climb high enough to cling to snow, ice, and chain controls deep into spring, and the long haul past Livingston can throw crosswinds stiff enough to drag on a loaded box, so the lead keeps the MDT 511 report up the whole route while the flat figure holds steady through any of it. This is where the piano work pays for itself: a baby grand crossing 345 miles of summits and dry eastern-Montana air rides skidded, padded, and dead level in our own truck instead of being heaved aboard, arriving sound rather than knocked out of true. At the Billings end, certain downtown buildings ask for a filed certificate and a held service elevator, both of which the office locks down at the address ahead of time.
First light to final box, every leg of the Billings haul stays with Garden City Movers, period. The W-2 crew padding the grand and loading the truck back in Missoula is the very same bunch walking it into your Billings place, one truck the whole route. Nothing about it surfaces on a board, nothing gets sold off to some third-party rig, and the movers do not change somewhere around Bozeman. The unwieldy and the heavy are exactly what we were brought up on, so a baby grand at a flat rate, a gun safe, or a heap of shop equipment keeps the day ordinary. When the dates do not quite line up, the load sits in climate-controlled storage, around $95 to $230 a month depending on the unit. Backing it all: $1M of cargo coverage, nine months to file, released value at $0.60 a pound, and 1 to 3% full-value protection. Montana PSC permit, US DOT 3445120, MC 1108940.
Off to Billings for a new role, family, or more house than the Garden City rents out? Pass along both addresses, flag which building and floor receive the load, lock in a date, and a solid trip price lands back with the passes already figured in.
Missoula → Billings, MT — Estimated Cost
| Home Size | Estimated Flat Rate | Typical Transit |
|---|---|---|
| Studio / 1 BR | $1,280–$1,760 | 1 day |
| 2 Bedrooms | $2,420–$3,520 | 1 day |
| 3 Bedrooms | $3,600–$5,320 | 1 day |
| 4+ BR / House | $5,140–$7,500 | 1 day |
Treat these numbers as a planning guide. The binding written price gets set after our Garden City crew walks through a quick survey with you.
Moving Missoula to Billings, MT?
One Garden City crew, one binding written price, the whole way
The same Garden City crew that fills the truck in Missoula drives it through and unloads at the other end — never a broker, never a load board.
Price My Montana Route
