U-Haul Deals in Texas

Texas sees heavy moving traffic both within the state — between Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio — and from people relocating from other states. In-state moves are often a few hundred miles, which is where percentage coupons on one-way rentals add up.

Moving tips for Texas

• Texas summers are extremely hot: start loading early in the morning and keep water on hand.
• The Texas Triangle routes (Houston–Dallas–San Antonio) are popular, so reserve early around the end of the month.
• Spring and fall are the most comfortable seasons to move in Texas and often have better truck availability than summer.

Parking a moving truck in Texas

Texas has no statewide moving or curb-parking permit. Street parking is set city by city, so Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio each have their own rules, and apartment complexes and HOAs often add loading-hour or truck-size limits of their own. Check with your city and your building before the truck arrives.

The bigger state-level issue is tolls. Much of the Houston, Dallas–Fort Worth and Austin freeway network is tolled, and TxDOT notes that when no tag is detected an invoice is mailed to the plate owner. For a rental truck that owner is U-Haul: U-Haul’s tolls FAQ says the agency bills U-Haul, which charges the renter the toll plus a $1 fee per toll, sometimes four weeks or more later. U-Haul says this applies even if you carry your own transponder.

Best time of year to move in Texas

NOAA’s Texas climate summary records Dallas–Fort Worth once going 40 consecutive days above 100°F, notes that tornado activity typically peaks between April and June, and counts more than 85 tropical storms and hurricanes striking Texas between 1900 and 2020. The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30 and peaks around September 10, which matters most for Houston, Corpus Christi and the Gulf Coast. Rainfall ranges from under 10 inches a year in the far west to more than 60 inches in the southeast, so a Houston move faces very different weather than an El Paso one. Late fall through early spring is usually the easiest window for loading in the heat. See when to rent a U-Haul for demand patterns.

Moving trends in and out of Texas

Texas ranked No. 1 on the U-Haul Growth Index for 2025 (published January 2026), up from 2nd, its seventh top finish in 10 years. Arrivals made up 50.7% of one-way U-Haul traffic in and out of the state. Texas also dominated U-Haul’s 2025 metro rankings: Dallas 1st, Houston 2nd, Austin 3rd, Brownsville and McAllen 10th, San Antonio 21st and College Station 23rd. McKinney, Seguin, New Braunfels and Conroe made the top 25 growth cities.

Texas-specific tips

• The Texas DMV gives new residents 30 days from the move to register a vehicle.
• In listed emissions counties such as Harris, Dallas and Travis, the vehicle must pass an emissions inspection before registration.
• Moves between Texas Triangle cities are long enough that it pays to compare one-way and in-town pricing.

Sources: TxDOT, U-Haul tolls FAQ, NOAA State Climate Summaries, National Hurricane Center, U-Haul Growth Index, Texas DMV.