In today's economy, you can save money when moving to a new place by doing as much of the moving by yourself as possible. There are a couple real advantages to renting your own moving truck. First, the obvious: it typically costs less than hiring a moving service, sometimes very much less, especially if it's a cross-country move and if you move in the off-season.
Renting a truck does not require any type of commercial license, even for 36-foot long trucks. They all take regular gasoline and they are all automatics; the most challenging part is getting used to the sheer size of the vehicle. Adjust your mirrors and use them frequently, because there is also no rear view mirror and you have no way to check for obstacles on the right hand side of the truck without using the mirror. You turns will have to be wider, and make sure to allow for extra stopping distance, too.
Some rental companies offer trucks with a lower deck. This means that the pull-out ramp will not have as much of a steep incline, which can make a big difference if you will be doing much of the loading and unloading by yourself. A truck with a "grandma's attic" area means that the box of the truck extends over the cab, giving you extra packing room. Each moving company should have exact dimensions of the inside of each truck so you can determine what size you'll need. Load the heaviest items toward the front of the truck, and center the weight so that one side of the truck isn't bearing the heaviest items.
Usually, the person signing the rental agreement is the only one allowed to operate the vehicle. Typically, you are required to fill up the tank and sweep out debris from the truck and the cab prior to returning it, along with any optional rental equipment, to avoid any fees. A nice convenience is that you can return these trucks to the rental centers at any time of day or night. If they're closed when you get there, you should find a drop box for you to leave the truck key; then, the next day, you can return to settle any paperwork.
A hand truck is a two-wheeled cart that you can stack boxes on to move several at the same time, or that can carry bulky or heavy items. If you have two people to do the lifting, you might want to get moving straps, which each person loops around their arms so they can carry heavy and bulky items in between them without straining their backs. Blankets can be rented in bunches of 20 or so, and are great for protecting large items from dirt and scratches. You can also rent a car dolly (tow with two wheels down) or a car carrier (all four wheels up).
You really can make your move smoother by renting a truck. A do-it-yourself move will certainly require more planning and more physical labor on your part, but you can always hire a few people to load and unload the moving truck, which is still cheaper than hiring big commercial movers. If you need an extra day, it's easy to call the rental company and let them know, and they will typically accommodate you for a small fee.