by TheLorry on 15 August 2025.
Lorry renting is an essential part of house moving, be it if you’re living on your own or with your partner and children. But our behaviour in the process of finding movers may be different from one country to another.
It is interesting then, to see how different the process can be between Singaporeans and Malaysians, the two countries essentially separated by a bridge.
Cheap advertising
Roadside signs advertising lorry renting in Malaysia, completely non-existent in Singapore.
Singapore has a strong reputation as being one of the cleanest country in the world. I mean, we can’t even chew gum in public without getting fined!
This level of cleanliness fuels one of the most jarring difference in terms of how people look for house movers between Singapore and Malaysia.
In Singapore, the cheapest way for a lorry owner or a company to advertise their services is by having their name and contact number splashed onto the lorries themselves. So you can quickly reach for your phone and snap a picture whenever you’re sitting in traffic.
Another way we can see house moving service advertisements is on bulletin boards, hung in apartment buildings or community centres.
Malaysians however, has a more ‘direct’ approach to advertising their house moving services.
The words LORI SEWA (lorry renting) is kind of a staple around the roads in Kuala Lumpur, especially if you look at the roadside curbs, electrical poles, street lights, and the occasional vandalised road signs.
It’s those spray-painted words on those flat surfaces and small wooden signs that makes Malaysian lorry renting scene somewhat shady and untrustworthy to some.
Though at the same time, it has a certain charm to it, and have made Malaysia, well..Malaysia.
Word-of-mouth goes a long way
Of the many ways you might known about a house moving service, none can be more easily obtained than by word-of-mouth. And both Singaporeans and Malaysians are accustomed to this.
Maybe you have a family member who knows a friend of a friend of a friend with his own lorry that can help you move your stuff, and he is offering a price waaay lower than expected.
Why do many of us find comfort in hiring house movers through word-of-mouth rather than looking or searching for a reputable moving company? It all has to do with trust.
Simply put, we trust our family members and friends more than a Google search, and when they say that the mover is the best they ever hired, naturally you’d be inclined to hire them as well.
Especially if they are offering cheaper prices because you are a friend of a friend.
This is by no means an attack on smaller lorry owner and operators, nor bigger moving companies. But merely to visualise the fondness some of us have as both people from Singapore and Malaysia of hiring movers we hear from our family and friends.
Going online
The days of skimming through the ad page of the local newspaper to find a lorry to rent is long gone, due to the fact that you can literally type in ‘house movers singapore’ on your phone and instantly gets 4 to 5 moving services to choose from.
Though some still do find them on newspapers (might need to fact check this though), most of us in Singapore just finds it easier to search online for a reputable house moving service provider to hire.
For Malaysians however, it seems that many are still quite reluctant to go online.
Partly because of the few online house moving services only emerging in recent years in the country. Many Malaysians are still quite comfortable in calling up movers or Whatsapping them to get quotations.
This again is due to the trust issues Malaysian has with anything found online.
When Malaysians type in “lori sewa” or “lori pindah rumah” (house moving lorries), they often see search results featuring moving services advertised on online marketplaces such as mudah.my.
This is an indication that lorry operators as well, are slowly looking upon the internet to advertise their services, yet many are still quite new to the concept.
Do-it-yourself moving
As oppose to looking for people to hire for their house moving, many of us still feels we can probably do it ourselves.
I mean, if you have ample resources to move without having to call for a service, why not right?
Many Malaysians also choose to handle their own house moves if they have a 4×4 pickup truck or even their own lorry. Malaysia shows a stronger DIY spirit in house moving, with some people making multiple trips between homes. One friend, for example, drove his Ford Ranger back and forth four times to transport all his belongings.
Small operators vs larger companies
If any of the points mentioned beforehand is any indication, it would be that Singaporeans are more inclined on hiring reputable moving services from larger moving companies rather than smaller operators.
While in Malaysia, the smaller, friendlier yet sometimes riskier smaller operators still hold ground.
This statement though, won’t ring true forever, as the emergence of online platforms for moving services are keen to spread wider in both countries, particularly Malaysia.
At the end of the day, the choice is always in your hands. Moving is a stressful thing, even when you might have a comprehensive checklist to help you out.
And you would be choosing from a wide array of people and companies that offer moving services. Whether it’d be a franchising moving company, a local one, or even your friend who happens to own a lorry, it would be best to find yourself reliable help so that the stress of moving isn’t so grave.
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You can read more on our TheLorry Newsroom for expert tips, cost-saving strategies, and real moving stories from our customers.
Frequently Asked Questions: Differences in Lorry Renting Between Malaysia & Singapore
How do Singaporeans and Malaysians find lorry rental services differently?
In Singapore, companies advertise lorry rentals by painting their details directly on the lorries or posting them on community bulletin boards. In Malaysia, movers promote their services with roadside signs, lamp post ads, and small wooden boards spray-painted with the words “LORI SEWA.”
Why do people still choose lorry rentals through personal contacts instead of online search?
In both countries, many people trust recommendations from family and friends more than online searches, especially if the price offered is lower.
Are Malaysians more likely to use lorry rental services offline?
Yes. While online platforms for lorry rental are growing, many Malaysians still prefer to call or WhatsApp operators directly to get quotations.
How do Singaporeans typically search for lorry rentals online?
Most Singaporeans simply type keywords like “house movers Singapore” into search engines and choose from the list of reputable companies that appear.
Is the DIY (do-it-yourself) moving culture common in both countries?
Yes, but Malaysians are more known for their DIY spirit, often using their own 4×4 or lorry to move without hiring professional movers.
Who prefers large companies and who prefers smaller operators?
Singaporeans are more likely to hire reputable large moving companies, while Malaysians often use smaller, friendlier but sometimes riskier operators.
How might the lorry rental industry change in the future?
With the rise of online platforms, more Malaysians are expected to turn to digital-based moving services, reducing reliance on roadside advertisements.
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