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 How many times have you heard horror stories about someone who has a reservation for a truck, only to walk away empty handed, or received a truck too small? Here are a few tips on how to navigate in the difficult world of truck rental.
You can do research online, then visit the local truck agent. Price should not be the only factor in picking a truck dealer to work with. Go TO the dealerships. Talk to the folks behind the counter. Do they offer good customer service? You want a good rapport, someone who will look out for you. Find someone who goes out of their way for the customer. That person is your new best friend. Check out several companies and read the fine print, but make your final decision based on actual availability of trucks.
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2 to 4 weeks before the move, visit the dealer and put down your paid deposit. If possible, move on weekday – when there is less demand for a rental truck. Schedule your truck for just before closing THE NIGHT BEFORE you move. That way you can start fresh in the am, and won’t have to wait for a truck to come in. Rent a box dolly, appliance dolly and 4 wheel dolly. Buy paper pads to protect your furniture from scratches. Box ANYTHING that is not furniture. You can get paper pads and boxes on our web site. BE SURE your truck has a ramp. Trucks with a low deck are easier to load and unload from.
How big of a truck should you rent? The truck rental company should be able to help, however always go larger than you think you need.
If you can physically load the truck yourself, read How to Load a Truck. If you need professional help loading your truck, read How to Choose a Mover.
How to Load a Truck
You can hire a company to load and unload your truck, which should help reduce stress and damage to your goods. However if you can only afford one, have the pros LOAD your truck. Unloading is a lot simpler and damage happens from incorrect loading.
What if you can’t afford to have professional help at all? Here are some guidelines:
Use all professional moving boxes to insure that they will fit correctly in the truck.
Put plastic bags around the hoses of your washing machine and secure them with rubber bands to prevent leakage in transit. Use a washer block inside your washing machine to prevent the drum from rattling and getting damaged.
Mark each box with its contents and destination room. That way, you and your helpers will know where each box belongs at your new home.
Wardrobe boxes- use them! Not only can you move clothes directly from the closet, but there's room on the bottom of the box for throw pillows and linens (do NOT put shoes at the bottom as they can catch on your clothes and tear them.)
- Load houseplants last, unload first
- Load light-weight irregularly shaped items on top
- Stack boxes of similar size and weight
- Load desks and dressers with their drawers against the wall of the moving van to keep them from opening
- Place washer and dryer near the front on the opposite side of the refrigerator for even weight distribution
- Load electronics and other fragile items in the attic over the cab
- Load heaviest items toward the front of the moving van as close to the deck as possible
- Use ties downs on the inside walls of the moving van to secure mattresses and tables
- Pack a special box with the tools and essentials you will need right away. Load it last, unload it first. Most importantly, anything that is not furniture needs to be in a box and anything that is furniture needs to be pad or blanket wrapped. This will protect all of your belongings from damage.
Load the heaviest items first, in front, and on the floor. Load items firmly and closely.
Remember to allow for extra breaking room when driving a moving van. Anticipate stops and allow a 3 second gap between you and the vehicle in front of you. Trucks don’t move as fast as cars, trips take much longer in trucks so allow for extra time.
Keep your contract handy in case you are pulled over. Always return the truck with as much or more gas than you started with to avoid extra charges.
Our team of Moving Experts can answer all of your moving questions, just email us at info@bargainboxes.com |
