Exciting as it is, moving is a pain. There's the packaging, the lifting, the unpacking-- and somewhere in there, you really need to move your things from one home to another. You can always work with professionals to do this, but that can include a considerable cost to what is currently a pricey procedure.
And that's how some movers unexpectedly find themselves behind the wheel of a truck that's a number of feet longer and numerous thousand pounds much heavier than anything they've ever driven in their lives.
Driving a moving truck can be daunting, however it's possible. With an understanding of what's different about driving such a large, heavy car, any knowledgeable motorist can carry their own personal belongings without too much stress. And the savings from doing so can be considerable.
How to Prepare to Drive a Moving Truck
If you're prepared for the difficulty of driving a moving truck, there are a couple of crucial things you need to do to prepare:
Research your rental company options, with particular attention to the functions of their moving trucks. Modern trucks have tools like rear-facing video to assist with supporting and blind spot sensors that make it much safer to change lanes. If these functions are essential to you, they might be worth paying a little additional for.
Quote just how much truck area you'll require for all your things. The majority of truck rental companies offer guidelines to help you determine what size truck you require, and it is very important to lease the smallest truck possible. Smaller trucks are not only less costly, they're much easier to drive.
Think about hiring a friend to join you on your moving journey. If it's another experienced driver and your truck rental contract allows it, you can take turns driving. If you need someone to direct you in backing up the truck, having a second individual can likewise come in convenient.
Purchase a GPS install. Buy a quality phone or GPS mount that you can install in the truck if you plan to use GPS on the trip. It threatens to fumble with your device while driving any car, let alone a fully-loaded moving truck.
If this is your very first time driving a moving truck, it may be rewarding to lease a truck for a day simply to practice. For in-town relocations, truck rentals are frequently affordable.
Budget for check these guys out gas. In general, moving trucks get poor gas mileage, and longer journeys might end up costing you several hundred dollars in gas.
Safety When Driving a Moving Truck
As soon as your journey has actually started, there are a couple of additional safety tips to observe:
Try the truck out first. Drive your moving truck around town for numerous miles prior to packing. This is a great way to make sure the truck is running efficiently which there are no mechanical problems. Take the truck back to the rental company and exchange it for another one if you discover an issue.
Secure your entire load with rope, bungee cables or straps. Truck rental business often rent these devices.
Take notice of all roadway signs that apply to trucks, which you have actually most likely discovered to disregard. This includes different speed limitations, lane limitations and overhead clearance limits.
Stop securely. Constantly provide yourself extra time and range to stop the truck.
Prevent shifting your load by driving slower than the surrounding traffic and utilizing the brakes and accelerator news carefully.
Inspect your side-view mirrors often, due to the fact that there are no rear-view mirrors in moving trucks.
When it comes to stopping at weigh stations, follow the law. These laws differ from state to state, but ABF U-Pack has actually put together an extensive list of state weigh station laws for moving trucks.
If you'll be driving a moving truck through mountains, keep in mind that there will be stretches of road with no shoulder for emergency situation stops. Drive as gradually as necessary to guarantee your security.
Avoid supporting. Try to prevent circumstances where you'll need to support your truck. When parking in a lot, for circumstances, look for 2 nearby empty spots so that you can drive directly through.
Buy the rental insurance coverage from the truck business. Without it, even slight damage to the truck can be pricey.
Moving Truck Alternatives
If you're really worried about the concept of driving a 16-foot moving truck, consider the other cost-saving options to full-service movers.
There are several moving business that will do the driving as long as you do the loading and discharging. ABF U-Pack, PODS, 1-800-PACK-RAT and numerous other competitors offer a range of shipping container types that you can fill over the course of a couple of days. In order to use these services, you'll require a place to drop your containers at both your beginning address and your location, so they can be tricky for apartment or condo dwellers in thick urban locations.
If this is a problem, a few of these companies will permit you to bring your items to a regional shipping depot and load them onto a truck or into shipping containers there. With this choice, you'll probably still require to rent and drive a truck, and you'll need to move whatever twice on each end of the journey instead of simply once. You'll spare yourself the worry of a driving a box truck over a long distance.
Driving a moving truck isn't for everybody, but if you observe these finest practices, you'll leave with an excellent sense of accomplishment and a little additional cash in your pocket.