Interesting as it is, moving is a pain. There's the packaging, the lifting, the unpacking-- and someplace therein, you in fact have to move your things from one home to another. You can always employ experts to do this, however that can include a substantial expense to what is currently an expensive procedure.
And that's how some movers unexpectedly discover themselves behind the wheel of a truck that's numerous feet longer and numerous thousand pounds much heavier than anything they have actually ever driven in their lives.
Driving a moving truck can be frightening, however it's possible. With an understanding of what's various about driving such a big, heavy lorry, any experienced driver can transport their own possessions without too much stress. And the savings from doing so can be significant.
How to Prepare to Drive a Moving Truck
If you're ready for the challenge of driving a moving truck, there are a few important things you should 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 area sensing units that make it more secure to alter lanes. They might be worth paying a little additional for if these functions are essential to you.
Quote how much truck space you'll need for all your things. Most truck rental companies offer guidelines to assist you find out what size truck you require, and it's crucial to lease the smallest truck possible. Smaller trucks are not only cheaper, they're easier to drive.
Think about hiring a good friend to join you on your moving journey. You can take turns driving if it's another experienced driver and your truck rental contract permits it. If you need someone to direct you in backing up the truck, having a second individual can likewise come in useful.
Buy a GPS mount. If you prepare to utilize GPS on the journey, buy a quality phone or GPS mount that you can install in the truck. It's harmful to fumble with your device while driving any vehicle, not to mention a fully-loaded moving truck.
Get some practice. If this is your very first time driving a moving truck, it may be beneficial to rent a truck for a day just to practice. For in-town relocations, truck leasings are frequently affordable. Practice can help you with things like getting and turning utilized to the size of the car, but keep in mind that your truck will official site manage in a different way when it's packed with all your things.
Budget plan for gas. In general, moving trucks get poor gas mileage, and longer journeys could end up costing you a number of hundred dollars in gas.
When Driving a Moving Truck, Safety
As soon as your journey has begun, there are a couple of extra safety pointers to observe:
Attempt the truck out. Drive your moving truck around town for numerous miles before loading. This is an excellent way to make sure the truck is running efficiently and that there are no mechanical issues. Take the truck back to the rental company and exchange it for another one if you discover a problem.
Protect your entire load with rope, bungee cords or straps. Truck rental business often lease these accessories.
Pay attention to all roadway signs that use to trucks, which you've probably discovered to disregard. This consists of separate speed limitations, lane limitations and overhead clearance limits.
Stop securely. Always offer yourself extra time and range to stop the truck.
Avoid moving your load by driving slower than the surrounding traffic and utilizing the brakes and accelerator gently.
Examine your side-view mirrors often, due to the fact that there are no rear-view mirrors in moving trucks.
Follow the law when it concerns stopping at weigh stations. These laws vary from one state to another, but ABF U-Pack has actually compiled a thorough 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 roadway with no shoulder for emergency situation stops. Drive as slowly as essential to ensure your security.
Avoid supporting. Try to prevent situations where you'll require to back up your truck. When parking in a lot, for instance, try to find two surrounding empty spots so that you can drive directly through.
Purchase the rental insurance from the truck business. Without it, even slight damage to the truck can be expensive.
Moving Truck Alternatives
If you're truly anxious about the concept of driving a 16-foot moving truck, consider the other cost-saving options to full-service movers.
There are numerous moving companies that will do the driving as long as you do the loading and dumping. ABF U-Pack, PODS, 1-800-PACK-RAT and several other rivals use a variety of shipping container types that you can fill throughout a few days. In order to utilize 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 dense city areas.
If this is a problem, a few of these companies will enable you to bring your products to a local shipping depot and load them onto a truck or into shipping containers there. With this choice, you'll most likely still need to rent and drive a truck, and you'll need to move everything two times on each end of the trip instead of simply as soon as. You'll spare yourself the worry of a driving a box truck over a long distance.
Driving a moving truck isn't for everybody, however if you observe these best practices, you'll leave with an excellent sense of accomplishment and a little additional loan in your pocket.