Mistake: Renting a moving truck is child’s play
As far as DIY moving tips go, an important stage in most self-moving adventures with Packers and Movers pune to Goa is to secure a vehicle with which to transport your household items. And when it comes to self-move rental trucks, there are some not-so-funny mistakes you should avoid at all costs.
Renting a smaller truck
If you select a rental truck with smaller storage capacity than you need for your stuff, then you might be forced to make more than one trip to your destination (which may not be possible at all).
Or you may need to return the vehicle and rent a larger one, which will mean loads of wasted time and nerves.
Renting a bigger truck
If you choose a truck with larger space than you actually need, not only will you be paying for extra storage which you have no way of utilizing, but you will also run the risk of damaging some of your belongings if you fail to secure them well for safe transportation. Still, it’s the “preferred” mistake out of the two scenarios.
Above all, it’s useful to have a basic understanding of the approximate capacities of self-move rental vehicles. Here are some approximate truck capacity calculations to help you make a good choice.
However, you should still discuss this important issue with a knowledgeable representative of a truck rental moving company before your final decision.
- Pickup truck. Good for small loads and partial moves.
- Cargo van. Suitable for college moves, partial moves, or moving out of a studio apartment when moving locally.
- 10-12 foot truck. Ideal for college moves and small apartments.
- 14-17 foot truck. Good for moving out of a 1-2 bedroom homes or smaller offices. These are the most common rental moving trucks on the market.
- 20-26 foot truck. Ideal for moving the household items found in large 3, 4 bedroom homes.
Mistake: Driving a moving truck is just like driving a car
One serious mistake that you may make while organizing a self-move is to assume that rental trucks are nothing but bigger cars. In a way they are, but driving a moving truck across the country is not the same as driving a passenger car.
Even before you reach the moment of driving the truck rental, you will need to make sure the freight vehicle is loaded up correctly in terms of distributing the cargo weight safely and securing your items inside the back of the truck so that they don’t move around during the trip.
Click here to learn the best way to load a moving truck in the safest way possible. In fact, you don’t have to be a tile-matching champion to succeed – a few good loading tips and a few good friends should help you pull it off
Now, driving a moving truck across the country can be challenging on several levels, and the sooner you realize it, the more time you should spare to prepare for it:
- Build to the desired speed gradually since accelerating too quickly will increase the fuel consumption and may cause the cargo in the back to shift.
- Apply the brakes early and go easy on them. Don’t brake suddenly and abruptly for fear of throwing the entire moving truck off balance.
- Keep a safe distance from other vehicles as trucks cannot stop as quickly as passengers cars can. Make an effort to stay at least 4 seconds behind the vehicle that’s directly in front of you.
- Don’t overtake other vehicles unless you really have to do it. Be extra careful when changing lanes.
- Be very careful when you park the moving truck – always use the parking brake and turn the wheels away from the curb when facing an uphill, and vice versa.
- Keep an eye out for those tricky overhead clearance signs. Never go under an underpass unless you’re sure the rental truck can go through it without any damage.
