Amazing as it is, moving is a pain. There's the packing, the lifting, the unpacking-- and someplace therein, you actually have to move your things from one home to another. You can constantly work with professionals to do this, but that can include a substantial cost to what is already a pricey procedure.
Which's how some movers unexpectedly find themselves behind the wheel of a truck that's several feet longer and a number of thousand pounds much heavier than anything they have actually ever driven in their lives.
Driving a moving truck can be intimidating, but it's not impossible. With an understanding of what's various about driving such a big, heavy vehicle, any skilled chauffeur 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 features of their moving trucks. Modern trucks have tools like rear-facing video to aid with supporting and blind area sensing units that make it safer to change lanes. If these features are important to you, they may deserve paying a little additional for.
Estimate how much truck area you'll require for all your things. Most truck rental companies offer guidelines to assist you determine what size truck you require, and it is essential to lease the tiniest truck possible. Smaller trucks are not only more economical, they're simpler 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 allows it. Having a second individual can also come in useful if you need someone to direct you in backing up the truck.
Buy a GPS mount. 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 plan for gas. In general, moving trucks get poor gas mileage, and longer trips might wind up costing you a number of hundred dollars in gas.
Safety When Driving a Moving Truck
Once your journey has begun, there are a few extra security ideas to observe:
Attempt the truck out first. Drive your moving truck around town for several miles before filling. This is an excellent way to ensure 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 concern.
Secure your entire load with rope, bungee cables or straps. Truck rental business frequently rent these accessories.
Pay attention to all roadway indications that apply to trucks, which you've most likely found out to neglect. This includes separate speed limitations, lane limitations and overhead clearance limits.
Stop safely. Constantly offer yourself extra time and distance to stop the truck.
Prevent moving your load by driving slower than the surrounding traffic and using the brakes and accelerator gently.
Examine your side-view mirrors frequently, since there are no rear-view mirrors in moving trucks.
When it comes to stopping at weigh read this article stations, follow the law. These laws differ from one state to another, but ABF U-Pack has assembled a detailed 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 stops. Drive as gradually as needed to ensure your security.
Avoid backing up. Attempt to avoid scenarios where you'll require to back up your truck. When parking in a lot, for circumstances, search for 2 nearby empty spots so that you can drive directly through.
Buy the rental insurance coverage from the truck company. Without it, even slight damage to the truck can be expensive.
Moving Truck Alternatives
If you're truly worried about the idea of driving a 16-foot moving truck, think about the other cost-saving alternatives to full-service read this post here 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 provide 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 difficult for apartment or condo dwellers in thick urban locations.
If this is a problem, a few of these business 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 alternative, you'll probably still require to rent and drive a truck, and you'll need to move whatever twice on each end of the trip rather of just as soon as. You'll spare yourself the concern of a driving a box truck over a long distance.
Driving a moving truck isn't for everyone, however if you observe these best practices, you'll leave with a great sense of achievement and a little extra cash in your pocket.