Amazing as it is, moving is a pain. There's the packaging, the lifting, the unpacking-- and someplace therein, you in fact need to move your things from one home to another. You can always hire experts to do this, but that can include a substantial expense to what is currently a pricey procedure.
Which's how some movers unexpectedly discover themselves behind the wheel of a truck that's numerous 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 frightening, however it's possible. With an understanding of what's various about driving such a large, heavy vehicle, 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 features 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. If these functions are very important to you, they might deserve paying a little additional for.
Quote how much truck space you'll need for all your things. Most truck rental business use standards to assist you determine what size truck you require, and it is necessary to rent the smallest truck possible. Smaller trucks are not only less pricey, they're much easier to drive.
Think about hiring a good friend to join you on your moving journey. If it's another knowledgeable motorist and your truck rental agreement enables it, you can take turns driving. If you need someone to direct you in backing up the truck, having a second individual can also come in useful.
Buy a GPS install. Buy a quality phone or GPS mount that you can install in the truck if you prepare to use GPS on the trip. It threatens to fumble with your gadget while driving any automobile, not to mention a fully-loaded moving truck.
Get some practice. It might be worthwhile to rent a truck for a day simply to practice if this is your very first time driving a moving truck. For in-town moves, truck rentals are typically low-cost. Practice can help you with things like turning and getting utilized to the size of the automobile, but keep in mind that your truck will manage in a different way when it's packed with all your things.
Spending plan for gas. In general, moving trucks get poor gas mileage, and longer journeys could end up costing you numerous hundred dollars in gas.
Safety When Driving a Moving Truck
As soon as your journey has begun, there are a couple of extra safety pointers to observe:
Attempt the truck out first. Drive your moving truck around town for a number of miles before filling. This is a great way to make certain 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 find 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 have actually 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 using the brakes and accelerator 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, however ABF U-Pack has compiled 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 road with no shoulder for emergency situation stops. Drive as slowly as needed to ensure your security.
Avoid supporting. Attempt to avoid scenarios where you'll need to support your truck. When parking in a lot, for instance, try to find two nearby 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
Consider the other cost-saving alternatives to full-service movers if you're genuinely nervous about the concept of driving a 16-foot moving truck.
There are several moving business 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 offer 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 destination, so they can be challenging for home dwellers in thick urban areas.
If this is an issue, some of these companies will permit you to bring your items to a local shipping depot and load them onto a truck or into shipping containers there. With this alternative, you'll probably still need to lease and drive a truck, and you'll need to move pop over to these guys whatever twice on each end of the trip rather of just when. You'll spare yourself the concern of a driving a box truck over a long range.
Driving a moving truck isn't for everyone, but if you observe these finest practices, you'll walk away with a fantastic sense of achievement and a little extra money in your pocket.