Interesting 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 different 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 ought to do to prepare:
Research your rental business alternatives, with specific 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 much safer to change lanes. If these functions are necessary to you, they may be worth paying a little extra for.
Estimate just how much truck area you'll need for all your things. Many truck rental companies provide guidelines to help you figure out what size truck you need, and it's important to lease the tiniest truck possible. Smaller sized trucks are not just cheaper, they're simpler to drive.
Consider recruiting a 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 2nd individual can also 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.
If this is your first time driving a moving truck, it might be worthwhile to lease a truck for a day just to practice. For in-town moves, truck leasings are frequently affordable.
Budget for gas. In basic, moving trucks get poor gas mileage, and longer trips might end up costing you numerous hundred dollars in gas.
When Driving a Moving Truck, Safety
As soon as your journey has actually begun, there are a few extra safety tips to observe:
Drive your moving truck around town for several miles prior to packing. If you discover a problem, take the truck back to the rental company and exchange it for another one.
Protect your entire load with rope, bungee cables or straps. Truck rental business often lease these accessories, too.
Take notice of all roadway signs that use to trucks, which you've most likely discovered to ignore. 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.
Follow the law when it concerns stopping at weigh stations. These laws differ from one state to another, but ABF U-Pack has actually compiled a detailed list of state weigh station laws for moving trucks.
Use care in mountains. Keep in mind that there will be stretches of road with no shoulder for emergency stops if you'll be driving a moving truck through mountains. You'll likewise require to get ready for steep hills and winding turns. Drive as gradually as necessary to guarantee your safety.
Prevent backing up. Attempt to prevent circumstances where you'll require to back up your truck. When parking in a lot, for example, look for 2 adjacent empty areas so that you can drive straight through.
Buy the rental insurance coverage from the truck company. Without it, even minor damage to the truck can be costly.
Moving Truck Alternatives
Think about the other cost-saving alternatives to full-service movers if you're really worried about the idea of driving a 16-foot moving truck.
There are numerous moving companies 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 use a variety 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 location to drop your containers at both your starting address and your location, so they can be difficult for house occupants in dense metropolitan locations.
If this is a problem, a few of these business will allow you to bring your products to a regional shipping browse this site depot and load them onto a truck or into shipping containers there. With this option, you'll most likely still require to drive a truck and lease, and you'll require to move everything two times on each end of the journey instead of just as soon as. But you'll spare yourself the worry of a driving a box truck over a cross country.
Driving a moving truck isn't for everyone, however if you observe these best practices, you'll win a terrific sense of accomplishment and a little additional money in your pocket.