Interesting as it is, moving is a pain. There's the packing, 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 add a significant expense to what is currently a pricey procedure.
Which's how some movers all of a sudden discover themselves behind the wheel of a truck that's a number of 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 big, 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 specific attention to the functions of their moving trucks. Modern trucks have tools like rear-facing video to aid with supporting and blind area sensing units that make it more secure to alter lanes. They might be worth paying a little extra for if these features are important to you.
Estimate just how much truck area you'll require for all your things. A lot of truck rental companies provide guidelines to help you figure out what size truck you need, and it is essential to lease the tiniest truck possible. Smaller sized trucks are not just more economical, they're simpler to drive.
Think about recruiting a buddy to join you on your moving journey. You can take turns driving if it's another skilled chauffeur and your truck rental contract allows it. Having a second individual can also be available in handy if you need somebody to direct you in supporting the truck.
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 threatens to fumble with your device while driving any vehicle, not to mention a fully-loaded moving truck.
If this is your very first time driving a moving truck, it may be beneficial to rent a truck more info for a day simply to practice. For in-town relocations, truck rentals are often low-cost.
Budget plan for gas. In general, moving trucks get poor gas mileage, and longer journeys could wind up costing you a number of hundred dollars in gas.
Safety When Driving a Moving Truck
As soon as your journey has actually begun, there are a couple of extra safety tips to observe:
Attempt the truck out initially. Drive your moving truck around town for numerous miles before loading. This is an excellent method to ensure the truck is running smoothly which there are no mechanical problems. If you find a problem, take the truck back to the rental company and exchange it for another one.
Secure your whole load with rope, bungee cables or straps. Truck rental companies typically lease these accessories, too.
Take notice of all roadway signs that use to trucks, which you've most likely 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.
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 vary from one state to another, but ABF U-Pack has actually 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 roadway with no shoulder for emergency stops. 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 spots so that you can drive directly through.
Buy the rental insurance coverage from the truck company. Without it, even small damage to the truck can be pricey.
Moving Truck Alternatives
Think about the other cost-saving options to full-service movers if you're really worried about the idea of driving a 16-foot moving truck.
There are a number of 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 provide 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 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. 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 win an excellent sense of accomplishment and a little money in your pocket.