Interesting as it is, moving is a pain. There's the packaging, the lifting, the unpacking-- and somewhere therein, you actually have to move your things from one house to another. You can always employ specialists to do this, but that can include a considerable expense to what is currently an expensive process.
Which's how some movers suddenly find themselves behind the wheel of a truck that's a number of feet longer and several thousand pounds heavier than anything they have actually ever driven in their lives.
Driving a moving truck can be intimidating, however it's not difficult. With an understanding of what's different about driving such a big, heavy vehicle, any skilled motorist can transport their own possessions without excessive stress. And the savings from doing so can be considerable.
How to Prepare to Drive a Moving Truck
If you're all set for the challenge of driving a moving truck, there are a few essential things you need to do to prepare:
Research your rental company alternatives, with specific attention to the features of their moving trucks. Modern trucks have tools like rear-facing video to assist with backing up and blind area sensors that make it much safer to alter lanes. They may be worth paying a little additional for if these functions are crucial to you.
Estimate how much truck space you'll need for all your things. A lot of truck rental business use guidelines to help you determine what size truck you require, and it's important to lease the smallest truck possible. Smaller trucks are not only cheaper, they're easier to drive.
Consider recruiting a pal to join you on your moving journey. You can take turns driving if it's another skilled motorist and your truck rental agreement permits it. If you need someone to direct you in backing up the truck, having a second person can likewise come in helpful.
Purchase a GPS install. 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 unsafe to fumble with your gadget while driving any vehicle, 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 leasings are typically low-cost.
Spending plan for gas. In basic, moving trucks get bad gas mileage, and longer journeys might wind up costing you a number of hundred dollars in gas.
When Driving a Moving check here Truck, Safety
When your journey has begun, there are a few additional safety suggestions to observe:
Try the truck out. Drive your moving truck around town for a number of miles before packing. This is an excellent way to ensure the truck is running smoothly and that there are no mechanical issues. If you find a concern, take the truck back to the rental business and exchange it for another one.
Protect your entire load with rope, bungee cords or straps. Truck rental companies often rent these accessories, as well.
Focus on all road signs that apply to trucks, which you've probably found out to overlook. This consists of separate speed limits, lane restrictions and overhead clearance limitations.
Stop securely. Constantly provide yourself extra time and distance to stop the truck.
Prevent moving your load by driving slower than the surrounding traffic and utilizing the brakes and accelerator gently.
Check your side-view mirrors often, because there are no rear-view mirrors in moving trucks.
Follow the law when it comes to stopping at weigh stations. These laws differ from one state to another, but ABF U-Pack has compiled a thorough 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 stops. Drive as slowly as essential to guarantee your safety.
Avoid supporting. Attempt to avoid situations where you'll require to support your truck. When parking in a lot, for example, look for 2 nearby empty spots so that you can drive directly through.
Purchase the rental insurance from the truck company. Without it, even minor damage to the truck can be expensive.
Moving Truck Alternatives
Think about the other cost-saving options to full-service movers if you're Homepage truly worried about the concept 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 dumping. ABF U-Pack, PODS, 1-800-PACK-RAT and a number of other competitors offer a range of shipping container types that you can fill over the course of a few days. In order to utilize these services, you'll need a location to drop your containers at both your beginning address and your destination, so they can be difficult for apartment or condo residents in dense city areas.
If this is a problem, a few of these companies will permit 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 drive a truck and rent, and you'll require to move everything two times on each end of the journey instead of simply when. You'll spare yourself the concern of a driving a box truck over a long distance.
Driving a moving truck isn't for everybody, but if you observe these finest Clicking Here practices, you'll leave with a great sense of achievement and a little additional money in your pocket.