Having weighed your relocation options carefully, you’ve reached the conclusion that moving on your own will best suit your moving needs.
- You’re moving locally? Check.
- You don’t have an excessive amount of household items to pack and move? Check.
- You have strong and reliable friends to help with the heavy lifting? Check.
- You know how to protect your property and keep personal injuries at bay? Check.
- You have selected the right size of rental truck? Check.
- You know how to properly load a moving truck? Check…wait, what?
In reality, choosing the right size of moving truck will end up being fruitless if you have no idea how to maximize the capacity of the truck rental. If you’ve never had to pack and load a moving truck before, there’s a high chance that you won’t be able to utilize the entire storage space inside the truck well enough and you may be forced to leave some of your household goods behind.
Take advantage of the following tips on how to load a moving truck effectively.
How to load a rented truck like a pro
- What items should be loaded first? Your fully packed and properly labeled moving boxes should be loaded first into the rented truck. Stack them vertically and go higher and higher against the back of the moving vehicle. Make sure the heaviest boxes stay at the bottom and the lighter and more fragile ones go on the top.
- Your large furniture pieces are next – lay a moving blanket on the floor, load any mattresses or box springs and place them vertically by the boxes and secure them to the side wall. Also, get in the rest of your furniture piece by piece (dressers, couches, sofas, etc.) and strap them to the side walls as well. The usual damage on the road occurs when heavy items rub against each other, so be sure to wrap the exposed surfaces with moving blankets, bubble wrap or old pieces of clothing for extra protection of your valuable possessions.
- Heavy kitchen appliances and packed wardrobe boxes should be loaded onto the truck last, secured well for safe transportation and unloaded first when the vehicle reaches its destination.
- Disengage the loading ramp, close the back of the rental truck securely and drive safely.
Safety tips when loading a moving truck
Safety should be your top priority when loading your rented moving vehicle. Try to always think a few steps ahead so that your household goods continue to serve you in the same condition that they left your old home.
- All moving trucks for rent have loading ramps that you are strongly recommended to use for your convenience. Make sure the ramp of your truck rental is fully extended, as well as perfectly clean and dry.
- Don’t forget to wrap your furniture pieces in protective blankets, bubble wrap or old rugs to avoid accidental damage during transport.
- While loading your rented moving vehicle, do your best judgment and skills to distribute the weight of your goods evenly from side to side and from back to front.
- Any types of movement inside the enclosed truck trailer are not recommended for safety reasons. One of the golden rules of packing and loading a moving truck is that each item inside the vehicle, as well as the entire shipment as a whole, should be as immobilized as possible. Use plenty of sturdy straps and long ropes to achieve that desired maximum immobilization of your household items.
- Mind what you wear on moving day for a safe truck loading experience. Don your most comfortable clothes according to the season and the current climatic conditions, and make sure your garments are not baggy, are made of flexible and breathable fabric and have secure pockets. Wear shoes that are fully enclosed and provide excellent traction and flexibility for your feet. Also, avoid wearing jewelry pieces that may get hooked onto something and compromise the safety of the entire loading operation.
Good luck!
