Fill Up The Moving Truck

When you are comparing your moving truck rentals, if you have the option of renting a moving truck that takes diesel gasoline, choose the diesel moving truck over those that take regular gasoline. Diesel moving trucks will get your better gas mileage and more pulling power for your load. If you are driving long distance, you will save a lot more money filling your truck with diesel.

Memorize the Height of Rental Truck

When you pick up your rental truck, ask for the height of the truck. It is important that you know the height of your truck you rent and keep an eye open for height signs before overpasses, bridges, and tunnels that are marked. The height requirements usually give a few inches lead but you do not want to take a chance of getting stuck under an overpass, bridge or tunnel.

It is also important to be aware of what roads you can and not take, while driving the rental truck.

Packing AND Moving Your Own Appliance

When you are preparing to move and relocate your appliance. It is a good idea to clean out your appliance before your pack them and let them dry out completely.

Toaster: Tip the toaster upside down to empty out all the crumbs out of the toaster.

Refrigerator and Freezer: Should be cleaned out really well before moving them. To prevent the fridge from smelling use one of these tips: wipe out the fridge with a damp cloth with vanilla essence, dry out the fridge with a hair dryer especially the corners, and/or put silica gel in the fresh department or fine blend coffee in a piece of muslin, these will soak up any extra moisture. When you have cleaned out the fridge and defrosted the frigeratorfreezer keep the doors slightly open to keep the air circulating just before you move them.

Practice Driving Your Moving Rental Truck

When you first pick up your rental truck for moving day, it is most likely larger then your normal car or truck. It is a good idea to take the rental truck to a large empty parking lot and practice driving, moving the truck around, backing up, and parallel parking. The more you practice with the truck the better you will do when you have to back the truck down your driveway, parallel park in front of your house, or get around tight corners and small streets.

Rent a Moving Truck With a Lift Gate

If you have the option of renting a moving truck with a ramp or a lift gate, go for the lift gate. The lift gate will help make your loading and unloading of the truck a little easier, by allowing you to have big furniture items lifted up and down with ease. If you do go for the lift gate option, find out how it works and make sure it is in working condition before you leave the rental location. It would be awful if the lift gate malfunctioned and started spitting out hydraulic fluid all over your driveway, forcing you to have to create your own ramp or lift items up into truck.

Over Night Key Drop Off

When you are working out your moving truck rental agreement, ask the company if they have a night key drop off and what the hours of return rentals are. Since you will be mainly using your moving rental truck during the day, see if you can return the rental truck in the evening when you are done with your move. Returning the rental truck in the evening can help cut your cost down a day and allow you to start unpacking the next morning without having to return the rental truck.

A Bigger Moving Van is Better

After you decide that you are going to move yourself, and you make some phone calls to round up some helpers, next you need to rent a van. The next question is "What size should you rent?”

When you are deciding on moving truck size several factors come into consideration: distance between locations, how many people will be helping, whether there are other vehicles being used for the move, time frame, and pricing.

If you have the option, always take the larger size moving van. It is easier to pack up and load one truck and drive to your new location then spending all your time driving back and forth. Another reason to go for the larger size is that there are always more items then you expect to load in the van and often packing the van and larger items maybe take up a lot of the room you had planned for some boxes or other items.

So the bigger the van the less traveling time, number of trips, and manpower involved.

Moving Truck Rental Break Down

Before you leave your truck rental agency, make sure you go over what to do in case the truck breaks down or has any engine trouble. Have your rental agent walk you through what to do if the truck malfunctions, who do you call, who can service truck, will they provide a replacement, what happens with items on truck if it breaks down, will you get the day free, these are important questions to clarify before any problems occur.

What Size Rental Truck Will I Need?

The size of the truck you rent should depend on the size of your household and how much you need transported. Many truck rental companies will go by the number of bedrooms you are moving. For example, if you have a three bedroom house you can choose from a 17 foot truck or a 24 foot truck (size will vary by company).

If your three bedroom house is very small and doesn't include a basement or shed, etc or more than one bathroom, you may be able to fit your belongings on a truck that is 16 or 17 feet. However, if you have three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a basement and a shed out back, you may want to look at a truck around 24 feet. It really all depends on what you are moving. If you have a lot of large items, such as a washer and dryer and a refrigerator along with your other household items, you won't want to reserve a truck that is small in size, because those big items will take up a lot of space.

The best way to determine what size of truck rental is best for you is to really take a long look at your belongings, maybe a make list of everything you must pack, and then check out different companies truck sizes and then make an informed decision before reserving your rental truck.

How to Rent a Moving Truck

Before you move you'll need to rent a moving truck. Are you confused about how to go about doing this?

First you will want to determine how big of a truck rental you need. Jot down all the rooms of your home and any large items that must be moved. Then compare that to the trucks that are offered for rent at each company you are considering.

Second, compare prices for as many companies as possible for the prices of the truck you wish to reserve. Which company offers you the best deal? Does the company offer extras for a minimal fee or are they charging you an outrageous amount for accessories?

Third, decide which company you wish to go with. Once you have done this you can either reserve the truck online through the company website, or you can call the customer service number given to you to reserve the truck you need.

You will need your credit card as payment and you will most likely be charged a reservation fee or a deposit, which with many companies is refunded when the truck is returned safely and in good shape after the move is complete.

Driving Your Rental Truck Long Distance

Are you renting a moving truck with the intention of driving it a long distance? The following tips may help you when driving that rental truck and make it as smooth as possible.

• Before driving, sit in the truck and get the feel of it, look around and check out all of its bells and whistles. Simply finding where everything is before embarking on a trip can make driving the truck much smoother.
• Remember that trucks that are larger will make wider turns and take longer to stop. Take this into account when driving.
• How tall your truck is, is an important thing to remember. Low clearances may affect you, as the truck may be too tall to fit under it. Knowing how tall the truck is before embarking on your journey can save a huge hassle.
• Does your rental truck take diesel fuel or regular gas? If it takes diesel, make sure you know ahead of time some gas stations that carry diesel fuel of which you can stop at on your trip- not every gas station offers diesel fuel.

There are many other things to take into account when driving a rental truck, especially when driving one a long distance. Make sure you read all documents given to you ahead of time and make sure to have your trip well mapped out before you begin!

What Else You May Need

You may be asking yourself once you have your moving truck reserved, just what else you might need that can help make this move as smooth as possible.

If you are towing a moving truck trailer you may need a hitch for your vehicle. You can usually purchase these hitches and their accessories at the rental company in which you are renting the trailer.

You will definitely want a truck rental that has a lift attached to the truck. This makes for easy loading of items. You will also want a dolly for bringing large number of boxes or bigger items from your home to the truck.

Check with the rental company about any other items they recommend to make your move smoother.

Truck Rental Insurance

As you are renting a moving truck the rental agent will ask you if :

• You want to purchase rental insurance on the vehicle, for an additional fee of course.
• You will be asked if you want to purchase optional damage waivers, which exclude you from any damage or theft of the rental truck or equipment.
• You may be asked if you want to purchase supplemental liability insurance which will exclude you from having to pay for any injuries or property damage another party may claim occurred due to an accident.
• The rental agent may ask you if you want personal damage insurance, which covers you while you are in the vehicle.

If you choose to pay an additional fee, you will simply check "accept" on the written agreement you are signing as part of your rental and be on your way. Many people think this type of additional rental insurance is a necessity. What you should first do before signing any paperwork and accepting this additional insurance is to check with your auto insurance agent. Your auto insurance may cover accidents or damage to rental trucks or cars and this added insurance isn't needed. However, if your auto insurance does not cover moving truck rental, you should seriously consider paying the additional amount to cover yourself. It is better to be safe than sorry.

One Way Truck Rental

Many companies offer discounts on one-way rentals while other major companies do not offer one-way rentals at all. You need to do some research on which companies offer one-way truck rentals and which do not.

The best way to do research on who offers one-way truck rentals is to do an Internet search engine search for "moving truck rentals" and then compare prices. You can also call local moving truck rental companies in your area to get information about one-way truck rentals for moving.

If you want to do your own packing but don't feel like driving your belongings to your new location, you may want to consider a Upack type of moving company who will drive your belongings to their new location in a truck or moving pod. You are responsible for loading and unloading your belongings, but this type of moving truck rental is becoming increasingly popular for one-way moves. A little more expensive in price but well worth it if you don't want the hassle of driving a truck from one city to another.

Budget Truck Rentals

A budget truck rental is a great way to save more during your moving or relocating process. One way to get a budget truck rental is to try to plan your move during a time when rental moving trucks aren't quite as expensive. If you can do your move during the week, from a Monday to a Thursday, you can save money on your rental truck. Rental truck companies generally raise the prices on their rental vehicles on the weekends because that is when the trucks are most in demand- it is easier for many people to move on a weekend so they don't have to take time off of work and it is easier for them to get help from friends for loading and unloading. If you can set up your move for a weekday, you can save some money.

Try to rent your moving truck as far in advance as possible and reserve it on the Internet. Many companies offer deals for those who rent early and reserve their rental truck online. You can sometimes save yourself 20% or more on your moving truck rental when you reserve it this way.

Another way to save money on your moving truck rental or moving van is to move in the winter. Yes, moving in the winter months can be a pain but many rental truck companies offer discounts on their trucks during winter time, simply because it is a slower rental time and they are trying to get as much business as possible during a sluggish time, thus offering discounts to those who move during the colder months. Moving in the winter isn't possible for everyone, but if you can plan far enough ahead and are able to do so, you may want to think about moving in the winter to save yourself some money.

Rent a Moving Truck With a Lift Gate

You may want to also consider renting a rental trailer instead of a large moving truck. If you decide to rent a rental trailer instead, it is better to rent an enclosed trailer then an open trailer to protect your items from rain and wind. You also want to make sure that you have a strong enough vehicle that can tow the weight of the rental trailer.

Over Night Key Drop Off

If you want the pick of the litter and the best truck available, make sure you get to the truck rental location early in the morning. Even if you reserve a truck, if you arrive late they may have given the best trucks to earlier pick-ups. So arrive early to get the newest truck with the least amount of miles and ensure a smooth move with your truck rental.

Moving Truck Rental Break Down

In the cab of the moving truck you rent, check to see if they provided a fire extinguisher in case of a fire, triangles for safety if you happen to break down and a wheel chuck to prevent your truck from rolling on an incline. These items should be in the inside cab of all moving trucks for safety.

Check to Make Sure You Get a Clean Truck

If you are planning on a one way truck rental, to drive your possessions to your new locations and then drop your moving truck off at a different moving truck rental location, check prices of returning your truck to nearby rental agencies. You will find that there are different rates for different drop off locations.

Moving Truck Rentals, Packages and Specials

If you are looking for budget truck rentals, try contacting the truck rental company in the middle of the month and scheduling your move for mid-month. You will save a substantial amount of money if you do not need your rental truck in the beginning or at the end of the month, when most people need to move in and out of their locations.

Check to Make Sure You Get a Clean Truck

When you pick up your moving truck, check the inside of the truck to make sure it is clean and free of debris. You do not want to waste time on your moving day emptying and cleaning a truck you are probably paying for by hour or by day for. Having a clean and empty box truck will help you to save time and keep your possessions clean. It will also help get your move off to a good start.

Fill Up The Moving Truck

Before you leave the rental location, make sure you know if the truck you rented takes regular or diesel gasoline. Filling up the truck with the wrong gasoline may destroy the engine. Also take a look to see what side of the truck the gas cap is on, so you know which side to pull up to the gas pump.

Check to See if Your Car Insurance Covers You

Before you make any calls about renting a moving truck, call you car auto insurance company and find out if your personal auto insurance also covers you for car or truck rentals.

The rental company will offer you rental insurance for an additional fee. Often your personal auto insurance policy will cover you for any car or truck rentals you make. Paying for the additional coverage through the rental agency will double insure you for something you already have, wasting unnecessary money.

Check with your auto insurance company first, it can save you money!

License to Drive a Moving Truck

When you are renting a moving truck, it is important to ask if you need any special endorsements or licenses to drive the truck, such as a CDL License. A CDL License varies by location but is usually determined by size and weight of the truck rented.

You want to make sure that you are legally able to drive the truck. Often the larger moving trucks require a CDL License or special certification or experience to drive. Many rental agencies also do not rent vans or trucks to individuals under the age of 25.

The last thing you want on your moving day is a run in with the law.

Moving Truck Rentals, Packages and Specials

When you are renting a moving truck, ask your rental agent about any specials they may be running, such as unlimited miles and any options available to you and your rental.

When you are speaking to your rental agent tell them the length of time and use for the truck and ask what they recommend. Many times it is cheaper to rent a truck for a week rather than per day. Find out about all the packages the rental company offers and then determine what is best for you and your situation.

A Bigger Moving Van is Better

Call for pricing from the well-known moving truck companies such as Penske, U-Haul, and Budget before you pick your moving company. The large moving truck companies specialize in renting big trucks and may be able to find a better cost for your needs.