Packing a truck requires careful planning. You’ll find it hard to unload later on if you don’t arrange your belongings properly. See, the main objective when putting things into the truck should be to maximize available space. Your next concern should be distributing the weight evenly and securing fragile items.
If you’re here, you must be lost on how to execute this operation. Luckily, you’ve come across the most comprehensive guide on packing a truck for moving long distances. Here’s how to do it:
Find the Appropriate Truck Size
The success of packing a truck starts with proper planning. You want to make sure that you rent a truck that meets your needs.
- Don’t settle for less. True, a smaller truck might seem temptingly cheaper than a large one. However, smaller vehicles may not be enough to fit your belongings, and you’ll end up making more than one trip. Get a truck that’s large enough to fit everything.
- Truck sizes are based on minimum room content. For example, a company may advertise that a 15-foot truck can hold two rooms of furniture. However, this may only consider the bare essentials for each room, such as one couch, a mini-table, and two chairs for the living room. Keep this in mind so you can accommodate the necessary space for extra furniture.
- A general rule of thumb according to Castorage, three feet of truck space is equivalent to one room. That means a 20-ft truck can hold up to five rooms’ worth of home items. But this is just an estimate. The actual space required still depends on the amount and size of your furniture.
Prepare Your Packing & Loading Supplies
Make sure everything is ready before you start. It’s not ideal to start loading, only to realize you forgot to rent a dolly.
Here’s a list of basic materials and equipment that you’ll need:
- Sturdy cardboard boxes
- Packing paper and bubble wrap
- Packing tape
- Furniture pads
- Moving blankets and sheets
- Mattress bag
- Ropes, tie-downs, and moving straps
Pack with the mindset that your belongings will be subject to impact and vibrations during transit. Apply furniture padding and wrap smaller items with bubble wrap.
Ask Friends for Help
Admit it. No matter how strong you are, there will be furniture you won’t be able to carry on your own. Invite your friends to come over and assist you. Besides, the more, the merrier. Don’t forget the incentives, though! Pizza and beer are always a great way to convince friends to assist.
Take Apart Bulky Furniture
Before you begin to load your stuff, measure the doorways, and take furniture dimensions to ensure pieces can pass through the openings. Once everything’s outside your house, decide whether to load the furniture as is or take it apart. It’s advisable to disassemble dining tables, bed frames, desks, headboards, and drawers. If you can’t dismantle something, try to put boxes on top or underneath it to maximize your space.
Load Items from Heaviest to Lightest
This idea was created primarily to make it easier to unload later on.
- Place large and heavy furniture first. Shove these items all the way to the back of the cab. Balance the truck by distributing the weight on both sides.
- Arrange furniture in an upright vertical position. Loading objects horizontally makes them consume more precious space.
- Add furniture padding for wood edges and surfaces. You can rent extra padding from your rental company. Secure moving blankets with packing tape or movers’ wrap, being careful not to apply tape directly to the surface of any pieces.
- After the heavy items, medium-sized boxes come next. This includes smaller furniture and appliances, like mirrors and TVs.
- Finally, secure the fragile objects. Make sure to cloak breakables with adequate layers of bubble wrap and packing paper. Position fragile items at the top of the truck, where they won’t get crushed. Be sure to secure with adequate tie-downs, so these breakables won’t slide around during transit.
Hire Professional Long-Distance Movers
After reading through the above, don’t you think that it’s too much of a hassle, risky, and complicated? Not to mention there’s no insurance if your items are damaged.
That’s why it is best to hire professional movers. They are trained professionals with plenty of experience in relocating homes. With their help, you won’t have to stress over logistics. You won’t have to exhaust yourself lifting heavy furniture. You won’t have to spend money on equipment that you’ll probably use only once or twice. And ultimately, you won’t have to worry about the safety of your belongings. Every single task that movers perform aims to provide you a hassle-free moving experience.
Conclusion
Packing a truck shouldn’t be a struggle. You just have to know what you’re doing. But if you ever decide that your move is bigger than what you expected, don’t hesitate to hire a long-distance moving company.
But of course, don’t just hire a good one. Make sure to choose among the best!