How to Pack a Moving Truck
Tips for Packing a Moving Truck
Unless you’ve moved many times in your life, you likely don’t know how to pack a moving truck or even where to start. Many new movers will begin packing and realize halfway through that they’ve packed inefficiently and are out of space. Or worse, you realize when you arrive at your new home that you did not pack your moving truck properly and items have shifted during transit and are damaged. Knowing how to efficiently and effectively pack a moving truck can help keep your items safe. It can also help cut down on costs and time it takes to pack the truck and move. Here are 8 easy tips on how to pack a moving truck.
Figure Out What Size Moving Truck You’ll Need
A month or so before your move, you’ll want to reserve a moving truck with the truck rental coming of your choice. Most moving truck rental companies have a few different sizes to choose from. It may be tempting to go for the smallest, cheapest option. Make sure to only do this if all of your items can fit in one trip. Otherwise, you’ll end up spending more money because you’ll be spending more time and gas going back and forth. If you don’t know what size you’ll need, reach out to the moving truck rental company and they will be able to help you select the size that’s right for you.
Gather Materials
Before your moving truck arrives, gather all materials that you will need. For furniture and heavy boxes, make sure to have a dolly on hand. Many moving trucks will come equipped with one. Purchase a few furniture pads to protect furniture from getting scratched or damaged. Covering the edges of your furniture will also protect other fragile items and boxes from getting damaged if anything shifts during transit. Have an extra roll of packing tape on hand. Lastly, make sure to have straps to tie down all items in the truck to keep them from moving around during the trip.
Keep Valuables Aside
While packing your home, set aside important documents and fragile or valuable items. These items should be placed in the cab of the moving truck with you. This ensures that they stay safe, in your view, and avoid damage from items in the back of the moving truck shifting.
Disassemble Furniture
To save space and avoid having many large items in your moving truck, disassemble as many furniture items as possible. This will help you take advantage of the space in your truck, assist with evenly distributing weight, and avoid damage caused by the large furniture piece. See if you can disassemble large pieces like dining room tables, bed frames, headboards, desks, and dressers. If you are unable to take them apart, consider storing smaller, more fragile items inside of their drawers to avoid damage.
Distribute Weight Evenly
When packing a moving truck, it is essential to make sure the weight is distributed evenly. By doing this, you simplify the loading and unloading process. It will also make it easier to control the moving truck while driving. This can be done by strategically placing heavy items at the front of the moving truck and medium items on the sides and center.
Load Heavy, Large Items First
When learning how to pack a moving truck, you should always start by loading the heaviest and largest items first. If you load your boxes and small items first, you risk filling up the moving truck and leaving no room for the largest items. Instead, load your washer, dryer, refrigerator, and other heavy, large furniture into the moving truck. Push it all the way to the front of the moving truck, up against the cab. Use moving straps to secure all large items. Use packing tape to secure any doors or drawers that may fly open. Protect all sharp edges with furniture pads.
Load Medium Weight Items Second
After packing your moving truck with heavy items, start filling the center and sides with medium weight items. Mattresses, box springs, and frames should all go against the left side of the moving truck, secured with moving straps. Place sofas and couches against the right side of the moving truck and secure them with moving straps as well. Medium weight boxes can be placed around the other furniture items, as long as they are secured and there is no risk of being crushed if anything shifts during transit.
Place Large Items Vertically
To maximize the space in your moving truck, all large furniture items should be placed upright. This includes couches, headboards, and tables. Utilizing vertical space allows more room on the floor of the moving truck for boxes and other items.
Load Lightest Items Last
Finally, once all other items are loaded into the moving truck, finish packing by loading all lightweight and miscellaneous items. Be sure to place lighter items on top of furniture or large boxes. If they are placed underneath or next to anything that could move, they may be crushed.
Once you know how to pack a moving truck, you can successfully pack and move your items with ease. Make sure to keep all heavy items on the floor of the truck and light items on top. Now that you know how to pack your moving truck, it’s time to get packing with our 25 Easy Moving Packing Tips!
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