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When you move, one of the most important things you
need to plan is what size truck to rent. First and foremost - it is
cost effective to get a truck large enough to move all of your
things in one trip. Many
truck rental companies offer extremely
reasonable daily rental rates for their vehicles, but the mileage
charge will quickly increase your bill, especially if you have to
make several trips. When combined with the price of gas on what will
be a very low-mileage vehicle, truck rentals can quickly become a
very expensive proposition. Beyond price,
time is a factor. While the bulk of your move will be spent loading
and unloading boxes, making multiple trips will waste a lot of
daylight hours. And if you happen to have friends helping with the
move, it will be much easier to coordinate if they only need to
travel from your old home to your new home once.
With that in mind, how can you tell what size of
truck to get? Typically, the smallest vehicle available is a 10'
truck - this will be large enough to move a studio apartment. For
larger trucks, simply take the number of bedrooms in your current
home and add 4' to your truck for each one. If you have a 2 bedroom
home, you need 18' (the standard size is 17' - that is fine). For a
4 bedroom, you need 26'. Of course, this is just a guide. The amount
of space you will need does depend on the amount of furniture you
have, as well as the dimensions of the items you are moving.
Remember when packing to conserve space. Try and
pack your possessions in boxes that are uniform in size. It is easy
to gather a random mix of boxes, but if your boxes are uniform in
size, they are much easier to stack inside the truck, and move in
and out with a dolly. Your truck is measured in length, but keep in
mind that you have a set volume to fill. Use up every cubic inch of
space you can - the less space you waste with mixed size boxes and
short piles, the more space you have with larger furniture items
like couches that aren't so easy to stack.
When all else fails, call your local rental
company. Every one of them will be able to tell you the ideal size
truck for your move.
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