Cautious Driving with Truck Rental

For those who are not used to driving trucks, a truck rental vehicle is a bit of a challenge. Do not assume that because you possess a valid driver’s license or you are competent at driving a regular vehicle, that you can drive a truck rental. The larger the size of the moving truck rental, the more difficult it is going to be to manage.

The key to driving a budget truck rental is being cautious and knowing the truck’s attributes before starting out on your journey. Some of the key points to recognize when driving a truck rental are as follows:

Length of Budget Truck Rental

• When making a turn, especially a right hand turn, take the length of the truck rental vehicle into consideration so you do not ride up on the curb. When making a left turn, judge yourself according with the truck rental vehicle so you stay in the road space and again do not overshoot the lane and end up on the curb.
• Watch for pedestrians as the length of the moving truck rental vehicle may prevent you from seeing people standing at the corner or close to the curb.

Blind Spots

• The budget truck rental vehicle will have blind spots in different places than your car. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust your mirrors before leaving the truck rental lot and also, make sure that you can see out of the mirrors.
• Be extremely careful of bicycles riding along side the moving truck rental vehicle to ensure that you do not side scrape them and knock the rider of his bike.

Height of Budget Truck Rental Vehicle

• Indeed, some bridges are going to be a problem for a moving truck rental if the brides are low. All bridges have signs posted before the bridge in order to warn motorists about the maximum height of the bridge. Write down the height of the truck rental so you have it handy when you are driving.
• Another spot that is going to be problematic for truck rental vehicles are parking garages. These garages usually have a long yellow bar to the entrance with the height marked on the bar in black. Take special note of the marked height, as you do not want to pay for damages both to the budget truck rental agency and the garage property owners.

Width of Budget Truck Rental

• The lanes for drive-through windows for banking machines and food outlets may not be wide enough for bigger truck rental vehicles to pass. It would be prudent to leave the truck rental vehicle in the parking lot or on the street and go inside to conduct your business. Again, the budget truck rental may prove costly when you are responsible for damages.

Need to Brake Sooner

• Many factors go into the successful braking of a vehicle. For larger moving truck rentals, the longer the vehicle, the more space you will need to brake and actually stop the truck rental vehicle.
• The weight of the truck rental is another factor to remember, as the weight will push the moving truck rental vehicle even farther forward careening into things in its path.
• No matter how well your belongings are stored in the cargo of the truck rental, braking hard will cause things to fall down and possibly smash up your possessions both inside and outside of boxes.
• If you are braking hard on a curve, it will be almost impossible to control the moving truck rental vehicle trying to brake and turn it at the same time.

Watch Speed Limit Signs

• Some areas reduce speed limits for trucks so pay attention to the designated speed. Also, remember that even if the speed is not reduced, it is always harder to drive a truck rental at higher speeds than a car or small pickup truck.

Weight of Vehicle

• You should know the weight of the budget truck rental and watch for any signs that may require you to enter weigh stations. Some state lines also have inspection stations.

Caution through Residential Areas

• Move cautiously through residential areas as small children may be playing and there may not be sidewalks for pedestrians.
• In older areas of cities, the roads or lanes may be skinnier than normal so drive the truck rental slowly.

Observe Parking Signs

• In some cities, certain areas have no parking signs posted on the street. Heavy fines and towing are usually imposed. Before you even move to your new location, find out the city restrictions so you can make arrangements in advance for your truck rental vehicle.
• Some areas and streets post no trucks allowed at all on the street. In this case, know how you are going to get into where you need to go with your truck rental. Find out the truck routes in advance.
• Lastly, inquire about city by-laws controlling parking over night. It may be permitted during certain times of the day but many neighborhoods in large metropolitan cities do not allow trucks to be parked overnight in front of houses.

Tight Curves

• Pay particular attention to signs that warn you of tight or narrow curves and reduced speeds. These curves can cause bigger moving truck rentals to tip over leaving you in the ditch and possibly causing another accident when everyone else behind you plows into your truck rental vehicle.

Full and Empty

• The truck rental vehicle will handle differently depending on whether the truck rental is empty or full. You will just have gotten used to driving the truck rental stored with all your belongings, and then things will be different on the way back to the moving truck rental agency because the truck rental is empty.

Add-ons are Difficult

• When you add other pieces to the truck rental vehicle, it is going to get tricky. For instance, you decide to rent a towing bar for your car so you do not have to drive it. Now the truck rental vehicle that you are driving is longer and you may not even see the car on the back. Pulling another trailer behind the truck rental will always prove difficult when maneuvering corners.

Backing Up Truck Rental

• Try to avoid backing up a large moving truck rental. The problems from blind spots will be exaggerated plus it may be difficult to determine how close the truck rental vehicle is to other objects and people.
• Backing up with a tow bar attached to the truck rental may also cause the bar to snap and your trailer or car to become free.

Type of Gas

• If you are driving a long distance with your truck rental vehicle, know the type of gas required. If it is diesel or propane, you need to make sure you have sufficient gas in the truck rental tank to get you to the next outlet. Do not assume all gas stations pump diesel and propane gas. Keep the truck rental tank full when you see a station with the correct gas.