Tips to Pack and Load a Moving Truck

Though it seems exciting to move house it isn't a fast and easy process. If you rent a moving truck, you will save the cost of hiring a moving company or a driver. But you will need to learn how to pack and load your belongings into a moving truck.

You should make use of the track space properly as this would reduce your chances of making many trips. This will also help you to distribute the weight equally in the truck. Learning the ways to pack a moving truck will help you prevent the damage of fragile products.

Starting with the correct positioning of furniture and the packing of smaller items, you can maximize the space by properly loading your belongings into the truck. You will find a step-by-step process for packing and loading your moving truck just like a professional without damaging your belongings.

Collect proper packing supplies

• To protect your belongings during transit, you should gather the right amount of packing supplies.
• You need to obtain sufficient strong boxes, packing tape, packing paper, and a moving dolly that will help you load more heavy items.
• Consider using furniture pads or moving blankets to fill the gaps after hauling the items into the moving truck. By using them you can eliminate the risk of shifting and wearing while on the move.
• You can buy a mattress bag to cover the mattress and straps which will help you hold the items in place.
• If you want to leave a few of your belongings in a storage unit, make sure to use sufficient packing supplies and keep them secure.

Tip: You can get free moving boxes from your local supermarket, bookstore or even liquor store as you might want to reduce your moving expenses.

Take apart the furniture

Furniture occupies a lot of space while packing a truck. To reduce space, you should consider disassembling your furniture first and then pulling it apart. You can disassemble a table, bedframe as well as a desk, but ensure to tape their pieces together. Also, consider doing the same for longer items like a pole and skin or a lamp base and lamp parts.

For instance, if you take apart a dining table you can easily load it upright into the moving truck. However, if you find it hard to disassemble a big piece of furniture you can use its drawers to keep the moving boxes or any small item. By doing this you can make maximum use of the truck space and ensure to evenly distribute the weight of the furniture.

Load the heaviest and largest items first

• Consider packing the heaviest items first into the moving truck as you might not want to crush or even damage your other items. Bedframes, mattresses, couches, stoves, coffee tables and refrigerators are a few such heavy items.
• Ensure to load the heaviest item in front toward the driver’s cabin.

Tip: To save space you can put the small household items inside the bigger appliances.

Load the fragile items and moving boxes

Once you have loaded the heavy items into the moving truck consider placing boxes containing utensils, books, appliances and cloths on top of it.

Load the lighter and odd-shaped items in the last

The lighter items will include cardboard, an average-sized mirror or picture. While loading these items into the moving truck, ensure placing them on top of the furniture. Don’t make the mistake of placing anything underneath the furniture as you might not want to crush them during the move. Overall, packing fragile items is a difficult task and you should take the necessary steps to secure their stability as well as safety.

Steps to fill the empty spaces

• You should fill the space with only those items that will not break during the transit. For example, you can pack shoes, clothes, boots, towels, blankets and hangers into these spaces.
• Avoid packing your overnight essentials bag into these empty spaces, instead you can keep it any other easily accessible places.

Roll the rugs

You need to roll the rug and protect it with a plastic wrap. We recommend you clean the rug properly before rolling it up otherwise bad odor can spread all over the place. Ensure to roll up the rugs in a way such that its top portion faces outward. This will prevent the rug from getting damaged or even straining at its backside.

Make use of appropriate moving accessories

More than likely, you will get the moving straps on renting a moving truck. Also, if you don’t get it, you can spend a few extra amounts to purchase the same. A moving strap would help prevent your items from sliding while you are on the move, making it a worthwhile investment for you. Another beneficial moving tool for you would be a furniture dolly which will help you make your move smoother.

Pile the moving boxes proficiently

1. First, collect all the boxes which need to be loaded into the moving truck.
2. Second, categorize each of the moving boxes according to their size.
3. Third, you can place boxes of the same size on top of each other properly and make the maximum use of space.
4. Fourth, you may need to place the lighter boxes on the top, if you want to create a proper balance.

Buy good paddings

• Consider wrapping any mirrors, frames or other delicate items properly and place them in between the vertically aligned mattresses for keeping ensuring safety.
• You should make use of bubble wrap, plastic wrap or a moving blanket to save your couches or other materials from dust particles.

Seek help from friends

It would be a good idea to get help from friends for loading and unloading your belongings into the moving truck. Avoid lifting or moving heavy furniture by yourself as it might cause you back or spinal cord injury.

By taking help from friends, you can speed up the moving process and save money as your truck rental time would be comparatively shorter. However, if you don't want to take any risks, you can consider hiring professional movers.