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How to Strategize Loading the Truck
How you load the truck matters. It matters on the road when you are balancing your belongings through turns and curving highways, and it matters when you arrive to unpack. Use these tricks to make sure your valuable items will be fit to survive the ride and easy to unpack.
- Heaviest to lightest
- Load the heaviest compact boxes on the bottom layer and near the back of the truck. Stack lighter boxes on top. Form layers so that your light, large boxes can sit on a base of smaller, denser boxes. Ensure that the boxes are tightly packed and not crushing one another.
- Least to most important (at unpacking)
- Loading back to front, consider how you want to unpack. Save the most important boxes and equipment to pack near the front of the truck - so that you will unpack it first. Put your kitchen, bathroom, and bedding boxes near the front so you'll have all your essentials on the first day after arrival.
- Nestling furniture
- Wrap all furniture in furniture blankets. Then nestle it into the box grid where furniture can be tied down and locked into the weight-structure of your boxes. This will create a more stable moving mass inside the truck and reduce the chance of damages along the way.
- Tying it all down for travel
- As you pack, tie down and secure along the way. Every layer and stack of boxes, secure with ropes and straps in addition to the security of a tight stack. Tie down every piece of furniture and make sure nothing is rattling around at risk of becoming loose. Moving truck disasters are each unique to the item that bursts free.
Bonus Tip: Using Temporary Storage Can Be a Live-Saver
Not all moves are perfectly balanced. Maybe you need to clear out of your old house before the new house is ready. Or maybe your new house isn't big enough for all of your stuff. Maybe your moving truck isn't quite big enough for your biggest item. In many cases, temporary storage can be a life-saver.
Did you know that many moving companies offer temporary storage as part of their services, or discounted through a storage partner? Take advantage of local storage near your origin, destination, or with your moving company, whenever you need it.
How to Schedule a Move
Packing Takes the Most Time
Give yourself plenty of time to pack. It often takes more time and energy than you expect. Packing can be exhausting, but also satisfying. Be sure to pace yourself, packing a little each day then tackling major packing pushes on the weekend. If you live with family, help everyone get into the swing of packing and share your coded labeling system.
Set Your Moving Date
Determine the date you plan to depart and a nearby day you will likely arrive. Then build your moving schedule Contact the movers, prep the house, and coordinate a well-times arrival of family and moving truck to the new location.
- Make sure the house will be ready
- Have the keys. Turn on the utilities. If possible, ask someone local to get the AC running and plug in the fridge.
- Call the movers and pick a date
- Select the day you'll load the truck. Be available to supervise movers loading the truck or retrieve your rented truck and load it with help.
- Directions for movers
- If you are directing movers, hold a coordination meeting, phone call, or skype. Ask what route they will take and how long they expect the trip to last. Make sure your movers have any gate codes or special instructions necessary to reach your house.