- When backing large trucks, be sure to watch out for trees, wires, and roof overhangs.
- Be sure the ground is dry enough to support the truck. These units get stuck very easily.
- Note - several of them have lights inside the trailer. They are controlled from the cab.
- If young children are on the site, be sure to corral them before moving the truck and consider keeping them off the loading ramp and out of the rear of the truck. Plus do not leave them unattended in the cab (they may take it out of gear, start it, beep horn, lock themselves in, etc). If they are onsite, try to have some toys and a grandma to keep them busy.
- If truck has an "overhang" (some storage in front up high) put books and some heavy items up there and tie a rope across them.
- Put your "Must Have" box mentioned in our Before the Move section and any tools or other items you want to be able to access during the trip or immediately upon arrivel in the cab of the moving van, in the front seat of your car or in a locked room. Otherwise when people come to help you "load", they may mistakenly put them in with all your other stuff, making them very hard to find.
- Put large items in front
- Tie ropes horizontally across the load (between the truck walls) at various intervals to prevent shifting of contents.
- Put heavy food storage items and book boxes on the bottom.
- Put refrigerator or freezers at rear if you want to plug them in.
- Put large mirrors and framed glass between mattresses
- "Nest" couches (One upside down upon the other)
- "Nest" chairs (One upside down upon the other) or stack boxes to a height that an upside down chain on top of them reaches the ceiling.
- Use the furniture pads supplied by the rental truck firm (if there are any) to protect furniture and other items from being scratched. Wrap items in them, place them on top items, squeeze them between items. We often use flat cardboard for the same purpose. Some old refridgerator or appliance boxes from a store can easily be cut with a utility (carpet) knife into useful shapes and sizes.
- Put large plastic kid toys and loose bags on top of load.
- Put bookcases along the wall facing the interior of the truck and fill their shelves with small boxes.
- Put pianos on side walls (with their back to the wall) and tie them to the wall.
- Constantly be tossing / squezing bulky, light items (plastic flowers, Christmas decorations, pillows, plastic toys, blankets, etc) on top the load as you begin to fill the truck. This keeps them from taking up valuable room later.
- Put bicycles, trash cans, bar-b-que grills, and hand tools at rear of truck. (Hand tools may be needed during journey). Run some rope around the various items near the back of the truck to prevent them from shifting (tie them all together a bit).
- Sometimes bicycles can be tied up high on the wall of rental trucks either horizontally or vertically
- Small flat tools can often be inserted flat against the wall between the outer wall and the inner braces of the rental truck. Just be sure to get them out before you take the truck back.
- Keep any tools you may need at the final destination or during the trip near the back of the truck. You might also keep a heavy duty extension cord there. As per our earlier note, put them in the front of the truck before the move, or people helping may load them in the middle of the truck by mistake. Move them to the back of the truck once the truck is loaded.
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Magic Trucking inc.