Tips for Renting Moving Trucks for Moving Your Household Items

So you are planning to move? Do you know that renting a moving truck to move your household items is a very cost effective way to move? You can rent a moving truck to move your household items from anywhere to anywhere else within continental USA. Just like car rentals truck rental companies also maintain fleets of moving trucks or moving vans of various sizes. The rental cost depends on the distance to be covered and the truck size. Below are a few tips that will help you to rent a moving truck.

1. The first step in renting a moving truck is to determine what size of moving truck or van you will need. To give you a general idea about the size of truck you will need, here are some examples. You will need a 15 footer truck for the contents of three rooms and a 24 footer for that of eight rooms. For smaller loads you can rent a trailer or cargo van.

2. After you have determined the size of the moving truck you need you should then do some research work and comparison shopping. In the US there are several rental truck companies like U Haul, Budget, Ryder and Penske that are popular. You can get their quotes either online by visiting their websites or by phone. The truck rentals are usually fixed on the basis of the number of days and mileage.

3. Once you have decided on the truck rental company you should make your reservations for the date and time you will need the moving truck. Follow up with the company one or two days before the date of moving so that you can be sure that the truck will be available on time and there is no delay.

4. On the day of moving arrive in time at the company's office to pick up the moving truck. As there is some paperwork required you should arrive early so that you pick up the truck in time. Check out the truck for any damages and take note of the odometer and also fuel readings. Get these on record. This is to make sure that you will not be held responsible for anything that preexists.

5. You will also need to have your credit card, driver's license and insurance papers with you. If you don't have insurance then it can be purchased from the truck rental company. The types of insurance that you will need include personal accident insurance, cargo insurance and limited ldamage and loss waiver.

6. Retain the copies of the truck inspection report, the truck rental agreement, the driver trip report, the truck inspection report and other relevant documents with yourself. You may need these if the law enforcement authorities ask for them along the way. You may also need them in case of an accident.

7. Now you are ready to load and move. You will need to place the heavier household items in the front of the cargo space of the truck to achieve better balance. A loaded truck will not usually come to a stop suddenly due to its higher inertia. Therefore you must keep some distance in traffic. As the trucks are longer than cars they also need extra room when turning.

8. After you have unloaded the your items at the destination you will need to return the truck to the rental company's local office. Find out what you need to do when you reach after hours