Deciding On A Business

Renting a box truck for your upcoming move will save you the cost of hiring a moving crew and, with the help of a few friends with strong arms, you'll be able to fill the back of the truck a few times and transport your possessions from one home to another. During the loading process, it's important to take care to prevent the movement of the items in the rear of the truck — especially if you haven't previously driven a box truck, because your stopping and starting could be a little abrupt as you get used to being behind the wheel. Here are some tips for keeping your possessions secure while you drive.

Use Ratchet Tie-Downs

Even though they're heavy, pieces of furniture can easily slide around in the back of your box truck. To avoid this issue, secure them with ratchet tie-downs. These heavy straps can be clipped to brackets on the sides of the truck's box, looped around your furniture and other items, and then ratcheted until tight. These straps are quicker and easier to work with than rope, and their wide width won't cut into objects in the same manner that rope could. Many truck rental companies can rent ratchet tie-downs when you pick up the truck, so make sure to ask.

Use Smart Placement

In many cases, simply being cognizant of how you position your items can prevent their unnecessary movement. For example, if you've loaded a dresser into the back of the truck, it's smart to position this piece of furniture so that its front is pressed against one of the truck's walls. This will prohibit the drawers from sliding open — and possibly falling right out of the dresser — during a sharp turn or an abrupt stop. If no wall space is free, you can press the front of the dresser against another tall item.

Take Fewer Trips

A simple way to avoid items sliding around in the rear of your box truck is to fill it as full as possible and take fewer trips, instead of take more trips with a partially full truck. While you'll still need to make sure that items aren't stacked high enough that they fall and break, you can prevent the unnecessary movement of things by pressing additional things against them. While heavy furniture is ideal to hold other items from moving, boxes of books can also have the same effect in the truck.

For more truck rental tips, contact a company like Del's Truck Rentals.