Moving: Renting a Truck
You need to be prepared when renting your own moving truck. You must be aware of driver, insurance and minimum age requirements. You need to be sure the truck you rent is large enough, and, you need to be prepared to comparison shop. Finally, you will need to make sure the rental company does not leave you stranded with a bad truck, or no truck at all.
Find out and adhere to the requirements
Rental truck companies have requirements in place to lower chances of damages or losses:
• The person driving the vehicle needs to be the person renting it. If you rent a moving truck, and let someone else drive it. Should they have an accident, you will be financially responsible. Therefore, if you rent a moving truck or van for someone else, you should drive it also.
• By setting a minimum age for rentals, the moving truck company is protecting themselves from less careful (new) drivers.
• While your personal vehicle insurance will very likely cover accidents on your rental car, they may not cover moving trucks or vans.
Before renting a moving truck, you need to comparison shop. Call three or four local moving companies and ask for rates for your specific dates. Trucks will be priced based on supply and demand. If the moving company has a large fleet and is not overbooked, your price will be lower. It will take some investigation to find out who will charge what on which days. Try to avoid moving on the first or last day of the month, and in the August to September, or May-June seasons as most people move on these dates which raises the price of the rental.
How big should the moving truck or rental van be?
The size of your rental truck will dictate how easy or difficult your move will be. A truck that is too small will mean you have to make several trips. Meanwhile, a truck that is too large will cause items to shift during driving which will cause item damage. Use the following guide to choose your moving van or truck.
• If you have eight rooms, you will need a 24-foot truck.
• If you have five rooms, you will need a 20-foot truck.
• If you have three rooms, you will need a 15-foot truck.
• If you have a small load of household goods, you will need a cargo van or trailer.
Sometimes it is wiser to get two smaller trucks instead of one larger truck. Although it may cost more, you will have to do less organizing to get the trucks loaded. You will also be able to work with two teams of people (if you can get enough volunteers) Breaking up your people into two teams will get the job done quicker.
There is a good chance that your rental truck will not be ready when you go to pick it up.
You can avoid this problem by confirming your reservation. You also need to have your confirmation information with you as well as the person you spoke to. If you can get your confirmation information is writing, that would be best. If you are renting from a large firm, consider reserving the truck in person. You may get lower prices online, rent the moving truck or van in person; you insure that you will bet a moving truck or van from a specific location. It pays to comparison shop on the phone and then to the rental truck store with your prices.
Care and feeding of the rental truck or van
When you pick up your rental van or truck, inspect the truck thoroughly. Start with the body of the truck and point out any damage to the rental clerk. Finally, test drive the truck (on the lot) to be sure the breaks and engine work well and that it is in good repair. Once you leave the premises. If you notice any problems, return immediately and report the problem.
While the vehicle is in your care, take good care of it. Drive it responsibly and do not allow anyone to drive it if the rental establishment does not approve him or her. If you are not skilled enough to drive it, find someone who is and have them approved as a driver.
Finally, return the truck on time or call and ask for an extension if you cannot. Remember, someone may be waiting on his or her reservation. Remember to refill the gas tank if required and follow the drop off procedures. If you are returning the moving van or truck during business hours, have the vehicle inspected in your presence and get a receipt for your payment.
