How to Rent a Moving Truck

You can rent a moving truck appropriate to the size of the job.

Renting a moving truck is an integral part of the moving process. First-time and even experienced movers make mistakes that can end up costing a lot of time and money. Know what you are getting into to rent a moving truck successfully.

Instructions

Before the Move

1. Rent a cargo van if you are moving a studio apartment, a 12- to 15-foot truck for three rooms or less, a 20-foot truck for four or five rooms, and a 24-foot truck for six, seven, or eight rooms. If you have large, overstuffed furniture, fragile items that need lots of padding or many large pieces, line up a bigger truck. If your home is furnished sparsely, or you have small or collapsible pieces, ask for a smaller truck. If in doubt, go a size larger.


2. Rent two medium trucks instead of one large one if you are pressed for time to do the move, such as only having one morning. You can load faster as you don't have to fit pieces together as in a puzzle.

3. Call the moving truck companies to shop for prices or compare rates online. Write down company names, prices for each size and confirmation numbers if you decide to have them hold a truck for you.

4. Check with your car insurance provider on whether you are covered for your moving van rental. Ask for a letter of coverage to take with you to the rental company office.

Moving Day

1. Take a credit card and your driver's license on the day of your move to the rental company office. If you are not the driving the truck, bring the driver with his driver's license as well.

2. Check the figures on the contract against what you were told on the phone or your online confirmation to check for inconsistencies.

3. Inspect the truck before leaving the grounds with the rental company representative. Look for existing damage and mark this on the rental agreement.

4. Fill the rental truck with gas before you return it as specified in the contract unless you have made another agreement. Return the moving truck on time. If you are going to be late, call the company to let it know. Return the truck during business hours to complete another inspection of the truck.

Tips & Warnings

• When in doubt, go a size larger.

• Obey all the rules of the rental truck company.

• Do not rent a moving truck for someone else to use unless you are driving the truck and helping them move. Rental trucks are hard to drive, and you don't want to be charged for someone else's damages, or get sued by the company for renting the truck for someone not on the contract.

References

• Penske: What Size Moving Truck?
• Movers.com: Types of Moving Vehicles