How to Pack a U-Haul

Loading a U-Haul truck can be a tedious and time consuming job. You want to ensure everything will remain in place as you drive the truck down the road or cross-country. Load shifting can cause severe damage to expensive furniture or even impair the operation of the rented truck. The biggest trick to loading the truck is to keep everything balanced. If you place a heavy piece on the right side then you will want to place pieces of equal weight on the left side. Loading furniture on a truck can be like a puzzle.The hard part is going to be finding a piece to go in every nook and cranny.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Rope
• Ratchet Straps
• Blankets

Loading a U-Haul Truck

1. Load the boxes in the attic space located to the front of the storage box. Larger U-Haul trucks come equipped with "attic space." This is actually the part of the storage box that sits above the truck cab.

2. Load your bulky heavy items along the wall with the decorative side facing the wall. You can also cover the furniture with blankets to prevent scratching.

3. Wrap your mirrors and framed pictures with blankets. Those items can be stored between the wall and the furniture to prevent load shifting.This will lock the items in place as well to prevent them from getting damaged.

4. Stack any remaining boxes under and around each piece of furniture to utilize any open space. You can also slide bed frame pieces under and along the wall to fill any gap.

5. Load your tables upside down with the top covered or wrapped in a blanket. The space between the four legs will also hold boxes.

6. Stack chairs and smaller odd shaped furniture on top of the larger pieces. By utilizing all the floor space with the larger pieces and stacking smaller items on top, you can take advantage of all the available space the truck has to offer.

Tips & Warnings

• The sides of the truck have a rail installed for tying in bulky items. If your not sure that the load will shift you can tie the bulky items to the rail. Keep heavy items on the floor.This will prevent damage during a load shift. When stacking boxes in an enclosed area you can actually build the load to the roof. With every two layers of boxes you can take a large piece of cardboard and place it on top of the layer and this will also keep the boxes from shifting. Stack them, then put a slip sheet down, and stack another two layers.
• Be careful when stacking items close to the door. You want to make sure everything stays in place when you open the door. Operate the truck at posted speed limits and refrain from making sudden turns that can cause the load to shift. Speeding can even throw the weight of the furniture and cause you to lose control of the vehicle.

References

• www.uhaul.com
• www.ryder.com