Moving Truck

While it is undeniable that the moving pod has revolutionized the way that people move, there are still many cases where a moving truck would still be your best bet. For instance, if you live in an apartment complex where finding a place to put your moving pod might be almost impossible. In this case, renting a moving truck or hiring a moving company is going to be the way to go. The same can be said for if you are not moving that far of a distance or you do not have that much stuff to move. In this particular case, a moving pod would probably be overkill and might actually complicate the entire process. However, hiring a mover or using a moving truck in these situations will probably work perfectly.

Reasons to Use a Moving Truck

Some of the main reasons that an individual would want to use a moving truck rather than a moving pod are listed above, but with that said let’s expound upon this a little bit in case you are still on the fence as to which direction you should go in.

Local Moves

If you are moving locally, which generally is considered to be 50 miles or less, then it is probably best to use a moving truck. The reason for this is because it will be tremendously cheaper to just rent a truck for a day or two and do the move all in one shot, rather than have to rent a moving pod for a month and pay for it to be transported to your new home.

Local moves are really the easiest type of move (unless you are in a major city like New York or Chicago, in which case no move is really easy.) The reason being is that you can make a number of trips back and forth if need be. You can get some friends together and pack stuff into their car in addition to using the moving truck, and all of this can be accomplished in a day or so.

Small Homes or Apartments

If you know that you do not have that much stuff to actually move then a moving pod is definitely going to be too much for you. Granted there are smaller moving pods that you can rent, but once again you have to take into consideration the rental fee and the transportation fee.

For instance, if you live in a one-bed apartment then you can easily get all of your belongings into a small-sized moving truck. In a case like this if you get a few friends together you should be able to move everything very easily in a few hours. And in this case, a moving pod will probably just add to the logistical complexity of your move for no reason.

Living in an Apartment Complex

If you live in an apartment complex then it can be very difficult to get the required permission to put a moving pod in a parking spot for a month. This is not always the case and there are many apartment complexes that allow this, but if there are limited parking spaces and you have an assigned spot then this can just cause more frustration for you then is necessary.

Not to mention that it sort of adds an unnecessary step to the moving process because if you rented a moving truck rather than a moving pod, once everything was on the truck you’d be ready to go.

What Size Truck Should I Rent?

One of the best parts about using a moving truck is that they are not expensive at all and they are available in pretty much every town. The difference in price between the smallest trucks available, which are usually just pick-up trucks and the largest, which are generally 26’ truck is really only $20 to $30 and the price of gas for however many miles you are going. This is why when you are renting a moving truck it is oftentimes better to get a larger sized truck then to try to save a few dollars only to find out during your move that you have run out of space.

In order to avoid this unnecessary dilemma please take a look at the information below which breaks down what truck size you will need depending on how many rooms you have in your house.

26 Foot Truck

The 26’ truck for moving is suggested if you have a 3 or 4 bedroom home that you are trying to move. This truck will be enough to fit all of your furniture and all of the boxes that you will have packed during your move. It is the size that most professional movers use and while it can be a bit disconcerting to drive a truck this large if it is for a local move you will be totally fine.

20 Foot Truck

The 20’ truck for moving is suggested for individuals who are attempting to move out of their 2 or 3 bedroom home. As you can see there is a bit of an overlap here with the 26’ truck and so if you are not sure if the 20’ will be enough then you may want to think about renting a 26’ vehicle. Once again a 20’ truck is rather large and so you should be able to comfortably move everything in your home in one go.

17 Foot Truck

The 17’ truck for moving should be used for homes that are 2 bedrooms or smaller. There is not a tremendous amount of difference between a 20’ truck and a 17’ truck so once again if you are unsure that that 17’ will be enough for you then you may want to go up a size.

15 Foot Truck

The 15’ truck for moving is for 2 bedroom apartments. Usually, in the case of a 2-bedroom apartment, you will have 2 bedroom sets and then the kitchen and living room furniture, which will adequately fit into a 15’ truck. These trucks are a little bit easier to handle on the road since they are smaller and you should feel pretty comfortable driving them.

10 Foot Truck

The 10’ truck for moving is generally only used for studio apartments or smaller 1-bedroom apartments. If you know that you do not have that much stuff to move then this truck will work perfectly for you, but if you think you are going to be cutting it close definitely get the 15’ truck.

You can rent a moving truck online and pick it up from a local vendor, but when you go to actually pick up your truck talk with the professionals there about how much you are attempting to move to see if possibly you need to upgrade your truck size. It is worth repeating that it is better to have too much room in the truck than having too little.

You should also ask about the rental of a hand truck, which can really help with moving boxes and furniture as well as straps if you need to tie down your furniture so that it doesn’t move if you take too sharp of a turn or hit a bump. All of these things will be available at your local truck rental facility and they are a worthwhile investment for any move.