Packing a moving truck is like a giant puzzle or game of Tetris for adults. When you begin, it looks like you have plenty of space, but once you start putting everything inside the truck, you’ll quickly realize that it’s not as clear-cut as it first appeared.
Besides making sure you that you place everything neatly inside the truck, you also want to pack it in a way that will protect your items and give them their best chance at arriving at their destination without any damage.
We’ve put together a quick and easy guide to safely packing your moving truck with tips and tricks that will make the process go much smoother and keep your belongings safe along the way!
Tips for Packing Your Moving Truck
Get the Right Supplies
Every part of the moving process goes smoother when you have the right supplies at your disposal. When it comes to moving and packing your moving truck, we recommend the following items to help you move your belongings safely:
Dolly – A dolly is great for transporting large, heavy items from your house to the truck quickly and easily. You can even roll it right up the ramp (if your moving truck has this feature)and into the truck.
Plastic Wrap and Blankets – Plastic wrap and blankets are must-haves to keep your furniture safe from dirt, rips, and damage.
Packing Tape – Packing tape ultimately works better than duct tape on cardboard and plastic. You can also use the packing tape to secure protective padding to your furniture.
Straps, Ties or Rope – Some of your items are likely to move around during the trip to your new home, so have these supplies on-hand to secure anything that may shift once the truck gets moving or hits a bump.
Tarp, Blankets or Plastic Wrap – You can line the floor of the truck with any of these items to keep the bottom of your furniture safe from dirt and any damages that may be caused by the rough surface.
Protect Your Furniture
As we mentioned above in the supplies section, certain supplies are highly recommended to keep your furniture safe. We typically wrap the furniture in plastic wrap, blankets, or other padding to protect them from the inevitable bumps along the way. It is very easy for furniture to be damaged and/or dirtied during a move where the proper padding is neglected , so put in the extra effort to protect it as much as possible! You’ll be glad you did.
Invest in Moving Boxes
Boxes made specifically for moving have many benefits. Not only are they a lot sturdier than boxes you’ll find for free at grocery stores and the like, but they are also made to be perfectly uniform so they can stack easily. It is much easier to pack a truck when the boxes are made the same way!
Largest Items Go First
Put your largest items – appliances, sofas, beds, bookcases, etc – into the truck first with the appliances at the back (which should also always be kept in their upright positions). Then, put all the heavy boxes on the bottom and stack the lighter ones on top of them. Use straps to hold in anything that could shift once the truck starts moving. Don’t take anything for granted; if there is any gap whatsoever, you should assume things will slip and bang against something else.
Distribute the Weight
Pay close attention to how you are dividing the weight in your moving truck. If all the heavy items are on one side, then the tires on that side will be under too much strain and the truck could be at risk for toppling over when you take a corner or swerve just enough to shift it. Distribute everything evenly to avoid these issues.
Disassemble What You Can
Any large furniture you have that can be disassembled should be able to make it fit into the truck more efficiently. Removing the legs from a table, for example, will make packing it into the truck much simpler. It can then go into the truck on its side and should then give you plenty of room to stack things around it without the legs being at risk for damages.
Take a Moment to Plan
Take inventory of everything you have that needs to go into the truck and devise a plan before you start loading it. This will allow you some trial and error before you do the work, giving you an idea of what you are working with and what will and won’t work. You’ll likely still have to change a few things around once you start loading everything in, but you’ll be way ahead of the game.
All our movers receive special training to know how to pack a truck as safe and efficiently as possible. We also have specially designed our trucks with padded walls and carpeted floors for extra protection.
Hassle-Free Moving
We can do all the work for you! Whether it’s in-home moving, packing, appliance/furniture delivery, or even pianos & pool tables!
Reliability
At Five Star Moving Crew, we pride ourselves on being reliable, dependable, movers that treat every move as if it were our own!
Experience
With countless moves under our belt, you can be sure that our movers have the experience to ensure your move goes smoothly.
Safety
When you use a moving company like Five Star Moving Crew, you can keep your friends, family, and yourself safer from injury!
Worry-Free
The team at Five Star Moving Crew will plan, coordinate, and keep open lines of communication every step of the way!