Professional movers can be expensive when you’re trying to save money on a move. According to the American Moving and Storage Association, hiring professional movers to help you move within the same state can cost you about $38-75/hour. However, you can save plenty of money by renting a moving truck for less than $100 a day and moving on your own or with friends.
The best way to save money while picking the right truck for your needs is to come up with a plan beforehand; outline your budget, your space needs, and the dates you’ll be moving, for example. In this article, we’ll go over some tips for preparing to rent a moving truck so your move is as simple as possible.
1. Determine how much space you need
Picking the right moving truck starts with figuring out how much stuff you’ll be moving. Start by writing down how many rooms’ worth of your things you expect to move, and use that as a baseline. Here’s a handy list of truck sizes and how many rooms fit in each, according to Penske:
- Cargo van (smaller than a moving truck): up to 1 room
- 12’ truck: 1-2 rooms
- 16’ truck: 2-3 rooms
- 22’ truck: 3-5 rooms
- 26’ truck: 5-7 rooms
Penske, like many other companies, offers a Truck Wizard on their website to help you list what you plan to pack and determine the best truck size for you.
2. Determine your moving date and book early
Trying to rent a moving truck at the last minute might mean none are available, so reserve your truck at least a couple of weeks in advance. The summer months are usually busiest for people DIYing their moves, so be extra careful if you’re planning to move between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The last weeks of the summer months are when these trucks are the most in demand.
3. Compare prices and amenities
Moving truck prices depend on three factors: truck size, number of days you need the truck, and distance you’re moving. The last two factors determine how much you’ll end up paying most of all; for example, a small truck may cost $29.99 per day with an addition of $.79 per mile.
These rates can change based on time of year or day of the week, and you may find better rates during lower-demand times. Lucky for you, we’ve got an entire article dedicated to teaching you how to score the best price on a moving truck rental to help get you started.
Outside of pricing alone, different companies offer different features to accommodate your move. For example, if you don’t want to make a round trip, opt for a company that offers one-way moves and allows you to drop the truck off near your destination.
4. Figure out what else you need
If you’re doing your move yourself, you probably need extra supplies to help make the process easier. Hand trucks make heavy objects simpler to move on your own, straps and harnesses allow you and a friend to move large furniture, and padding keeps heavy objects from damaging doors and walls.
Plan your route out in advance, as some roads don’t allow trucks of certain sizes. Have your driver’s license and credit card on hand when showing up to sign a rental agreement, and check the truck for previous damage to make sure you aren’t blamed and charged for it.
5. Have the right insurance coverage
If anything happens to the truck or your stuff during a move, you should have insurance for both the vehicle and its contents to help reimburse you. Renting a car with a credit card provides built-in insurance, but renting a moving truck typically doesn’t. Check on your personal home and auto insurance policies before you sign an agreement; you may get some coverage for smaller trucks, but you may need supplemental coverage to cover a larger truck.
Truck rental companies can also sell insurance with truck-specific features such as:
- Damage waivers, which keep you from being responsible for any damage or theft to the moving truck.
- Supplemental liability insurance, which keeps you from having to pay for any property or injury claims filed against you.
- Personal and cargo policies, which protect your property while it’s inside the rental truck.
- Auto tow protection, which covers damage to or theft of your personal vehicle if you’re towing it on a trailer.
If you follow these tips, you’ll be on your way to a smooth move that doesn’t break the bank. To make things even easier, use SpareFoot to compare the prices of storage units near you and save space while you’re moving the essentials.
Peter Lalush
