How to Properly Load a Pick-Up Truck for a Move

Posted on July 19, 2016 by Moved

Moving with a pick-up truck is not quite as simple as tossing your stuff in the back and riding off into the sunset. To avoid damaging your vehicle or losing your items on the road and causing accidents, you need to prepare adequately and load your things safely and correctly.

Here’s how to do so:

Don’t overload your truck. Check the edge of your driver’s side door panel for a factory sticker that will list your vehicle’s load capacity, or GVWR. This number will be the vehicle’s weight plus the maximum weight it can carry. So, if your Toyota Tundra has a GVWR of 6200 lbs, and weighs 4100 pounds, then its load capacity is 2100 lbs, including the driver and passengers. If there is no sticker on your door, check the owner’s manual or look online. Whatever the load capacity is, don’t exceed it! You could seriously damage your vehicle otherwise.
Add air pressure to your tires to compensate for the extra weight. Too much weight and your tires will start to bulge, decreasing their handling and steering capacity at high speeds. Estimate how much weight you’ll be adding to the truck and check your owner’s manual for details on the appropriate amount of air pressure to add.
Load the heaviest items, like refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, etc., first, and try to keep the weight evenly balanced on each side. Put lighter boxes in the back and on top, but don’t stack things too high, or they will blow off on the road. Keeping the heavy items up front will keep the front of the vehicle weighted down, which helps steering and handling stay effective. I don’t know about you, but I find steering to be pretty important when driving!
Disassemble bed-frames, furniture, etc. and tape or tie them together before loading them up.
Strap everything down so it does not move around (or fly away!) during the drive, using the holes/hooks in the interior bed. For local moves, simple rope and bungee cords will do fine, but for longer moves, it’s best to invest in some high-quality ratchet straps. You can rest assured your stuff will not move an inch when using these, even if you have to swerve or screech to a halt.
Tape all boxes shut, even plastic containers, and avoid packing the truck with lots of random, small items. Small items are more prone to being picked up by the airstream and flying out of your vehicle. Even if you are sure this won’t happen, act on the safe side and keep things securely packed in boxes or inside your vehicle. If anything flies out and causes an accident, it will be your responsibility. If you have no other option, at least use a sturdy cargo net or tarp to keep everything secured.
Ideally electronics and valuables should be packed inside your vehicle, so that you can keep them safe if/when you stop for a meal or stay in a hotel overnight. If you can’t fit everything inside, load boxes so that the labels are hidden. You don’t want would-be thieves to be tempted by boxes clearly advertising “Electronics”.
Finally, don’t be this guy!

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How to Ship Your Car When You Move — Part 2

Posted on June 13, 2016 by Moved

Make sure to check out the first article in this 2-part series for information on the different auto shipping options.

Because using a truck is the most common way people ship their vehicles when moving, in this article we’ll give you tips for picking a good auto mover company, and guidelines for preparing your vehicle for shipping.

Let’s dive in!

Picking an Auto Mover

You have two options for finding an auto moving company: carriers and brokers.

Carriers are the companies that do the actual vehicle-shipping. Brokers save you time and hassle by finding carriers for you, for a fee. Cutting out the middle man and going straight to a carrier will most likely be cheaper, but it might take you a while to find a company you like.

For brokers, MoveCars and Moving are good places to start. For carriers, check out Consumer Affairs’ list for the Best Auto Transporters for 2016. You can also talk to any moving company in your area, as many offer vehicle shipping options.

To avoid scams and bad moving jobs, stick with companies that:

Are accredited with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and have high ratings and no complaint histories.
Have active USDOT (Dept. of Transportation) and MC (Motor Carrier) numbers.
Are members of the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA).
Provide certificates of insurance.
Don’t ask for wire-transfer payments.

TransportReviews is a helpful site for vetting auto mover companies.

Preparing Your Vehicle

Once you’ve picked an auto mover, follow these steps to avoid any problems with the moving company or damages to your car:

Wash it — Previous and potential damages will show more clearly.
Empty it — That includes garage door openers, electronic toll-passes, CDs, etc. Some companies allow you to pack things in the trunk, with a weight-limit.
Remove Accessories — Exterior spare tires, grill and car covers, non-permanent bike racks, luggage racks, spoilers, etc.
Disable alarms — Fickle alarms can be triggered during the move.
DO NOT fill your gas tank — Less gas in the tank means a lighter vehicle and a cheaper move! Most companies require you to stay within the quarter- to half-tank range.
Check for leaks — You could be liable for damages if your car leaks all over the car below yours.
Check tire inflation — To avoid damage during loading/unloading and transport.
Take photos — The carrier should do this as well, but it’s always good to have your own photos in case of a dispute.
Lock it after loading.

Side note: Some companies only accept vehicles in working condition, or they’ll require a things like certain amount of ground clearance, a working driver’s side door/window, or working brakes.

When the time comes to hand over your vehicle, the carrier will inspect it. Most carriers will require you to be present during the inspection. They will record any damages, nicks, scratches, etc. on a “bill of lading”, which they will hand to you.

Sample Bill of Lading

Then, when you pick up your car, if there are no new damages, you sign the bill, give it back to the carrier and you’re done!

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How to Ship Your Car When You Move — Part 1

Posted on June 13, 2016 by Moved

Wouldn’t it be great if you could just fold up your car and pack it in a suitcase? Stuff some socks around the edges toss it in the moving truck?

Sigh…

Hopefully Google is working on that one! In the meantime, you have a number of options for auto transport. Let’s take a look.

On the Road

The most common option for vehicle-shipping is to use a truck. There are plenty of independent Auto Mover companies to choose from, and if you’re already using a regular moving company, many of them also offer their own vehicle shipping options.

Generally, it takes up to a month to ship your vehicle by truck, with rates running from a few hundred dollars to ship to the next state, to upwards of $1000–2000 for a cross-country trip. You’ll be quoted based on the make/model, weight/size and condition of your vehicle, the distance of the move, and your insurance coverage.

When shipping by truck, you can choose between:

Open

Your car is transported on the back of an open truck, just like the trucks you see on the highway transporting vehicles to car-dealerships. This option is cheap, but leaves your vehicle open to potential damage from rocks, weather and leaking fluids from vehicles above yours.

Enclosed

Your vehicle is fully enclosed in the back of a truck. This eliminates any possibility of damage from the elements, but is more expensive. Typically used to transport antique, classic and luxury vehicles.

With Goods

Some moving companies offer to place your vehicle in the same truck as the rest of your things.

Most auto movers give you the option to pay for expedited delivery and a spot on the top row. You can also choose between terminal-to-terminal (where you drop off and pick up your vehicle at a delivery hub) and door-to-door delivery, or mix and match the two.

Finally, while it’s not technically a shipping option, you can also pay someone to drive your vehicle to your destination for you. Some auto mover and moving companies offer this as an option, or you can hire a professional through a company like ProfessionalDrivers, or find someone yourself through classified ads.

Other Options

By Train: Shipping your vehicle by freight train is faster and safer, but typically more expensive than by truck. Sometimes it may require extra insurance as well.
Amtrak also provides a limited vehicle-shipping option, called Amtrak Auto Train, that runs between Washington D.C. and Orlando, FL. Note that you also have to be on the train.
By Air: The safest, fastest and most expensive option.
By Boat: A slower, slightly less reliable and usually cheaper option for moves overseas.

Once you’ve chosen a car shipping option, make sure to check out part 2 of this series here for information on how to pick a good auto mover company and how to prepare your car for shipping.

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