Going ahead blindly on a project without being aware of its details and its problems usually results in a person experiencing needless worries and stress. This is especially true when hiring a moving truck or a moving company.
Clear the Road First
The moving process is fraught with a lot of problems if you go ahead without thinking. Even in the best of scenarios, you can’t avoid having even a small amount of stress.
What more if you haven’t done some thinking and planning before hiring a mover and making the actual move? You are running the risk of having a botched up moving schedule, or lost items in transit.
Common Problems You Need to Avoid
Moving is already stressful. You don’t need additional stress from things that you didn’t expect. So here is a list of issues that may suddenly crop up in your scheduled move.
1. Unexpected Fees and Charges
By experience, it is very rare that a customer only pays the exact amount agreed upon on the quoted cost of truck rental. The reason is that there are a number of conditions and requirements in renting a truck. If you just neglect one, you could pay extra.
For instance, if you return the truck on an empty tank, you may have to pay a penalty. The same thing goes if you are late in returning the van, or used the on-board dolly, or furniture pads.
To avoid paying unexpected fees, you really have to study the moving company’s fee schedule before you use their trucks or their services.
2. Not Enough Room for My Things
As it often happens, hiring the right size truck is difficult because it seems every truck appears bigger that what it really is. So, it is easy for you to make a mistake in renting a truck from Lowe’s or Hertz that is not enough for all your belongings just because it is cheaper than the next larger one.
If you will change the truck, it will delay your move, and it will surely cost you more since renting a bigger truck is more expensive. So, to avoid this problem, you need to do your homework, if you still want the smaller and cheaper truck.
Take stock of all the items in your house that you really don’t need in your new destination. For sure, you must have lots of useless things that you are holding on to because of sentimental reasons.
Ditching them off will certainly lessen the things that you are going to load, which will free more space in the truck. Thus, the smaller truck is right for your things after all.
Or you can load the largest items first before loading the smaller boxes. In this way, you will see the usable space that is still left. For instance, by loading your large sofa first, you will be able to fit in your smaller boxes in the available space that will be left.
3. Not Knowing that the Renter is the Driver
In most truck rental contracts, the person who rents the vehicle should also be the one to drive it. If you insist on sharing the driving duties, the other driver may be required to buy additional insurance coverage.
Aside from that, there are certain age limitations imposed by truck rental companies on those who want to rent or drive their trucks. Most companies don’t permit those who are below 18 years old to drive their trucks. Other companies are even stricter, setting their limits much higher at 25 years old.
4. Making a Reservation Too Late
It is a first-come-first-served basis in the truck rental industry. If you come in late, your choices will be limited, if you have anything to choose at all. This is the practice of most truck rental companies.
So, making a reservation early on will be a good idea. In fact, some companies require their customers to make a reservation first. These companies need to schedule their moving activities in an organized way, especially during peak season.
Considering that an out of state move does not just take one day, if a truck rental company does not organize his activities, there will be a lot of problems in his operations, such as delays, non-fulfillment of the contract, and so forth.
Therefore, it will be for your own good if you will make a reservation preferably one month before your scheduled move. In that way, you will be able to do the right amount of preparation which is necessary for a successful and stress-free transition.
5. Put More Time Researching
If you have problems in renting a truck or a hiring a moving company, the fault does not just lay on the company you are hiring. You may have a part in it because you didn’t put much thinking about your move.
Considering the concepts discussed in this article will help you avoid the common mistakes people commit when hiring a truck or a moving company.
