There are many decisions to be made when moving. And not only big ones like where you’ll move to or when you’ll do it. No, those are definitely not the only ones. For example, choosing what movers to hire is also something you have to consider. But luckily, that’s one area of moving where Verified Movers can help. But even if you decide not to hire movers, there are still quite a few things you’ll have to decide on. One such thing being the size of your moving truck. Which size moving truck you choose may seem unimportant at first, however, the more you learn about it, the more you’ll realize that the size in this case really does matter, and it matters a lot. But before you can make a decision, first you have to read what the experts have to say about choosing the optimally-sized moving truck.
Why is it important to choose the right size of moving truck in the first place?
While at first the size of a moving truck may seem unimportant, in reality, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Unless you don’t care about your money or your belongings. If you don’t, then by all means get a truck that’s the wrong size. But all of your belongings not fitting into the truck would be the least of your worries. It’s much worse to successfully fit them all in and then find out that half of your boxes tumbled over and the contents got damaged. Speak of a moving day disaster! Yikes! For these, and many more reasons, you should choose your truck wisely. And let’s not mention the money you could be saving by sizing down. All in all, unless you want to hire one of Fort Worth top movers to handle your whole move, you have to make decisions wisely.
So what size moving trucks are even available?
Before you can choose the perfect truck for your move, first you have to learn about available options. And it’s just like hiring one of top movers in Las Vegas – The more you know, the easier it will be to do it. And not only will it be easier for you to make a decision, but communicating with the truck rental companies will also be much easier. So here’s what size trucks are commonly available for rent:
- High-Roof Cargo Van
- 12-foot truck
- 16-foot truck
- 22-foot truck
- 26-foot truck
Each of these trucks has its own uses and features. And because they’re so different you have to choose carefully. So let’s explore these options a bit more.
High-Roof Cargo Vans and 12-foot Trucks are the best options for moves of a smaller volume
The mistake people often make is to think that larger is always better. And while there is some truth to that, when it comes to moving, that’s really not the case. So they end up with an overly large truck and nothing to fill it with. To avoid that, if you’re moving an apartment that’s up to 2 rooms, you’re best off renting a truck that’s up to 12 feet long. Of course, which of these options you’ll go with will mostly depend on how much stuff you have. And whether you also have to move things from your storage unit you rented from one of Orlando top movers.
You should also keep in mind that filling a tank of a truck this size takes between 31 and 33 gallons of gas. The floor size is between 53 and 78 square feet, and the loading space is between 404 and 450 cubic feet. The loading capacity is between 3,100 and 3,500 lbs.
16-foot size moving trucks are a great option for larger apartments and smaller houses
If you’re moving an apartment or a house that has 2 or more rooms but less than 4, the best choice for you would probably be a 16-foot long truck. Of course, that is unless there’s an obscene amount of stuff you wish to move. If not, a truck of this size would probably b a good option for you.
To fill a tank of a truck of this size you need roughly 33 gallons of gas. You can expect the size of the floor to be about 120 square feet, and the loading space to be about 800 cubic feet. Also, the loading capacity is significantly larger than in smaller trucks and it sits about 4,000 lbs.
Trucks of 20 feet and up are best used for very large homes
If you’re moving a really large home that’s anywhere between 3 and 7 rooms, your only options are 20+ feet trucks. With the most common choices being 22-foot and 26-foot trucks. These trucks are much larger, they require more gas and use more gas, but they can also move a lot more cargo. So if you need to move a lot of stuff, a truck of this size is the safest choice.
The gas required to fill a tank of a truck this size is roughly 70 gallons. A huge difference if we may say. Plus, these trucks burn more gallons of gas per mile than smaller trucks. With that said, the floor of a large truck like this is going to be between 164 and 192 square feet, and the loading space is also going to be much larger with the range of 1,200 and 1,700 cubic feet. The loading capacity, too, going to be much bigger than in all previous trucks, and you can expect it to be around 10,000 lbs.
But how exactly should you choose the right size for you?
The only right way to choose the right size truck is to use a volume calculator. Spend some time evaluating your belongings, do some calculations, and you’ll be able to make a pretty decent estimation of how much weight and volume your boxes and furniture are going to end up taking. Then, using the numbers you got, the number of rooms you’re moving, as well as truck-sizing guidelines, you’ll be able to choose the perfect truck for your move. Also, now is probably the time to mention that if you’re between the sizes it’s safer to size up if it’s not by much. You can always pad the rest of the space, but what you can’t do is cram more staff in than the truck can physically accommodate.
The right size is not that hard to choose
As you can see, choosing the appropriately sized truck for your move isn’t really that hard. It may take a bit of time and effort, but it’s definitely much better to invest a bit of your time in choosing the optimal option than investing your money in fixing the damage your lack of care produced. So let’s sum things up. Is there a one-size moving truck that fits all moves? No, not at all. But is it hard to find the right one for you? Negative, again. All you need is a bit of time and willingness to do things right and you’ll certainly make the right decision with ease.