Hiring a furniture truck in Christchurch or any town or city in New Zealand really is much easier than you may think. There are no special skills required other than being both legally and physically able to drive a vehicle – a special licence is not necessary.
The benefits of hiring your own furniture moving truck are what makes it worthwhile, greater flexibility, cost effectiveness, and the freedom to schedule your day as you please top the list, but hiring your own furniture moving truck also allows you to take your time with your more precious items to ensure they are safely relocated without any damage.
6 Things You Should Know When Hiring A Furniture Truck
1. You Do Not Require A Special Licence
Most furniture trucks are able to be driven on a regular Class 1 car license, there are exceptions to this however. Any trucks with a Gross Laden Weight or Gross Combined Weight of over 6000 kg require a Class 2 licence. The Gross Laden Weight refers to total weight of the vehicle and any load it is carrying.
2. The Right Truck Size Is Important
Furniture trucks come in a variety of sizes, usually offered in terms of the internal dimensions of the box body, or in other words the carrying capacity. Smaller trucks are good for short distance moves, where multiple trips can be made, small homes or flat moves, or moving selected items.
Larger furniture trucks are useful when trying to move whole house lots, entire business contents or very large or awkwardly shaped items. Selecting one that has 15-20% more capacity than you think you need is a good rule of thumb. Choosing the right sized truck for the job will ensure maximum efficiency and prevent unnecessary extra trips.
3. It Is Worth Considering A ‘Tail Lift’ Option
A tail lift or loading ramp fitted to the rear of the furniture truck is highly recommended, particularly in the larger sized trucks, where you are likely to be moving large quantities of cargo.
A tail lift is a mechanical device that lifts cargo from ground level up to the level of the load bed of the truck, essentially providing an automated lifting platform. They are immensely useful when trying to lift heavy items like whiteware, beds, desks and furniture, and also come in very handy when unloading.
4. A Manual Or Automatic Transmission?
Furniture trucks come with the option of manual or automatic transmissions. This is very important when choosing your rental truck, if you are not comfortable driving a manual or do not know how, it may be unsafe for you to hire one. Always check with your hire company before booking the vehicle.
5. Moving Accessories Can Be Useful
Consider what accessories you may need to facilitate a safe and efficient moving process. Good furniture truck hire companies will offer to supply hand trucks or trolleys and furniture blankets, usually in conjunction with your truck hire.
Hand trucks are indispensable when moving bulky and heavy objects, as the weight of the item is tilted backwards and balanced over the wheels, allowing greater maneuverability. Ask you hire company for more details.
6. Safety First
Remember safety always comes first; trucks are much heavier more cumbersome vehicles than cars and thus require a slightly modified approach when driving. Before heading out on the road be sure to familiarise yourself with the location of various controls like the indicators, gear lever, hand brake and windscreen wipers.
While driving allow extra room when parking, turning and braking; trucks require longer stopping distances and more room to make turns safely. For more information on Safety Tips for First Time Truck Drivers see here.
Tips For Loading Your Furniture Truck
Loading (and unloading) your furniture truck can be a bit of a challenge, particularly if you haven’t done this before. Here are a few things to remember to ensure everything goes to plan.
Arrange Assistance. It is beneficial to enlist the help of friends and family to provide extra sets of hands when moving the big stuff like furniture and beds. Don’t forget to use packing blankets to provide protection while in transit. Load-locking straps may also be required.
Think About The Loading Sequence. You will need to load the heavier items in first; place them at the front of the truck. To ensure a balanced load try to spread heavier items evenly across the width of the truck deck. Keep refrigerators and dishwashers upright. Long items like beds and mattresses are best loaded upright along the sides of the truck.
Select The Correct Sized Truck. You will want to avoid making more trips than necessary, and packing your items in too high or tight. Preventing unnecessary damage or making it more difficult to unload.
Pack Smaller Items Into Clearly Labelled Boxes. Anything smaller than your microwave needs to be packed into clearly labelled boxes, this not only helps with space utilisation but also with unpacking later on. Having similar sized boxes will allow for easier stacking when placing in your furniture hire truck. Try to stack the heaviest boxes on the bottom layer and lighter ones on top.
All USAVE box body furniture trucks (with the exception of the largest 28-30m3 truck) are able to be driven on a Class 1 driver’s licence. USAVE also offer the option of hiring a furniture truck with or without a tail lift for added versatility. Not sure what type of truck you need? Contact the team at USAVE Van and Truck Rentals, your reliable van rental and truck hire company with convenient locations in Auckland, Palmerston North, Christchurch and Dunedin.
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