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Packing The Truck Tips

Gather materials. To pack your truck in the safest and most efficient way possible, you'll need a few extra items to help you move your heaviest items and to protect your most delicate belongings. You can get these supplies from a moving supply store or a hardware store. Here's what you'll need:

• A dolly. This will help you move heaviest furniture as well as boxes.
• Paper padding, plastic stretch wrap, or furniture pads. This will help keep furniture free from damage.
• Packing tape. This will hold the padding over furniture together.
• Straps. These will help furniture stay together and will keep it from shifting.
• A large tarp or plastic wrap. This should cover the floor of the truck to keep furniture from getting dirty.

Prepare the cab. You should put the items you really need in the cab so you don't forget about them and end up packing them up in the back of the truck. You'll need to bring a toolkit so you can reassemble furniture as soon as you need to, overnight items so you don't have to search for them, as well as the most fragile items that you don't want to put in the truck.

• If you or someone who is helping you is also driving a car to the new home, you can also give fragile items to that person.
• Fragile items include valuable plates, anything made of glass, and even light bulbs from disassembled lamps.
• Put computers and small electronic items, or even a television, in the cab if they will fit. You can add these items later during the packing process.

Disassemble furniture. This will help make furniture easier to pack and light enough to carry. Before furniture leaves the house, it should be taken apart into manageable pieces. Not everything can be taken apart, of course, but taking apart a few key items will make moving much easier. Here's what you can do:

• Remove the cushions from sofas.
• Take apart bed and bed frames. Tape bed frames together.
• Take the bulbs out of lamps and place them in a separate container or bag. The last thing you want is for glass to get crushed all over your truck.
• If you have heavy dressers, take the drawers out and carry them to the truck individually. When you load the dresser back into the truck, you can put the drawers back in and even tape them shut.
• File cabinets can be the heaviest item of all. Take out drawers and carry them to the truck separately before you put them back in.
• If you remove any screws or hardware from the furniture, put it in a bag and tape it to the furniture, or put a note in the bag that clearly says which piece of furniture it's from.
• Take apart bed rails or table legs, and roll them into large rugs or carpets.

Move all furniture out in front of the truck. Moving as much of furniture out into the street as you can will help you see how much you're working with, and will make it easier for you to see which items are the heaviest.

• Only do this if you don't annoy neighbors or end up taking up too much space.
• You can also load right from house into the truck, but you'll have to keep out an eye for which items should go in first (heaviest to lightest).
• Make sure you have a clear path between home and the truck.

Load the heaviest items and appliances into the truck first. You should have two people in the truck who will be the designated "loaders," while the rest of the people will carry the furniture to the truck or hand it to them if it's light enough. Pack these items into the front of the truck to maximize your space and to keep the truck from dragging if the back is too heavy. If the truck drags, you could be in a dangerous driving situation, so it's best to avoid it.^[2]

• The heaviest items include appliances, such as the stove, washing machine, fridge, and dishwasher.
• Keep these items in their upright positions and distribute the heavy items along the back wall of the truck. If you have a washer and dryer, position them on the opposite side from the fridge.
• Next, load large pieces of furniture, such as sofas, living room chairs, and entertainment units.
• Remember that you'll be packing from floor to ceiling, with the heaviest items on the bottom. Pack 2-3 foot tiers of items, and wrap a strap around the items when you're done with each layer to hold them together.

Protect remaining furniture. Though some people like to wrap their furniture in advance, it's best to wrap the items as soon as you get them in a truck. When you move an item into the truck, you should put it on top of the paper padding, cover it in the padding, and then tape it down. Here are some extra tips for protecting furniture:

• For extra protection, after you wrap a mirror or painting, you can put it between mattress and box spring, or surround it by cushions.
• Wrap up couch cushions and pillows.
• Wrap mattresses.
• If you plan ahead, you probably have a lot of things that you need to move with you anyway that would make great protective pads in the truck. When packing, leave all blankets, sheets, towels and other linens unboxed and use them when packing.

Move the longer items into the truck. These will include sofas, table-tops, headboards, long mirrors, and box spring and mattress. Put them against the longest walls of the truck to save space and keep them upright. Secure these items to the side of the truck with ties if it has a place for them.

• Sofa, mattress, and box spring will provide cushion for other items.
• Put dressers and desks against mattresses so the drawers can have a cushion if they open.
• Any item with drawers should be facing the truck walls so the drawers can't open too much.

Pack boxes into the truck. Choose boxes of similar size and strength so you can stack them on top of each other. Place the heaviest and largest boxes on the bottom, medium-weight boxes in the middle, and lighter items on top. You will be creating three layers of weight.

• Make sure you have labeled the boxes to say which room they should go in.
• Pack a layer of heavy, medium-sized, and light boxes, and repeat the process until the truck is mostly full.
• Try to create tiers that have a similar height, so you can pack the boxes to create an even surface.
• Move from the front to the back of the truck.
• As you go along, place in items that are hard to stack in between crevices to save space. Items like cushions and strollers are great for this.

Put in any remaining items. Your goal should be to pack the truck as tightly as possible without squeezing the items together too tightly. Squeeze in any unwieldy items where you can, and place fragile items on top so they don't get crushed.

• Try to fit together the remaining parts as if you were working on a jigsaw puzzle. Everything will be able to fit together if you arrange it the right way.
• Place items that don't fit anywhere else in the front of the truck, such as grills.
• If you rent a truck that is larger than you need and you do not fill the truck completely, you can minimize moving and jostling by leaving the empty space at the back of the truck and keeping the height of your packing low and even.

Tips

Warnings

Things You'll Need

I always try to spread the heaviest boxes evenly so the weight is spread out. I also lay the box springs down with the mattress on top so I can put the fragile boxes, tv's etc on top of the mattress to absorb some of the shock. I load the rest of the boxes first because you can put them together like a puzzle so nothing shifts. I also rent the blankets like from uhaul so I can wrap the furniture to avoid scratches. I load the furniture last and put light boxes or odds and ends on top. Most trucks have tie off points on the walls so I use rope or twine to tie off anything that might shift. I think the most important thing is to have everything packed tight and at the same height so nothing shifts or falls. The first time I moved years ago I had empty space at the back of the truck so I just left it empty. Really dumb move! Boxes were all dumped into the empty spot and stuff got broken.

VERY CAREFULLY!!!

Seriously, it's like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Remember to put the boxes that are heaviest to the bottom of the stack. Turn tables upside down or remove legs. Tape screws to at least one piece of whatever you unscrewed it from. Part a pats box. (screwdrivers, nails, remote controls, etc.) Pack each bedroom's bedding in a separate box and mark that box on all four sides and the top.

And it's not heavy stuff to the front but heavy stuff all the way across in an even layer, front to back.

Get plastic wrap and wrap all your furniture (upholstered).

When packing any room that has cabinets, a good way to avoid repeating steps is to have tape handy and when you finish a cabinet, put a piece of masking tape across the cabinet doors to keep you from repeatably open the doors to check and see if you packed it.

As has been said, get all the boxes in first, packed as high and as tight as you can. If you only have some loose stuff left, stand up a few matresses or even go buy two cheap sheets of 1/2" plywood, and tie them across the boxes to lock everything in. They you can put our sofas and other stuff in and not worry about the boxes shifting and falling all over.

 

1.Move the largest and heaviest items first. This includes appliances such as the stove, washing machine, refrigerator and dishwasher, and any other item that takes more than two people to move. These items should be loaded on the truck before anything else and kept against the far wall closest to the cab. Keep the items in their upright positions and make sure you balance the truck by placing heavy objects on opposite sides. 
Use furniture padding to protect wood surfaces and corners. Padding can be rented from the truck rental agent and is worth the little extra it costs. Using padded protection also makes it easier to slide heavier pieces onto the truck.

2.Move longer items such as box springs, mattresses, long mirrors, headboards, sofas and table-tops on to the truck next. Place these items against the longest walls of the truck which will keep them upright and will save space. Make sure you use mattress covers to spare your bed and sofa from rips and tears and make moving a lot easier.
3.Dissemble bed frames, tables and desks and tape pieces together. Do the same for longer items such as skis and poles, lamp bases and lamp parts. When you roll-up your carpets, place these items inside then tape your carpet closed, both around the carpet itself as well as both ends. You can also use linens to stuff both ends of the carpet roll before taping the ends closed. This will prevent items from falling out during the move. Place the carpet on the floor of the truck.
4.Next, start loading the largest and heaviest boxes. Place the boxes on top of the appliances and furniture and make sure you fill any cavities beneath tables, under desks, and on chair seats. Make sure the heavy boxes don't contain any fragile items. 
5.Transfer lighter boxes to the truck and stack them on the heavier boxes, making sure the lightest boxes are on top. Try to stack boxes in rows until they reach the top of the truck. Any space between the top of the boxes and the truck's ceiling should be filled with soft, crushable items such as garbage bags full of clothing, bedding and linens. 
6.Place fragile items or awkward shaped items on last, ensuring that they will not move around during transport. The best spot for fragile boxed items is in cubbyholes such as underneath tables, desks and beneath chair legs.
7.The last items to be loaded should be those items that can be stuffed into holes and that don't contain anything fragile, such as bags full of clothes, linens, blankets, and towels. Items such as hangers, garage items, boots and shoes and anything that won't break during a move, can be used to fill empty spaces. 

But before you start carrying boxes up the ramp , there are a few things you'll need to know to make sure your belongings travel to your destination safely and securely.



Supplies You Need
•Furniture Pads and/or Paper Padding
•Small Stretch Wrap and Large Stretch Wrap
•Mattress Bags
•Packing Tape
•Tarp or plastic sheeting
•Furniture/Appliance Dolly
•Ropes, moving straps, bungee cords, or other types of tie-downs
•Leather work gloves
• Cardboard
• Step-stool or smaller ladder
• "Filler" items (e.g. pillows, stuffed animals, clothes, linens, etc. in bags

Preparing To Load

You'll find that pre-planning how you'll load reduces loading time and fatigue. And, just as important, it ensures your belongings travel safer.
• Place everything you can inside similar-size moving-grade boxes (rather than "grocery store" boxes or plastic totes). Moving boxes were designed for easy "squaring-off," which helps maintain the integrity of the load as items are stacked on top.
• Make sure all boxes are labeled with their contents and destination room location.
• Wrap all unboxed items in paper padding, plastic stretch wrap or furniture pads.
• Wrap upholstered furniture with self-adhering plastic wrap or furniture pads to protect from soil and punctures.
• Wrap wood or metal furniture with moving pads or paper padding. Pay special attention to corners and legs.
• Wrap mirrors, large framed pictures and marble table tops in plenty of paper padding or furniture pads.
• Use plastic wrap or packing tape to secure moving pads or paper padding to furniture (making sure not to place tape directly on furniture).
• Be generous with padding to avoid scratches, gouges, and broken items.
• Disassemble furniture such as kitchen tables, entertainment centers, bed frames, headboards, footboards, and dresser mirrors.
• Keep in mind that furniture made of particle board is more susceptible to damage when shipped assembled. It is not built to withstand the normal stresses that occur when traveling in a moving truck (which is why manufacturers ship disassembled). While it is safer to move this type of furniture disassembled, it can be less sturdy after being taken apart and reassembled.
• Wrap bed rails or disassembled table legs and roll them into large rugs or carpets.
• Remove shelves from bookcases, armoires, etc., and wrap them separately (if removable).
• Remove hardware, screws, parts, etc., from furniture, place them in a sealable bag and tape to the back of furniture or inside a drawer.
• Prior to moving day, measure doorways to determine the best door to move large furniture out of.
• Remove all food from refrigerators/freezers.
• Defrost refrigerators/freezers 24-48 hours prior to loading.
• Hang a bag of charcoal or coffee beans/grounds inside refrigerator/freezer to prevent "musty" odors.
• Disconnect water/ice-maker lines and tape the cord to the back of the refrigerator/freezer.
• Avoid tipping your refrigerator/freezer on its side as this can cause damage to the compressor.
• Drain all water out of washing machines 24 hours prior to loading. Avoid doing a load of laundry the day of the move.
• Tip the washing machine backward to drain as much water as possible.
• Place hoses from washer or dryer in a plastic bag and put them inside the unit.
• Pack trays/glass shelves from microwaves and refrigerators inside a moving box.


Loading  Items
• Make sure you have an obstacle-free route from the door to the moving trailer/
• Lay a tarp or plastic wrap on the floor of the trailer to protect against dust/dirt.
• Designate one or two people to remain on the truck while the others are carrying items. They will be responsible for stacking and loading everything tightly.
• Begin by loading into the front of the truck (near the cab) and work your way toward the back.
• Stack items from floor to ceiling, putting heavy items on the bottom and lighter items on the top.
• Create 2' – 3' tiers as you are loading. Each tier should be close to the top of the trailer/ReloCube ceiling before beginning the next tier.
• "Square" the load by creating a flat surface with boxes. This makes each level easier to stack.
• Pack items tight, like a jigsaw puzzle – all space should be filled to avoid shifting in transit. Use "fillers" for any open space.
• Tie each tier off with straps/rope, etc. to secure.
• Load the largest, heaviest furniture and appliances first (against the walls to help distribute the weight evenly throughout the truck). The sofa/loveseat should be placed on end if possible. If the legs are not removable, point them toward the wall and pack "fillers" in the space between the wall and the sofa/loveseat (don't forget to wrap each item).
• Remove cushions from the couch and wrap or place in plastic bags.
• Place wrapped pictures and mirrors upright between mattresses.
• Place wrapped headboards and footboards between mattresses (not the same mattress your pictures/mirrors are between).
• Remove drawers and contents of drawers before moving desks, cabinets or dressers. Once the items are loaded on to the truck, replace the drawers and secure with self-adhesive plastic wrap.
• Make sure items that could potentially cause damage are not loaded against fabric or wood furniture. For example, a piece with protruding metal could puncture a sofa or mattress.
• Avoid loading thin-legged tables on bottom; they may not be able to handle the weight of items loaded on top.
• Avoid loading the feet of an item directly on top of a finished piece of furniture; this could dent or puncture the finish.
• Avoid loading furniture against other furniture or truck walls without proper padding (furniture pads, paper pads, cardboard, etc.).
• Load the heaviest and largest boxes first. Place them on top of appliances and furniture and fill any cavities beneath tables, desks and chair seats.
• Stack lighter boxes on top of heaver boxes.
• Place fragile items or awkward shaped items on last and secure tightly (make sure they're marked "fragile").
• Place light-weight loose items like plastic plants, small rolled up rugs, bundled mops and brooms, etc. on top.
• Rolled up rugs, bags of linens, etc., can be used to help fill void areas.
• Keep gas operated items like lawn mowers, weed eaters, etc., on the truck floor, covered with tarp or plastic sheeting and away from fabric items (after you drain flammable fluids).
• When moving motorcycles, riding lawn mowers or small ATVs use strong moving straps to secure the items and ensure they stay in place during transit. If moving in a trailer, we recommend nailing wooden blocks into the trailer floor for added bracing. All fuel must be completely drained.
• Use straps/rope/cord, etc., throughout the process to keep items safe in secure. While strapping it all in at the end is important, it's just as important to secure the items as you load.• Make sure you have an obstacle-free route from the door to the moving trailer/ReloCube.


Protecting Yourself While You're Loading

While there are certainly things you can do to ensure your belongings travel safely to your new home, you'll also want to ensure an injury-free moving day. Share the tips below with anyone planning to help with loading or unloading your shipment.
• Have someone available to help lift heavy items. Don't overdo it. If you have to strain to carry the load, it's too heavy.
• If you need assistance with loading or unloading, ask your U-Pack representative; we can help!
• If you have heavy items, consider using a dolly.
• Avoid wearing clothing that may get snagged while carrying furniture out of doorways and into the moving truck.
• Wear leather gloves when handling large, heavy objects with sharp edges (you'll need these for installing the trailer ramp and bulkhead, too. See U-Pack's ramp set-up and ramp removal instructions and bulkhead installation instructions).
• Wear durable, supportive footwear with a good grip (avoid sandals or open-toed shoes).
• Pace yourself. If you have a lot to move, take small breaks throughout the process.
• Make sure you can see where you're walking.
• Avoid walking on slippery, uneven surfaces.
• Bend your knees – not from your waist – when picking up and setting down objects.
• Always lift with your legs and not with your back.
• Keep your back as straight and vertical as possible – don't arch your back or reach out for an object.
• Get a firm footing before picking up a heavy object (parting your feet and putting one foot slightly in front of the other helps give you good balance).
• When lifting, stand close to the item with your feet shoulder-width apart, elbows tucked in, and chin down.
• Use slow and smooth movements.
• Keep your body facing the object while you lift it – avoid twisting.
• Try to carry the object in the space between your shoulder and waist; this puts less strain on your back.
• When using a dolly, make sure the blades are centered and completely under the load.
• Always walk with the dolly in front of you and keep the load balanced, with heavier items on the bottom.
• Avoid loading items onto the dolly higher than chest-level.
• When going up or down the ramp or steps, have a second person help support the item.

• Load furniture first and boxes last in the truck. It will make it easier when you unload at your storage space.
• Load your upholstered furniture early. It’s easier than fighting space with it later. Load on top of cardboard or soft material and wrap with blankets to protect upholstery from dirt.
• Build “tiers” from the floor to the ceiling of the truck using heavier pieces such as dressers, washers, dryers, etc. as your base. Load each side of your moving truck evenly and use Rope to tie off every few tiers. That will prevent you load from shifting every time the truck accelerates or brakes.
• Load and tie off your mattresses against the last tier. It’s a good way to secure your load. Use Mattress Covers to protect them from dirt.
• Disassemble as many items as possible in preparation for the move. Place parts in labeled sandwich bags and put in a drawer to be easily located.
• Odds and ends such as bicycles, lawn chairs, barbecues, etc. should be loaded last, cushioned away from the rest of the load. Bundle and tape long handled garden tools, mops, brooms, etc.

This might be old news for seasoned movers, but protecting the items going into the moving truck is important and so this tip is worth repeating. Appliances, white, black or stainless steel, can scratch and dent easily. Wooden or painted furniture can also be easily damaged. Boxes and bins will be stacked on top of larger objects, and items can easily shift while traveling. Packing the truck carefully and keeping items secure can still result in damage to belongings if pads and packing supplies isn’t used. It would be disappointing to move into a new home with newly damaged furniture.

Packing methods for fitting an entire house into boxes can be a controversial subject. However most people agree that labeling those boxes is always a good idea. If you like to keep your items organized for a simpler unpacking process at the end of the move, then list the contents inside. If you’re not an organizer when packing but just throw whatever fits into a box, you can still keep up a semblance of organization by labeling the box by room. And be sure, regardless of your organizational process, to label the boxes that hold fragile or precious items inside with big, bold letters ‘CAUTION’ or ‘FRAGILE.’ This will go a long way to helping you figure out the order and safe placement of the boxes in the moving truck.

Many appliances and furniture items can be stored more easily once they’ve been disassembled, but how to keep track of all the screws, nuts and washers? You can take pictures or write down detailed instructions, but often just taping the part securely near the space where it belongs is the simplest solution. Keeping hardware securely taped next to their corresponding holes is a great organizational method that makes reassembly easier as well. You probably won’t even need directions to put the bed or chair back together, as you’ll see right where everything goes. It also saves time on looking for the assembly directions and fishing through bags for the correct parts. When you arrive at the new home and start putting appliances or furniture back together, you won’t need to hunt through boxes or bins for directions and screws, just untape the hardware from the parts and you’ll see exactly where they belong.

Don’t spend too much time looking at the boxes and furniture needing to be packed into the truck and picturing how you’re going to fit all of it inside. Overthinking the packing process will just make it even more overwhelming. Instead, follow a couple simple rules: load largest, heaviest items first in the back, fragile boxes and objects on top and pack the items you need accessible last, so they’ll be easy to reach as soon as the door rolls up. Once you know these basic rules, begin loading and arranging with a vengeance! As long as you’ve estimated correctly regarding the truck size you rented, then you should be able to fit everything in without too much trouble. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that there is a ‘perfect place’ for every item – just follow this simple order and everything will find an adequate spot.

Load the heaviest items onto the moving truck first.
Major appliances and your largest pieces of furniture should go into the moving truck first and be packed tightly against the back wall. Place moving blankets or pads on top of and between the appliances to avoid dents and scratches. Moving boxes can be stacked on top of appliances to fill additional space.

Line mattresses and beds along the sides of the moving truck.
You’ll need to disassemble your beds before moving; place all the hardware in a small plastic bag and tape it to the rails or headboard. Stand the mattresses and box springs up along the side walls of the truck to make the best use of your space.

Stack same-size moving boxes from left to right. 
Using same-sized moving boxes will allow you to make stable, secure stacks. Make sure you’ve labeled any boxes containing fragile items and place those boxes at the top of your stacks.

Fill empty spaces with lightweight items. 
As you fill your truck from left to right and front to back with larger items, you’ll find you have open spaces. Use this space to load smaller boxes and lighter items that couldn’t be packed in boxes. Take advantage of the space underneath tables and on top of chairs.

No Short-cuts

Don't be lazybones

Don't rush.

Think what can go wrong if you do.

Ask yourself... will it get damaged? 

How Franks WorldWide Moving Packs A Moving Truck - YouTube

 Truck Packing web 1 - YouTube

Remember to take precaution and care. There is a very good reason why "Better safe than sorry" has become the cliche it is.