How to Pack a 26-Foot Moving Truck

Thousands of kilometres of potholes, bumps and bumps along the way. And there may be emergency situations on the road when you have to brake sharply. Steep serpentine climbs or descents. Just imagine: the weight of all your things is 3.5 tonnes, and when going downhill, all this weight presses on each other and on those things that are closer to the cabin.

And how will all my things get there in one piece if the height of the track is 3 metres and all the things are lying on top of each other? The more belongings you have, the more complicated the day of moving from Orangeville to Toronto or another destination will be. There are a few helpful tips on how to pack a moving truck like a pro right here in this article.

And if you decide to transport your belongings in parts, you can use storage services from our moving company.

How to Select the Right Truck

You have to take inventory and get an idea of what the ideal packing truck size is for your needs. Moving trucks from most professional firms offer a variety of sizes.

For home movers, the smallest are city cargo vans, while the largest are box trucks, about 26 feet long. This article is specifically about how to pack a 26-foot moving truck.

Even if you are inclined to only hire and pack a truck for long distance moving by yourself, it is still wise to have professional help. They can help you make an estimate and pick the best truck size that fits. If your stuff is not enough to fill the entire 1300 cu ft tractor, you can choose the combined delivery option, where the mover will load two customers' stuff into the tractor, and then each of them will pay less than the full price.

Packing Tips That Work

For the most part, the basic rule of packing is heavy and large items go in first. The rest of the things go in after, scaled by size and weight.

Packing this way has many benefits. They include:

• It is the most efficient way to pack items and use the truck space.
• It helps to spread the mass and maintain the truck’s stability. A load moving truck needs to have the weight distribution at a low level to provide stability and safety.

Finding the Most Effective Loading Order

Here is a basic guide you can follow. Needs and applications differ, so there is a more set and specific way you must load a moving truck in a specific order. There are always going to be exceptions.

There should be no gaps or empty spaces when packing the track. Everything must be pressed tightly together. It's like laying bricks ‘one brick to the other’ going side by side. With such packing, the ‘natural vibration’ of moving will not damage things, i.e. they lie tightly and support themselves.

If you leave empty spaces when packing the track, you lose space, and the total can lose up to 30% of the space (looking at how bad packing is), and things will fall wobbly, break, break and break.

• The biggest and heaviest objects should be placed first. Furniture often makes up the majority of this. Large appliances should be wrapped up if they are too big to place in boxes. Always place them on the right side up so that nothing breaks.
• For any large and heavy items, you should place them in front and low in the cargo area, over the center of gravity of the truck. Be careful to load the truck’s front with other larger items as well.
• Mirrors and flat TVs are placed vertically against the walls of the track and supported by other things. It is not allowed to just put the mirror on the boxes on top or in the middle of the row because it will crack. Don't forget to tie them to the wall separately because when unloading, you can forget about them, pull on the furniture, and the glass will fall and break.
• Next to follow are all of your items in cardboard boxes. Optimize space by arranging them according to size and shape. Labels are useful, so get a bit of tape and write what is inside where. This makes unloading easy and also lets everyone know what items are fragile.
• Use flat, sturdy objects as dividers between rows. Like a tabletop, headboard, headboard, headboard. These are great places for them, and they support the overall structure.
• Every 4-6 ft, pull straps to support and secure the load. This is for overall load security and pressure relief. Roughly speaking, when braking hard, not all of the stuff is pressing on the outermost row, but every 3-5 rows are spaced/strapped.
• Don't rest sharp things or anything else on the ceiling of the track. You can damage the roof as it is made of thin sheets. If it rains, water will get inside.
• In the case of forming and filling the tractor, you should try to distribute the weight of things evenly on the sides of the trailer and evenly over the whole body. The stability of the trailer is increased and things are safer.
• Light furniture like awn chairs, kids’ toys, lawn chairs, couch cushions, luggage, and dining chairs can be placed on top. Light possessions should not be placed or squeezed under heavier stuff so that they will not be crushed or damaged.
• Labels also help, so pack collectibles, jewels, and valuables in boxes with clear labels. Important documents may also need to be packed individually.
• If carrying large garden equipment (snow plow or snow blower, lawnmower etc) always switch off batteries, and tanks empty: remove fuel before travelling.
• If carrying liquids, oils, paints, etc. these should be placed in airtight containers tods ‘ to avoid leaks, or they will flood things and the tractor.

Hiring Moving Company & DIY

Although everyone’s home is different, packing and moving is a pretty generic process at the end of the day. Appliances, furniture, and other possessions are not the same for everyone, but the same basic processes apply.

If you are a DIY kind of individual, you will probably need only a few pointers on how to best manage available space, time, and money.

However, you will definitely need more than a few people to assist you on the moving day. Helping hands is something you will need to figure out because moving professionals know how to pack a moving truck like a pro. The experienced professionals at High Stream Moving offer the best deals.

Call High Stream Moving on (800) 430-1537 to experience quality service in loading 26-foot moving truck.

Сonclusion

Do not fall into the trap of choosing a smaller loading truck because it will be cheaper. A truck that is 1 foot lower and 2 feet shorter has much less total volume than you might expect. Be aware that a smaller and cheaper packing truck might ultimately end up costing you both time and money. Refer to High Stream Moving to get the best moving service in town!