How to Load a Moving Truck

How to Load a Truck

Although there are several different techniques and methods to loading and packing a truck, there are simple patterns that must be followed in order to prevent damage, and to keep the load secure.

If the straight truck, trailer or semi has a granny cab, always start there. The granny cab is excellent for securely packing lighter or more fragile items. These items can include chairs, pillows, lamps, etc… sometimes it is good to put a love seat in the cab if most of the load is bigger items. It is important to survey what furniture you do have on the list or on the move and pack accordingly to it. Never put boxes in the granny cab, unless it is a standing cab (such as a semi cab). Just always think, if you lift the boxes over your head and into the cab, you have to get them out the opposite way.

When loading the base of the truck, always use the heavy, durable items. This is called the base load. A rule of thumb for packing tiers of base, middle and top load is to always pack parallel to the tiers, this eliminates the ‘tetris’ feeling of loading it the opposite way. Great base items include dressers, chest of drawers, armoires, beds, etc… Try to avoid using tables to stack on, unless they are extremely durable, many people mistake tables for being strong and stack a lot of furniture on top of it, only to get to the unload and their whole tier is broken.

When loading on top of the base, always use medium to light weight items. These items may include night stands, boxes, bookcases, etc… Always be sure to be aware of the weight of each tier.

When using top load items, always use the lightest items. These items may include pillows, chairs, yard tools, etc… Be careful with yard tools, if they are dirty, they will get the furniture dirty.

The techniques used on jobs very quite a bit; a worker tends to have one way of loading and sticks to it. Here are some of the techniques that movers use to load/pack a moving truck.

Technique One, Float Loading. This technique can only be used when the job itself is small. Basically, float loading is packing the load only to about waist high. For this technique it is important to use as many pads as possible, as the pads can weigh down the furniture. It is also important to use as many straps to secure the loose parts of the load as needed. When a load is not packed to the ceiling, the furniture has ample room to move so more stability is needed for this technique.

Technique Two, Team Pack. This technique can only be used when everyone on the crew is experienced in loading a truck. The furniture is carried by everyone on the crew and brought to the truck to be packed as a group. The team effort allows everyone on the crew to get their hands on furniture and be apart of loading the truck. This can progress the move at a faster pace, but can cause conflict of interest, and damages if the crew is not experienced enough.

Technique Three, Operator Load. This technique can be used on any type of job of any size. The furniture is moved by the crewmen and brought to the truck for the driver/crew leader to load. This leaves the crew leader in charge of doing all of the technical aspects of a job, including paperwork, politics and loading. This can cause some conflict however, due to the fact that the crew leader does not do as much physical labor as much as he does mental labor, it is suggested that the crew leader still tries to carry some of the heavier pieces on the job.

Technique Four, Loading Switch. This method can only be used, again, if everyone on the crew is experienced at loading the truck. This works similar to the Operator Load, the difference is that after a certain amount of the truck has been loaded, it switches to a different person in charge of loading.