Pro tip: I lost $200 on a moving truck rental that was way too small for the job.

I booked a 16-foot truck online for a move across town, but when I got there, it was clear it wouldn't fit half my furniture. I had to pay a huge extra fee on the spot to upgrade, which blew my budget. Anyone have a good rule of thumb for sizing a truck?

3 comments

3 Comments

miles7981mo agoMost Upvoted

Ever see a grown man try to fit a full couch into a hatchback? My buddy did that. He rented a 10-foot truck for his apartment move, swore it would be fine. We spent an hour just trying to get his box spring up the ramp before he gave up. He ended up making three separate trips in his own car, which took all night. The rule he uses now is to add up the square footage of all the rooms he's moving and then pick the next size up. It seems to work for him.

oliver_adams1mo ago

Honestly, that sounds like way too much math for moving. Just eyeball it and rent the bigger truck. The extra twenty bucks is cheaper than your whole night wasted.

james9959d ago

Oh man, that's brutal! 😂 I did the exact same thing once with a 12-foot truck for a one-bedroom move and ended up with the mattress hanging out the back tied with bungee cords. Took me like five hours and I almost lost the whole thing on the freeway. Now I just rent the biggest truck they've got and laugh at the empty space.