Calculating the time you need to rent the truck rental for is crucial if you want to save money on your rental fee. Read our tips in how to estimate the amount of time needed.
When choosing a full-service move, you don't have to plan the amount of time that you'll need the truck for since the company handles all loading and unloading of boxes. But with a do-it-yourself or truck rental move, you'll need to decide how long you'll need the vehicle for. And since the rental fee for the vehicle is your main expense when choosing a truck rental type of move, it's crucial that you plan out how long you'll need to rent the vehicle for; otherwise, you'll either end up paying for an early return fee or additional rental days at possibly a higher rate if you don't finish your move in time. So how do schedule your time properly so that you don't run into these types of situations? Read our tips below that can help you plan your truck rental time as accurately as possible.
Estimate how much you need to move
In order to gauge how long it will take to load and unload your boxes, estimate the number of boxes you have to move, and then ballpark the number of boxes you can load and unload per hour. For instance, if you calculate that you can load 50 boxes per hour, it will then take six hours for 300 boxes. And don't forget to add the amount of furniture into the equation, taking into consideration the weight of the furniture. In other words, heavier pieces will take longer to load. The same time calculation needs to be made for the amount of time to unload the truck rental.
Determine the number of helpers that you'll have
The above calculation can drastically change if you have volunteers or paid movers to help you load and unload the truck rental. Basically, the more people you have assisting with the loading and unloading, the faster the move will take. For example, if you have a team of 3 helpers plus yourself, those same 50 boxes will now only take a quarter of the overall time to load into the truck.
Determine the time it takes to drive back and forth
Don't forget to add in the amount of time it will take to drive the truck to your old place, and then to the new place, and finally back to the truck rental company.
