Truck Rental Moves and Budgeting for the Unexpected

With a truck rental move, you might save money as compared to a full-service move, but you might still be in for some surprises (extra expenses) if you're unprepared for the unexpected.  These unexpected costs, however, don't need to unexpected if you properly plan your truck rental budget.  Here's how you do that. 

It's not just about renting a truck rental

Though the biggest expense with a truck rental move is the vehicle itself, it only makes up a proportion of the cost of the move.  For starters, you'll need to pay for the daily insurance of the truck plus any extras such as extra mileage, early drop-off fees or one-way rental fees (these can amount to a 50% addition to the overall cost).  Find out how much these fees are and add it into your overall budget. 

Another huge part of the expense in a truck rental move is the purchase of packing supplies.  Don't just assume that you can use old boxes, as moving boxes need to be sturdy enough to withstand the weight of the items.  Otherwise, you'll be spending more time on your move repacking and reloading, which can then increase the amount of time that you'll need to rent the vehicle. 

And along the same lines, don't assume that you won't need to rent any moving equipment.  It's much faster and easier to use a hand dolly for a truck rental move, so if you don't own one or can't borrow one, you might have to budget that into your overall move.  

One expense that can easily be forgotten is the cost of gas.  Trucks use a lot more gas per mile, and that extra cost can really add up, especially for a long-distance move.  Whereas with a regular vehicle you can estimate that you can get about 25 miles per gallon, with a truck it might be as low as 12 to 14 miles per gallon.  That means you'll be spending roughly twice the amount of money that you might have figured upon for the gas expense.  And with a long-distance move, that difference can be as great as a few hundred dollars.