How to Pack and Load a Moving Truck Properly & Efficiently

If you take the time to organize your items and load them onto the truck in a systematic manner, it can make unloading and moving the items into your new home or storage unit so much easier. Use the tips below to avoid a real-life game of Tetris next time you move and need to fill a moving truck.

1. Box It Up

The more items you put into similarly sized boxes, the easier it will be for it all to fit in a moving van. Think about how tough it is to deal with oddly shaped items. The more consistent the size and shape of the items the better it will be to stack and fit the items in the moving truck. 

2. Get Organized

Staying organized is one of the biggest challenges with moving so it’s important that you label your boxes with the room where the contents need to be unpacked: keep all the boxes with kitchen items together, keep all of the boxes with living room items together. Ensure that these boxes are close together when you load the truck. Your unloading and organization at your new home will be so much quicker and smoother if you do this. Check out our moving checklist for more details.

3. Disassemble Furniture

It might seem inconvenient to disassemble some of your furniture, but it could save you time and prevent the damage of the item in the long run—not to mention saving space in the moving van. Take apart that bed frame, remove dining room table legs, make those larger items as flat and manageable as possible. 

4. Wrap Your Furniture

All of your wood furniture (including dressers, armoires, desks, dining tables, chairs, etc.) and large electronics (such as your television) should be wrapped with bubble wrap or a moving blanket and secured to prevent movement and shifting during travel. This will prevent damage to your furniture and prevent it from shifting around during the drive. 

5. Large or Heavy Items Come First

If you own your appliances, you should load those first and put them right up against the front wall of the moving van. Next, you should bring in your box, spring, mattress, headboards, disassembled dining table, and place them against the wall on the longer side of the moving van. Make sure that you use covers to prevent damage and soiling. Anything large and flat that you can lay against the walls is what you’re aiming for here.

6. Think Large to Small Boxes

Once you have all of the large, heavy, items and furniture in the van, then you can add the rest of your boxes. Use the large-to-small principle here too. As much as possible, try to keep items going to the same room together and pack the boxes from largest to smallest in the van. Place any fragile items on top of all of the boxes to keep them safe during transit.

If you’re moving and need a truck, U•STORE•IT offers Champion Truck Rentals at our locations (based upon availability). Call your nearest location to reserve one today. We have self-storage facilities located in North Edmonton, West Edmonton, South Edmonton, St. Albert, and Red Deer.