Renting your own moving truck can be a great money saver — as long as you’ve got a small army of family and friends to help with the heavy lifting!  Follow these easy steps to rent a moving van or truck and use it for a successful move.

Take inventory
The first step in renting a moving truck is to take inventory of what you have to move.

Start by decluttering your apartment.  Don’t pay to move anything you won’t want or need at your new apartment.  Trash or donate your unwanted items now before they get in the way or cost you money to move.

If you create an accurate inventory of all the items you need to move, it’ll be easier to estimate the size of rental truck you need.  Go through your apartment and make a list of all large items, such as pieces of furniture.  Calculate how many small, medium, and large boxes you think you’ll need to pack up all your belongings to move in your truck.

Estimate truck size
When you know what you’re moving, it’s easier to estimate what size truck you will need.  In general, you need to allot 125 to 150 cubic feet of space in the moving truck for each room in your apartment.  You can also use these general guidelines:

• 10-foot truck:  One-bedroom small apartment (approximately 350 cubic feet)
• 15-foot truck:  Two-bedroom apartment (approximately 750 cubic feet)
• 20-foot truck:  Three- to four-bedroom apartment (approximately 1,250 cubic feet)
• 25-foot truck:  Five to eight bedrooms (approximately 1,550 cubic feet) 

Be somewhat generous as you estimate what size truck you need; it’s better to end up having extra space in your rental truck as opposed to too little.  If you don’t rent a big enough truck, you may need to make several trips, which will throw off your moving timeline and cost you more money.  If you’re still unsure of how much truck space you will need, try contacting moving truck companies and asking their representatives for advice.

Make a reservation
Once you know what size rental truck you need, you can reserve a truck.  To make a reservation, you’ll need to give the moving truck company several pieces of information:

• Your moving date
• The size moving truck you need
• A major credit card number to hold the reservation
• Whether your move is one-way (out of town) or local

Moving truck companies are busiest at the beginning of the month and during the summer season.  Beat the rush and ensure you get the date and truck you want by reserving early. 

Purchase additional moving supplies
When you make your rental truck reservation, you can also rent additional supplies like furniture pads, dollies, and furniture movers.  You may think you don’t need them, but these inexpensive accessories can make your move a lot easier.  Using a dolly for large items can help save your back, which in turn can give you more energy to finish your move faster.

You may choose to purchase additional moving truck insurance to cover any damage incurred to the truck during the move.

Know what’s required
When moving day rolls around, make sure know what you have to do before you return the rental:

• Where can you return the truck?
• What time do you have to return the rental?
• Do you have to fill up the gas tank before you return it?
• How much will you be charged per mile that you have driven the truck (if applicable)?

You could incur additional charges if you don’t follow the requirements in your moving truck rental contract, defeating the purpose of trying to save money with a self-service move.