How To Safely Load & Unload A Moving Truck

Published on 2023-03-09

There’s a lot that goes into moving, but the real hard work is generally loading and unloading the moving truck. You may have to move larger and heavy items around corners, up or down stairs, and in and out of the truck. Not only can it be a challenge to do these things, but there’s also a risk of injury if you’re not careful, which is why we’ve put together these helpful tips for how to load and unload your belongings. Most of the advice mentioned here involves the loading of a moving truck, but you can simply work backwards with the same approach when it comes to unloading everything once you’ve arrived at your new home.

Clear A Path

Before you even start loading boxes onto the moving truck, you’ll want to make sure there is a clear and unimpeded path to the truck, both inside and outside of your house. Even small items like children’s toys or small boxes can cause serious harm if you’re carrying something heavy and don’t happen to see them. Tuck any boxes, furniture, and cords away from heavily trafficked areas so that you won’t have to worry about tripping or falling while loading or unloading.

Disassemble Larger Items

If you have any larger items that can be broken down into smaller pieces before moving, you should absolutely do it. Bulky items like sectional couches, entertainment centers, play sets, and anything else that can be separated in smaller and more manageable pieces should be. Not only does this make them lighter and easier to move, but it also reduces the chances of dinging a wall or getting stuck moving around corners or up and down stairs.

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Enlist Help & Don’t Overdo It

If you struggle to lift or move anything, be sure to get help so that you don’t injure yourself. This may be family, friends, or movers, but the key is that you have enough bodies to keep things manageable from a lifting and loading perspective. If you do plan to hire a moving company, let them handle the larger and heavier items—that what they get paid for. If you are loading items without the help of movers, take advantage of the equipment provided to make the job easier (see below).

Make Use of Moving Equipment

Even if you’re renting a truck and handling the move on your own, you should have access to moving equipment that makes the job much easier. Hand trucks, moving dollies, and straps should be implemented any time when they’re available, particularly for bulky items like refrigerators, washers, dryers, couches, or anything else that could prove difficult to lift and move with manpower alone. Not only will this help prevent injury, but it will also keep items from tumbling down stairs or falling off the loading ramp when loading and unloading a moving truck.

Heaviest Items First

The largest and heaviest items should be loaded onto the truck first, with smaller and lighter items filled in around them. For bigger items, secure them inside the moving truck using the fasteners so that they don’t shift during the move, especially for long distance moves. Though you want to load the heaviest items first, try to distribute the weight evenly inside the truck by using the back and sides of the cargo area to keep things in place.