For full transparency, we should start off by saying this: we don’t recommend that you take the “do-it-yourself” approach when it comes to your office move, because the risks FAR outweigh the potential rewards -- which are often unrealized in whole or part.
However, we do understand that many businesses – whether they choose to partner with us or not – may want to rent a moving truck to transport some smaller, portable items that were either unpacked by employees (which can happen sometimes!), or perhaps are more easily moved ahead of official moving day.
With that in mind, below we highlight 10 tips on how to efficiently pack a moving truck:
- Before you start lifting and sorting, create an obstacle-free path from the moving truck to where your items are located. For this reason, it’s best to do the packing in the evening or on weekends when the office is closed (or when there is minimal traffic).
- Put a plastic sheet or tarp on the floor of the moving truck to guard against dust, dirt, scratching, etc.
- Have volunteer movers (i.e. employees) wear appropriate clothing, including steel-toed shoes or boots.
- Ensure that volunteer movers know how to safely lift, move and deploy items.
- Start by loading the front of the truck (the part closest to the cab), and then work your way to the back.
- Put heavier items on the floor, and lighter items on the top. Leave delicate items to the end, and clearly mark the boxes FRAGILE.
- While you don’t want to “jam” items together because that can cause damage, you want to position items so that they support and fortify each other. To this end, fill up any open spaces with “fillers” to prevent movement while in transit.
- Use appropriate, professional-grade straps to keep items secure.
- Balance weight throughout the truck so that one side or corner is not disproportionately heavy. While this may not seem like an important requirement, it’s essential to help ensure driver/passenger safety in the event that there is a collision or mishap on the road.
- Do not under ANY circumstances overload the truck! If necessary make two (or more) trips. Safety must be your top priority at all times.
Our Best Advice
As noted above, here at Precision, we understand that some businesses may want to move certain items on their own. However, our best advice is to leave everything to the professionals, because they know EXACTLY what to do and how to do it safely, securely, and efficiently.
To learn more about decisions you can make to ensure that your office move is successful, efficient, safe and rewarding, contact our team today. Your consultation with us is free.
Now you have an idea of how to pack the truck, but that is only one part of moving your office. To learn about office moves in general, download our eBook that has 5 EASY steps to move your office:
