Truck Rental and Load Planning Hub

Start with the transport configuration of your inventory. Check the assigned equipment and the largest pieces before choosing a size. Then price the full route, including pickup and return mileage, and prepare a record for the vehicle handoff.

What each group decides

The size cards and the truck sizes chart answer which vehicle can hold your load: cargo space, published maximum load, door and deck height for a cargo van and for 10, 15, 20 and 26 ft trucks, with the nearest sizes other rental companies list. The articles and comparisons cover the decisions around the vehicle — van or box truck, truck or trailer, one-way or round-trip, two trips or one — and the practical steps of pickup inspection, parking, route height, loading docks and return. The calculators price the rental, the fuel and a late return from your own quote.

Size the truck by space and weight

Rental trucks are named by length, but two checks decide the size: the volume of your packed load and its weight. Use the truck size calculator for the volume and the moving weight calculator for a planning weight, then compare both with the published figures for the exact truck. The two checks do not always agree — U-Haul’s 20 ft truck has more space than its 15 ft truck but a lower published maximum load — so a load that fits by space can still be too heavy.

First steps

Measure your largest pieces and count boxes before you book. Choose the size that passes both checks with some margin, and ask which model the location will provide. Read the license guide if you are booking a 26 ft truck or towing. Plan the route for the truck’s clearance height and the parking at both ends. At pickup, inspect and photograph the truck, note the fuel level and mileage, and read the driving guide before you leave the lot.

Specifications on these pages come from each company’s own published figures with the date we checked them. The truck you receive may differ; the label on its door post is the final word on its ratings.

Related tools & guides

• Guide

  Tips for Driving a Moving Truck Safely

  Slower, earlier, higher

• Guide

  Do You Need a CDL to Drive a 26 ft Moving Truck?

  No CDL by federal weight class