Main thing is to take your time and don't rush. Don't expect to get to Chicago as fast as you would in a regular passenger car. Let us know how it goes.
Thank you for your reply. Your video was extremely helpful! My nerves were natural, but driving the truck (15”) was a lot easier than I thought it would be! It did take an extra 2 hours, but it was a seamless drive and shockingly easy to control. For anyone who’s nervous, you’ve got this! It’s a lot easier than it looks. Confidence is the key and every single one of these tips is extremely helpful😭😭😭
I'm glad to hear that everything was okay and you made it to Chicago. Like you said, driving one of these can be done with a little confidence and knowing what to expect. Awesome that my tips are helping!
Thanks for the video, comments and follow ups. My Gf & I are heading from CO to southern CA tomorrow. we are also towing her car on a flat bed 😬. I can drive an RV & have towed a boat a lot behind a truck or suv but never RV with a trailer só Im scared 😬🤞🏽
2:05 tip 1 watch side mirrors, more space to break, going fast risk not worth it, wider turns,secure load,map, dont back out when leaving /park with a plan,Inspect The Truck thanks, other videos on youtube for search was bad this was super helpful.
Wow, a year to the date, and here I am watching, u-haul rented, getting ready to move into my first home. Thanks for the tips, man! Feeling good with the info, and will be sure to go over the checklist again before we hit the road. Peace & Love & cheers to the New Year!
@@cdltrainingspot7172 Went great! Drove 18hrs between the 2 of us from Eastsound, Washington to Santa Barbara, California! Harsh weather, but kept it slow and steady :)
Driving a 24 ft box truck for work now. Been a week. I need more practice on reversing into a tight spot and turning into a tight spot 🤦♀️ lord help me. I like this job.
Thank you. Though I drove a smaller uhaul years ago, the distance wasn't as far as it will be tomorrow and the truck is way bigger. I just pray and have faith that God will see me threw
First of all, thank you so much for this video. It made me feel a lot better. Ive been really stressed and a little nervous with the moving etc.. and this made feel relieved. I just got a question and thats what has brought me to this video. Is there a certain way i should distribut the weight in the truck. For example, heavier boxes under the lighter ones? and should i try to balance the weight on both sides? Should i focus the biggest weight in the front or the back? Stuff like that. I might be worrying a little too much about the physics of it. But im also really curious. Is there a 'best way to load the truck' kinda tutorial somewhere?
No problem, I'm glad that my video was able to help you out. Try to keep the heavy boxes items as low as possible to the floor of the truck box and evenly distribute the weight as well so that you don't have too much on one side. Make sure nothing is loose so that it moves around while turning. Good luck and stay safe out there.
@@cdltrainingspot7172 it went pretty well. Got really dicey driving thru mountains in TN LOL the other semi drivers were kind of messing with us. Served into our lanes and kept turning on their hazards but it was pouring down rain and we drove straight thru. My buddy drove a 28ft and I'll never forget the experience. I recommend it! Ha thanks for replying. I forgot I even wrote that lol
Thanks for the tips. Doing a move from Western Maryland to Phoenix Arizona. Nervous. Renting a 16ft Pensake doing the drive with my dad. Nervous but really appreciate the tips.
So what should I do about a husband who is a first time driver of a 26 foot box truck towing a car over 1000 miles who thinks he doesn't need any practice or tips? 🤯🤯🤯
Thanks for the info! After being scammed by a "moving company" who is the defendant in a lawsuit for extortion (they basically hold people's things hostage while demanding more and more cash), I decided to drive a 16' Budget truck 2K mi. I debated towing my car but was already nervous about the 16 footer, so I'm going to fly back to get my car and drive it to my new location. I appreciate the tips. I was not expecting to drive a large truck with such short notice. Your video was very helpful in alleviating some anxiety about it.
@@Chrisnina84 i know this wasn’t for me, but I finished my drive nice and safely. At rest stops you can park with the trucks to make it easier so you don’t have to reverse the truck. You can do overnight sleeping in the pilot too in the back as well
@@cdltrainingspot7172 Just now seeing replies when cleaning out my email haha...the move was crazy in so many ways but I made it in one piece and I got used to driving the truck! It gave me a whole new respect for truckers on the road -- I always let them in now. Thanks again!
Thanks. Very helpful. I too am making a solo move from upstate NY to Central Texas with 15"foot box truck and an auto transporter trailer. A bit nervous. I hope your website provides a little more guidance on maneuvering turns. Thanks again.
No problem, I'm glad that you found the tips helpful, that was my goal! Before you head out to the highway I recommend finding an empty parking lot to practice turning and clearing curbs. Stay safe 👍
Thanks for this video! A lot of what you covered is common sense, but things I wasn't really thinking about since I'm so focused on packing and coordinating everything.
Driving tomorrow with my 1st 26ft foe the first time. I’m extremely nervous. ESP, with all the controls and the pressure stuff. I’m nervous as ever. I surly will be driving slow. Thank you !
Another tip for every driver, every single time... compare the license plate to the info on the paperwork and make sure they match. Therr are horror stories of people getting arrested and having to deal with a bunch of nonsense. I know of st least 2 on RU-vid.
@@cdltrainingspot7172 basically a guy got pulled over and arrested for "switching the plates out" when all he was actually doing was moving states and it was entirely uhauls fault for not checking the plates beforehand. He had no clue and in the end uhaul paid up but still. They were cleared (the previous renter had changed out the plates) but it was a complete mess. Especially because it took a lot for uhaul to take responsibility and the guy had a history so it was even more convoluted to prove. I mean ya do an inspect before driving anyway, mine as well add checking the plate. Yeah small odds it won't match but not a situation you or i wanna be in.
@@ek1046 Wow, that sucks. Thanks for explaining what happened, hopefully some people that watch the video also see what you wrote about checking license plates. Take care bud.
You are welcome Lauren. Just take it slow and try to stay in one lane. The moving truck handles much different than a car or suv. Best of luck to you Lauren! stay safe
Great tips!! I’m driving a 16 ft. U-haul Truck towing my car from Jersey to Florida. I’m also looking forward to getting my CDL so I’ll be checking out your site. Thanks
I'm glad they helped you out Jorge. My site has a ton of stuff about the trucking industry and there is even a free job board. Best of luck to you bud!
Moving in four days and I'm really nervous even though I used to drive a truck for work and I'm used to driving larger vehicles. Maybe it's the fact that I'm renting something? Dunno. Fingers crossed that all goes well :)
Hey guys, so the drive ended up being super fun, comfortable, and no problem at all! You definitely feel shell shocked your first time getting behind the wheel, like “holy shit this thing is massive…” but these big moving trucks have incredible rear view mirrors and includes blind spot mirrors. After the initial 10-15 minutes of driving it out of the Uhaul lot to my house, I ended up loving it. The only thing that really made me quiver were those tight spots on the highway during construction, basically you have a 2 lane road both with cement barriers and you have only enough room to just barely fit in your little lane. Just go slow, let all the speed demons zip around you, and stay in your lane! But you’ll be just fine. Just think, there’s old ass men who drive those massive freighter trucks across the country every single day, if they can do it, you surely can.
Yes, watch the video. Main thing is to take your time and understand that everything is going to be slower. Accept that. Don't expect to make the drive in the same time you would with a small passanger car. Best of luck to you and come back to let us know how it went.
"Make sure to give yourself extra space" I'm about to drive one around Brooklyn thanks to Ikea refusing to do pick up returns let's see how well that works out for me
Good advice, I'm driving a 12 foot u haul truck and pulling my car behind it from Austin to Fort Worth in a couple of days. I'm a little nervous not being able to see behind me but as you say, if I check the mirrors a lot, take wide turns and not go to fast I should be okay. I'm worried about the doly behind the truck with my car, it's seems like turns will be more difficult, but I see people doing it all the time so it can't be that hard. I think I will purchase their insurance just to be on the safe side.
Actually, I'm driving from CA to NY next week, and an atlas can provide a bigger perspective than a tiny screen. I've done driven acoss the country many times, and still love an atlas - AND my iphone!
Any suggestions/advice on how to drive a uhaul with a tow dolly behind (towing my car). I'm not really nervous on driving the uhaul but I don't know how to make those turns or change lanes with a tow dolly in the back. I'm just nervous I wouldn't be able to estimate my turns or changing of lanes and hit someone because I'm driving something really long.
I don't have any experience pulling a car behind but I would imagine the same tips would apply. One thing I do suggest is avoid backing up as much as possible if you are pulling a car because backing up is one of the hardest things to do when pulling a trailer.
In most states you don't have to because you are not moving commercial property for anyone. You are moving your personal belongings. To be safe check and see with the states you are going to be driving through to see if you are required to stop at their weigh stations.
I'm driving a 15 foot tomorrow and am not too terribly scared. I'm going to my municipal landfill first to dump some stuff (you pay by weight and by what is being dumped, I'm not dumping illegally, lol). The path to get there doesn't seem too bad. I once had to drive a Uhaul back to my mom's place because her license at the time was suspended so she couldn't rent it. The distance was very short, 2, 3 miles at most. But god, was it full of very sharp turns that even in a car I've had to remind myself to slow down for. Then, it crests into a steep hill for a moment before descending steeply. The height of the brakes was not something I was used to and I was terrified I'd fly right through the stop sign intersection. Thankfully, I did brake in time. The opening of my mom's apartment complex was to the left but once in the parking space, I got out and switched with her, lol. I don't do well with reversing (though from another video, I see the 15" can fit in a single parking space). She and my brother drove it the rest of the day and returned it after-hours when no one would see her driving it, lol. My nerves were shot after that experience. But again, this truck is smaller and the terrain should be a lot smoother.
Sounds like a nerve racking trip even though it was only a few miles away. Glad you made out alive and ready to take on the 15 footer. Take your time and come back to let us know how it went.
@@cdltrainingspot7172 I drove it once and my mom's friend drove it the rest of the day, lol! But it wasn't bad! Some of the roads I was on were quite narrow and yet people were still able to pass me without crossing lanes. I love that there are two mirrors on each side, one with a general view and another to help with seeing cars closer to thr side of the truck. And I sort of already had practice with using only side mirrors as well as the rearview mirror in my car is very loose and doesn't stay in one spot in hot weather (which, living in the south, is all the time).
I have a question, I am going to be renting a U haul truck and pulling my car on a dolly behind me. The car is going to be set in place on the dolly at the Uhaul location and then I will be driving the whole thing back to my apartment to load everything on to the truck. Will there be enough room between the front of the car and the back of the truck for me to load the truck? If there isn't, I will have to take a cab, pick up the truck, drive it home load of truck and then attach the trailer and put the car on it myself and that makes me a little uncomfortable. What do you say about this dilemma?
First ask the company you are renting from what kind of fuel you should be using on the truck. After you find out which type of fuel go to a gas station and fill up using the same fuel that the company recommended you use.
I drove my 2001 GMC C6500 Topkick 26' Box truck, approx. 700 miles, in 13 1/2 hours, including 2 quick fuel stops. No problems, just slow in the Truck Lane, on steep grades, like most other trucks. Sold it shortly after that.
Do you have to stop for weigh stations and such when traveling across different states? Ill be moving from Missouri to Massachusetts in a few months. Saw mixed advice online. Lots of people saying nothing will happen if you drive by- others saying to stop just to be safe. Apart from clearance is there anything "truck" related to look out for on the roads?
Good question. In most states you don't have to stop at the scales because you are most likely moving personal property, not commercial property/freight. Ask the company you are renting from to make sure you know which states, if any, along your route you need to stop at.
i drive a 16 footer everyday for furniture deliveries and our truck broke down and we rented a 26 footer it’s a little nerve wrecking but the only thing that worries me is the larger front on the cab (ours was flat ) and it seems like the brake is insanely hard to push push to hard and it stops suddenly maybe i’m just not used to the air brakes or just first day new truck nerves ?
Over time you'll get used to the rental brakes too. It's tough to imagine that these big box trucks are being rented to people with zero driving expeience in one of these. I made this video to keep them safe and the rest of us sharing the road safe too. I'm glad to hear the video helped you out, appreciate you taking the time to comment too. If you have any other tips that you want to add just leave it in a comment.
yea i mean i understand why they are though biggest truck i’ve driven is 18 feet and i drove that before an actual car so i couldn’t imagine hopping rite into the 26 footer what surprised me the most is that there’s only 4 videos like these about big trucks
@@nickwick35 it wasent bad. But I didn't realize how much heavy lifting was involved and I realized the more I did it maybe the job wasent the best fit for me
This video is perfect thank you so much !!! Im waiting in my UPS road test soon , never driven anything bigger than a SUV, was surprised to hear I didn’t need a CDL for the ups box truck road test . I have no training with trucks however , any final tips ?
That's awesome, UPS jobs are good jobs to get. Just do what I described in the video and you should be alright. If you really want the job then consider going to Uhaul and renting a big truck and driving it around for practice before you take the UPS road test.
