If you’re looking to save some money, a self-service move may be the right choice. Among the challenges of a self-service move is loading your household items in the moving truck or van in a way that minimizes the chance of your items getting damaged during transport.

If you have little or no experience loading a moving truck, it’s a good idea to contract a professional to help you with your packing and loading. Some van line agents and other professional moving companies may offer this service, especially during the slower winter months. Finding contract labor during the busy season of May-September will likely be difficult.

Whether you hire professionals or rely on friends and family, it’s important to get sufficient help for packing and loading. This will help prevent damage to your items and avoid injury to someone. Heavier items such as sofas and dressers require more manpower to lift and transport, and you may not have all the special moving equipment that a professional crew uses.

Getting started

Before you load your the moving truck, make sure that all of your cartons are fully packed from top to bottom. Use bunched-up paper if there aren’t enough items to fill a carton. This will keep everything safe and prevent the carton from being crushed if other cargo is stacked on top of it.

Plan on stacking your goods in the truck from floor to ceiling. Every space needs to be filled so that nothing shifts during transportation. Cartons should be used to fill open spaces between large items.

To save you time, it’s best to have the proper items before you begin loading the truck. Sofas, mattresses and other soft items should be stretch-wrapped to protect from soiling or punctures, and furniture should be protected with padded materials. Professional movers will wrap every piece to make it easier to load tightly without causing damage.

Loading the truck

Start loading your items at the front of the truck or van and work your way to the back. Keep all items stacked as tightly as possible to keep everything from shifting during the drive. If you don’t fill all of the truck’s cargo space, secure the back of your load with loading straps or other materials to keep them from moving.

Place heavy items on the floor of the truck, and plastic and lighter things on top of the heavier ones. You may have to take apart things like tables and desks in order to load the cargo tightly and ensure safe transport. Sofas and other furniture may be placed on their ends to also achieve a tighter load. Be sure to load your goods so they don’t damage each other. For example, an item with a protruding metal part may puncture a sofa or mattress. Be careful not to scoot or drag furniture in the truck as damage may occur to sofa and table legs and dresser bottoms.

Packing requires a lot of common sense. Take a look at everything on the truck before you secure it and see if there are open spaces or other potential spots where things can shift or be damaged. It’s better to have everything packed tightly, instead of using all of the available cargo space, to prevent things from shifting around during the trip.

Unfortunately, your moving company will assume no additional responsibility if irreplaceable or sentimental items are lost or damaged during the move. Transporting these with a moving company only increases the chance for problems if your shipment is delayed or the items are lost or damaged. It’s safer to keep these valuables with yourself during the move.