Comparing Professional Moving Trucks, Freight Trucks and Rental Movers Trucks

There are some major differences between freight trucks, professional mover's trucks and rental mover's trucks. Since most freight is moved from dock to dock, and standard dock height is 4', freight truck bed height is set at 4' as well. This is not as well suited to moving household goods because 4' is a lot of rise for carrying heavy articles by hand, or even with a dolly. Many freight trucks have no means for getting items from the bed to the ground, although some have lift gates or ramps. Lift gates are manageable for moving furniture, but not ideal because they are very slow. Freight trucks generally have one door at the rear of the bed that is a roll up door. This is ideal for freight because the driver can open the bed door from the loading dock. With swing out doors the driver would need to exit the truck, open the doors, and then enter the truck and back it to the dock.

Although many smaller moving companies will use freight trucks, professional mover’s trucks are designed differently. They are usually much lower than a freight truck making them more efficient to load. They have three sets of swing out doors, one on each side, and one in the rear. Side doors are desirable because often it is much easier to load or offload on the side due to accessibility. Swing out doors is preferred because roll up doors take up part of the load space where the door pulls into the truck. Mover's trucks have e-rails and use logistic straps to hold the goods, which are packed in tiers, in place. Some movers trucks have pull out bumpers, which allow some goods to be loaded outside the truck, should the load be too large to all fit inside. Mover's trucks tend to be low, yet tall, allowing for plenty of space for loading.

Rental trucks, on the other hand, tend to be a bit of a hybrid. Because they are driven by the general public who often lack the experience of professional drivers, they are designed to be lower at the top of the bed. This reduces the likelihood of collision with low branches, overhangs, or bridges, but results in less available loading space within the truck. Rental trucks have roll up doors on the rear, but no side doors. Most rental trucks have tie loops and/or rub rails, along interior sides of the box for securing items to the walls. Rental truck companies will rent pads to use for your move, but in general they do not compare with professional movers pads; they are usually smaller and thinner than what the professionals use.