Can You Fit a Car in a Uhaul Truck

01-31-2010, 02:32 PM

I'm looking at renting a Penske truck for a cross country move and like a lot of you have mentioned, it is cost effective to go with the 22ft diesel rather than the 16ft gas (Assuming the mpg is at least 30% better with diesel.) (I'm moving 2500 miles away!).
I drive a Miata which weighs roughly 2000 lbs. I could easily fit the Miata and all of my possessions into a 22ft truck.
Any reason not to try?
I know the loading ramps are rated at 1000 lbs, but it would take 2 ramps to get the car in and out any way. The truck is rated for 8000 lbs.
Could save a lot of money over a car carrier and Penske does not offer a towing option for a Miata (too small for their equipment, I guess).
Thoughts?
(I had a motorcycle moved once inside a truck, the only stipulation was that the gas tank be empty, or close to.)

ps. I thought the idea of filling garbage bags with expanding spray insulation to fill gaps in the pack was brilliant and worth mentioning again. Great idea!

01-31-2010, 03:42 PM

It's not advisable. The last guy I knew who tried it damaged his entire shipment (including his vehicle, which was totaled) when he lost control of the truck on a curve in the road and rolled it. When he got out of the hospital, not only was he out the money to replace his HHG because the insurance carrier denied liability due to his gross negligence, but Penske sued him to replace the truck since he used it to operate outside of his rental agreement.

Most rental trucks don't have the logistic tracks inside that movers use to secure automobiles in their trailers. Unless you're a professional who knows how properly tie down the car and then balance the load around it to accommodate the normal crest in the road, it can be a very dangerous undertaking.

Sell what your don't need/use on a regular basis, and ship the remainder using one of the mobile/portable container shipping options like ABF, PODS, SAM, or Door-to-Door. ABF has the smallest container followed by DtoD. Drive the car. 2200 miles in a Miata is a fun way to see the USA!

I've been movin' folks for almost four decades and have yet to see a moving professional or a customer use expanding spray insulation to fill gaps when packing. Seems like an extremely expensive way to accomplish what inexpensive newsprint can do. Freight carrier use inflatable bags to hold a bulkhead in place to secure their loads since many freight boxes don't have logistics track either.

01-31-2010, 05:01 PM

Yes, it can be done but ONLY IF the truck has a wooden floor, which it probably does not.

Here's how:

Determine which is the heaviest; your stuff or your car. Put the heaviest in the nose.

Drive the car in (I'd recommend "borrowing" someone's loading dock for that, rather than use ramps. Most K-Marts and Walmarts have outside docks which they might let you use). Position the car in the center, crawl out the window (the door won't open), and nail short pieces of 2x4's to the floor (2 high) in front of the front tires, behind the rear tires, and on the outside of all four tires. It won't go anywhere unless you DO roll it over. I've hauled many vehicles across the country like that and never had one move.

But, as you can see, an aluminum or steel floor won't work.

01-31-2010, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by winknod View Post

I'm looking at renting a Penske truck for a cross country move and like a lot of you have mentioned, it is cost effective to go with the 22ft diesel rather than the 16ft gas (Assuming the mpg is at least 30% better with diesel.) (I'm moving 2500 miles away!).
I drive a Miata which weighs roughly 2000 lbs. I could easily fit the Miata and all of my possessions into a 22ft truck.
Any reason not to try?
I know the loading ramps are rated at 1000 lbs, but it would take 2 ramps to get the car in and out any way. The truck is rated for 8000 lbs.
Could save a lot of money over a car carrier and Penske does not offer a towing option for a Miata (too small for their equipment, I guess).
Thoughts?
(I had a motorcycle moved once inside a truck, the only stipulation was that the gas tank be empty, or close to.)

ps. I thought the idea of filling garbage bags with expanding spray insulation to fill gaps in the pack was brilliant and worth mentioning again. Great idea!

Well, if you decide to go ahead with this idea, please videotape it and post it here so we can see how it went.

02-01-2010, 02:04 AM

If the truck you rent has a raised storage platform in the nose, fill that up first, then pull the car in.

Secondly, if your destination is Manhattan, I wouldn't recommend going all the way onto the island before looking for a place to unload your car. You probably won't find one. Actual loading docks are at a premium in Manhattan. In fact, most deliveries on the island are done right in the street and often several blocks from the receiving point because of restricted parking. There are several freight companies over in NJ which you might contact beforehand. In any case, plan ahead or you may find you can't get your car out.

But, as other posters have indicated, it might be against the rental contract anyhow, so the idea seems to be a non-starter.

Maybe a better option would be to just rent a small trailer to put your car on. Not a car dolly, but a full trailer with a wooden floor. However, if that trailer is not covered, you'd have to use nylon or chain tie downs (I'd recommend chains and binders attached to the axles), in addition to the chock blocks, or you'd probably get a ticket for an unsecured load.

02-01-2010, 04:20 PM

Most rental contracts do not allow a car in the cargo section although some do if you follow all the rules. Most rules are you must tell them and pay a special fee. The tank must be less than 3 gallons. The car can not be leaking any fluids and you must use protection mats under it. Alarm turned off, battery disconnected. properly chocked and tied down. And they are not responsible for ANY damage to the vehicle.

If you can get one that will allow it, you still may not be able to do it without a headache. Its not just the load rating of the ramps you have to consider, but the pitch and attachment of the ramps. I don't think using the standard ramps will work because the angle of the ramp will rip off the bottom of a miata when you transition for the ramp to the truck bed. If you try using the ramps on a hill, the attachments to the body will be out of wack and can pop off as you drive onto it. You, the car and the ramps will make very quick contact with the ground.

Loading a truck where a car is inside is not like packing a truck for a move. You will often have to pack your stuff at one end with the cars sitting out in the other. Because stuff will move, you have to not only secure it, but make sure the stuff won't fall into the big void above the car because that will do some major damage to your cars body.

Using the plastic bags with expanding foam is a special packing trick to create form fitting packaging. It can also be used in a pinch when donnage bags are not available. It will be very expensive to go that route. if you have the time, spend the money and buy the right supplies. Its not to be used to fill big voids above a car.

Sometimes cost savings just isn't there and using the service of a professional in moving is advisable. When containers are packed with cars inside, I would say in most cases when a person did it who has no or little experience, something always goes wrong. Boxes fall on the hood, mattress slides across the roof, everything leaning on the car waiting for you to move the car and everything crashes to the floor. With a pro, at least if they mess up, you have someone else responsible.

Enderby Harome47

Can You Fit a Car in a Uhaul Truck

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