(and how to skip it)
Here’s a thing I watch happen almost every Saturday: somebody pulls into the lot at 9:30 in the morning, all pumped up and ready to move, and they’ve rented a truck that’s too small. Or occasionally too big, but honestly, it’s usually too small.
I get it. Trucks are expensive to rent by the day, and the 10-foot looks plenty big when it’s sitting empty in a parking lot. Then you get to the house and the dining room table doesn’t fit and you’re standing in the driveway doing math you didn’t want to do.
So — since you’re here anyway — let me save you the second trip.
The rough rule I actually use
When people call and ask “what size do I need?” this is what I tell them:
- Studio or a small 1-bedroom → 10-foot truck
- Full 1-bedroom or a small 2-bedroom → 15-foot truck (this is the one most people should rent)
- 2 to 3-bedroom home → 20-foot truck
- 3-bedroom+ house, especially with a garage or a basement → 26-foot truck
The 15-foot is our most-requested size and it’s not a coincidence. Most 1-bedroom apartments in Waldorf, White Plains, and around Charles County fit into it comfortably, with room for the awkward stuff (that bike, that lamp, the box of “I don’t know, we’ll sort it later”). If you’re on the edge between two sizes, go up. Renting the bigger truck for one day almost always beats making two trips in the smaller one — especially if you’re paying by the mile.
The stuff people forget to count
When you’re eyeballing your place trying to guess a truck size, three things throw everybody off:
1. The garage and the basement. If you have either, mentally double whatever you think you have. It’s always more than you think.
2. Boxes. People count furniture and forget they’ve packed forty boxes. Forty boxes takes up real space.
3. That thing you swore you’d sell before the move. You didn’t sell it. It’s coming with you. Plan for it.
If any of those three apply, size up.
Trailers are underrated
Not everyone needs a truck. If you already have a pickup or an SUV with a hitch, one of our cargo trailers might do the whole job for a fraction of the price. The 6×12 cargo trailer holds about as much as a small 1-bedroom apartment and it’s enclosed, so your stuff stays dry. The 5×8 utility trailer is what people grab for a couch, a mattress, a few pieces of furniture — quick runs where a whole truck is overkill.
If you’re not sure what your vehicle can tow, we can check it for you when you come in. Don’t guess on this one.
The awkward gap: what do you do if your move-in date isn’t the same as your move-out?
This one comes up a lot. You’re out of the old place on the 30th, into the new place on the 3rd, and now you have a truck full of stuff and nowhere to put it.
The honest answer is: rent a storage unit for the month. Our 10×10 is roughly the size of a small bedroom and fits the contents of most 1- to 2-bedroom apartments. If you’ve got a family-sized load, the 10×20 is basically a small garage and handles a full house. All our units are drive-up, so you can back the truck right up, unload, lock it, and come back in a week or a month when the new place is ready.
We do this for people all the time. It’s not a weird request.
A couple of things I wish everyone knew
- Call ahead, especially on weekends. Availability changes fast, particularly at the end of the month. We’re not trying to upsell you, we just don’t want you driving over and finding out the truck you wanted just left.
- Grab a couple extra boxes and a roll of tape when you pick up the truck. We have them on-site. You will run out of tape on move-in day. This is a physical law.
- If it’s raining, ask about mattress bags. Cheap. Worth it. A wet mattress is a garbage mattress.
That’s really it. Move-day chaos is mostly avoidable if you get the size right, add a small buffer, and don’t try to make three trips when one would do.
If you want a second opinion on what size to rent, call us — (301) 645-0474 — and we’ll walk through it with you. We’re on Leonardtown Road, across from the McDonald’s. Open 9 to 5, seven days a week.
Good luck out there.