Any advice for moving/driving a 22' truck

mountaindewbass · September 2012

Todays the big move. The truck is loaded and the car is on the car dolly. Were leaving tomorrow, but i was wondering if any if you have advice for driving the diesel truck?

travisstrick · September 2012

Get the insurance.

Hillbilly-Hightech · September 2012

Top-10 lists for driving a moving truck cross-country (assuming you're driving it cross-country)

+1 w/ Travis - you can check w/ your insurance company to see what they cover, but if they don't cover you when driving a rental moving truck, pony up the $$ for their insurance (you'll wanna check though to make sure you're not paying for redundant insurance)
Mirrors still have blindspots - keep constant vigilance to where the other vehicles are to the sides & behind you so you don't end up cutting them off
wait for the glow-plug light to go off
don't put gasoline in the tank
don't go under any overpasses which are shorter than your truck is tall
get some sort of seat rest (like the ones made out of beads, or the ones w/ lumbar support, etc)
have good tunes on ipod (cuz there will probably be areas where you have NO radio reception or all they'll be playing are spanish stations or evangelists)
get some good snacks
5-hour energy drinks
REST BREAKS!!
(snuck in 1 more, though probably most important): DON'T BREAK YOUR EGG!!!!!

HTH & drive safe!!

HH

mountaindewbass · September 2012

USAA will cover the rental truck. What about speed while towing? Is there a rule of thumb.. I would hate to jacknife the rental truck.. And/or roll the truck

cazzy · September 2012

I've driven some of the biggest offerings from U-Haul, including their 26 footer. I remind myself during the treks to remember that these trucks are much heavier than vehicles so I don't follow too close and I allow myself more time to brake. Another important thing is to make sure your cargo is balanced...IE dont put all your heavy stuff on one side.

In regards to speed, I stayed at the speed limit and avoided unnecessary lane changes. During turns, don't take the turns too fast. Am I worried about rolling the truck? No. These are designed for the every day driver. I am worried about my precious cargo shifting and my valuables breaking.

Just be observant and be a defensive driver and everything will go great! Good luck!! :)

yellowdogbbq · September 2012

Diesels can run down hills unless they have an exhaust brake, so be careful going down steep grades of 6-8%. Have fun, put the hammer down and keep it between the ditches!

henapple · September 2012

Slow, wide turns.

mountaindewbass · September 2012

And the movers broke my egg:-( there insurance will cover it.. But its a sad day in our house hold

mountaindewbass · September 2012

Is it bad to ride the breaks on downgrades, should i shift into a lower gear?

Mickey · September 2012

You might want to recheck your insurance. Yes the insurance sold by rental is very high but the idea of you just walking away from ANYTHING that may happen and never have to come up with money is good as well.

Your insurance (USAA) may pay for the damage but will it pay for the loss of value the company hits you for or lost income they hit you for...It all has a price and you have to work it out for yourself.

yellowdogbbq · September 2012

Use the brakes and take it easy like everyone else said and you'll be fine. After you drive it for awhile you'll know what you can and can not do. Be safe and very sorry about the egg.

nolaegghead · September 2012

You have to have an articulated vehicle - cab/trailer or truck/trailer to jackknife it. If you have an automatic transmission, it should handle the downshifting automatically. If it's manual, you should downshift going up and down steep grades. Don't ride the brakes!

Sucks about the egg - and after you had a thread on how to move it up the ramp!

Hillbilly-Hightech · September 2012

nolaegghead said:

You have to have an articulated vehicle - cab/trailer or truck/trailer to jackknife it. If you have an automatic transmission, it should handle the downshifting automatically. If it's manual, you should downshift going up and down steep grades. Don't ride the brakes!

Sucks about the egg - and after you had a thread on how to move it up the ramp!

He's towing a car w/ a dolly - jackknifing that is very real, I've seen it done.

MDB - have you ever driven something that was pulling a trailer (4-wheeler, riding mower, pickup w/ a small trailer, etc)? If not, then I'd most definitely practice b4 hitting the road - go to an empty parking lot w/ someone & practice cuz backing up a trailer means you have to turn the steering wheel the opposite of the way you want your trailer to go.

Another option is to just NEVER park any place where you'll have to back up - try to park where you always have a path forward... but unfortunately you can't control that. Also, as far as driving forward - another piece of advice - just because your front end clears the turn doesn't mean your rear end will - be wary of your turning radius (that's why trucks have the "makes wide right turns" warning signs on them).

Oh, and +1 for Nola suggesting downshifting - riding the brakes too much will have you testing out those "runaway truck ramps" (and that's not a good thing).

Also, the truck may have a governor, in which case your top speed will be limited to 55 or 65 anyway.

nolaegghead · September 2012

Oh, I didn't notice the car dolly. Yeah, no jackknifing! It's bad, mkay.

gerhardk · September 2012

I don't drive a truck frequently so my best advice is if you pull into a parking spot make sure you know how you are going to get out of it. Park out in the open and walk a few more steps.

Have fun

Gerhard

nolaegghead · September 2012

Oh, and make sure you know the height of the truck and that it'll fit under anything you drive under. You don't want to take out the in-law's car port or a gas station roof.

ShedFarm · September 2012

Even if you find the truck is not governed, if you're towing a vehicle, especially using one of the U-HAUL two-wheel dollies, you may find you can't go over 50mph, without the trailer starting to sway from side to side. Give yourself plenty of room, until you figure out how your car is going to react to being towed.

Fred19Flintstone · September 2012

You wouldn't want advice from me. There are some disgruntled people who call me Crash. My brother included although I think the statute of limitations is close on that one.

mountaindewbass · September 2012

Thanks for the advice. Were cleaning out our place but ive been checking in occasionally. As far as USAA.. They only cover acts if god and theft.. So we went back and got the insurance. So all should be safe.

Its an automatic penske truck with a penske trailer. No chance i was going to use a uhaul

MaskedMarvel · September 2012

nolaegghead said:

Oh, and make sure you know the height of the truck and that it'll fit under anything you drive under. You don't want to take out the in-law's car port or a gas station roof.

This is particularly good advice when backing up. Trust me. Watch those eaves and top corners!

mountaindewbass · September 2012

12'10 inches... Should be good to go

Lit · September 2012

Its not hard I drove the big uhal I think 27' pulling a car from Florida to Georgia. I stayed between 65-70 and was fine. If you can avoid backing up with the car attached you should. I have backed many boats down a ramp but the uhaul is much harder. Also pay attention when choosing a gas station that you have an easy exit out and always make wide turns. I got the luck of going through Atlanta about 10 o clock on a Friday night in the rain on our trip so avoid night driving and rain would also be good advice that I learned.

mountaindewbass · September 2012

Movimg truck people lied. They only cover $40 of the egg... Bought one from my dealer foe 225(juat base)

Mighty_Quinn · September 2012

Yeah, most of the time the movers insurance only cover a certain amount per pound of the damaged item(s)....found out after a dented stainless steel door fridge. They covered about $120 on that...

mountaindewbass · September 2012

Yeah. Oh well ill know for next time

nolaegghead · September 2012

How the hell did they break it? Did you see it? Giant fragile ceramic object. Let's just smash it into the truck.

ccpoulin1 · September 2012

mountaindewbass said:

Is it bad to ride the breaks on downgrades, should i shift into a lower gear?

As a parts director for a truck dealership, definitely downshift going down hills. (i am surprised the truck is not automatic, most are now) It is no big deal to drive it, just be careful and aware. I hope you have a safe journey!

ccpoulin1 · September 2012

mountaindewbass said:

Thanks for the advice. Were cleaning out our place but ive been checking in occasionally. As far as USAA.. They only cover acts if god and theft.. So we went back and got the insurance. So all should be safe. Its an automatic penske truck with a penske trailer. No chance i was going to use a uhaul

good choice..... what make of truck did they give you? most have exhaust brakes of some sort that use back pressure to help slow you down going down a hill.

Village Idiot · September 2012

I've never owned a diesel, but I've been told to never let it run out of gas. I don't know what bad things happen if you do.

ccpoulin1 · September 2012

Village Idiot said:

I've never owned a diesel, but I've been told to never let it run out of gas. I don't know what bad things happen if you do.

It is a pain, but not the end of the world. Should that happen, it just needs to be primed. Still, it is best not to run out of fuel!

mountaindewbass · September 2012

ccpoulin1 said:

mountaindewbass said:

Thanks for the advice. Were cleaning out our place but ive been checking in occasionally. As far as USAA.. They only cover acts if god and theft.. So we went back and got the insurance. So all should be safe.

Its an automatic penske truck with a penske trailer. No chance i was going to use a uhaul

good choice..... what make of truck did they give you? most have exhaust brakes of some sort that use back pressure to help slow you down going down a hill.

Im pretty helpless when it comes to car stuff. My brakes... Are a pedal thats all i know;-)

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