When to Rent a Truck Versus Using Your Own Vehicle

Most people know to rent a truck when they move, but may never think about using a rental vehicle at any other time. However, using a heavy-duty truck or other such vehicle can have many benefits, beyond helping you move! Note a few suggestions for when you might reserve and use a rental truck or other such vehicle, versus your own car and even your own passenger truck.

Heavier loads

A certain item or load may fit in your own car or truck, but if cinderblocks, patio pavers, gardening supplies, concrete mix, floor sanders or carpet shampooers exceed your vehicle's weight capacity, this will put added wear and tear on the brakes, shocks and transmission. The engine of your vehicle will also work harder to manage that extra weight.

Depending on how many trips you need to make to the garden supply centre or elsewhere, this can mean lots of hidden damage to your vehicle, or even breaking a shock while driving. Whatever the heavier item or items you're carrying, rent a truck with a higher load capacity to avoid this wear and tear on your own vehicle.

The mess

Items you need to transport may not necessarily be heavy, but they can be very messy. Reconsider using your own vehicle to transport bags of soil, manure or fertilizer, dusty concrete mix or other such items; not only can these leave behind dust, dirt and other residue, but they can also create lingering odours!  Use a rental truck for transporting these types of items, so you don't spend time trying to clean dirt, dust and odd smells out of your own vehicle after your work is done.

Other damage

Along with potential damage to a vehicle from carrying excess weight, some items might risk damaging the vehicle's body or other areas. As an example, if you need to transport lots of tubing, their rough edges might scrape the interior of your trunk or a roof rack. The same is true of gardening tools, such as large pruners, shovels and rakes.

If you own a passenger truck, note that hauling a dirt bike, ATV, piano on wheels and other such items in the back of the truck can mean risking damage to the body, or even the back window of the cab. Rent a truck with a strong bed liner and appropriate tie-downs for any of these bulky or dangerous items to ensure they arrive safely and your own vehicle is not damaged.