If you are planning a move, packing and organizing is only half the battle. If you are planning to make the move on your own, you will likely need to rent a truck to help out in the move. Rental trucks are available not only from dedicated truck rental agencies such as Uhaul, Ryder, and Penske, but you will find that auto rental companies also have a pretty fair selection of rental trucks.

There are a number of things to consider when you are looking to rent a truck. The size of the cargo area is a huge factor. If you rent a moving truck that is too large, you are paying for wasted space. If your rental truck is too small, you will have to make many trips wasting precious time. Look for a moving truck that includes free unlimited mileage. This can save you a bundle. Also factor in the cost of fuel. Rental moving trucks are notorious gas-guzzlers averaging as little as 6 miles to the gallon. Finally you should consider the availability of a return location at your end point. If you are simply moving across town this is not an issue. If you are moving across the country, you need to consider how far you will need to travel to return the truck.

The latest trend in moving truck rental is a hybrid system where you pack and load your goods and the moving truck picks them up only charging you for the space you use in the truck. You still have to pay for fuel to your destination, but you don’t have to drive.