Interstate U Stor Blog

You might think renting a Move-In truck is difficult or need special abilities to drive one but as long as you have a valid driver’s license and know how to drive you have passed the requirements! Make sure you have everything you need to rent, call ahead of time to confirm with the company that you are renting from. They might need proof of insurance or a deposit so have that all with you before going in. Here are a few steps on making the process easier to rent, load and drive.

• Size: If you are using the truck to move into a new home or storage unit you can estimate how big you will need the truck, for example, the number of bedrooms your home has or the size of the storage unit that you will be storing your belongings. Keep in mind that there are different truck sizes and you don’t want to rent the wrong one.

• Destination/time: DON’T FORGET TO CHECK THE WEATHER BEFORE GETTING ON THE ROAD! We want you to get to your destination safe, knowing your route will make your experience smoother, you will save time to get to load, unload, and return the rental. The estimated time you need to use the rental will give you an idea as of what time you need to get on the road and the number of helpers you have will also help out on making the trip safe and easy to get done.

• On the Road: Driving is the important step of this ride. Make sure there is enough fuel to get to your destination and before driving you have to understand that the move-in truck might not be the same size as your own vehicle, a truck needs much more space than a car when it comes to turning. Keep safe distance away from other cars- trucks are heavier and take longer to come to a complete stop, and always keep an eye on your surroundings because there will be blind spots. Some areas may not let trucks drive through but you’ll usually see a sign before entering a street. Keep an eye out for all signs and how wide your turns will be.

• Pack and Load: its important that all your items are packed with proper protection, you don’t want to mix things up and end up with broken glass in your box of clothes. Find the right size boxes and when putting heavy and fragile items in boxes make sure to wrap it up with bubble wrap. Also buying mattress bags to cover your mattress, and also moving straps to keep things from moving while driving. Load largest and heaviest items first, with the weight and size this will prevent other items from getting crushed and damaged. This might be a little more work to keep organized and placed properly but this will also make things easier when you are ready to unload because you know where everything is placed.

This might sound crazy coming from a storage company, but most people don’t really need to use self-storage as much as they do. You need self-storage when you remodel your house, or are between apartments, or maybe to place your boat away for the winter. Perhaps you need to out away those holiday decorations, skis, sleds, snow tires, or snowmobiles after winter passes. We understand you need us for those reasons, and that is what we are here for.

However, often when faced with more items than you really know what to do with, the best thing you can do is donate them. Placing items you have no plan for into storage often results in paying a storage company more than the value of what you are putting in storage. Realistically, the old bicycle, mattress, sofa, or those unwanted toys is not worth the cost to pay to the storage fees. Get rid of those items and save yourself the money. If you happen to need the bicycle in 4 months’ time, you likely could replace it with a new bicycle with the money you saved by not placing unwanted items into storage to begin with.

This logic applies to that old worn-out chair, the old TV, and the old microwave. Don’t place them in a self-storage unit, Donate them. If you are willing to part with them for 4 months, it is quite likely that not much will change in month 5 that will cause you to need them five months from now anyway.

We often tell costumers who call us to put all the items the want to place into a storage into a room, then, we suggest that they get rid of half of what is in that pile. If costumers do that before they rent the storage unit, they will find themselves money ahead in 6 months’ time.

Yes, we rent storage space for a living. But what we find is that if we are honest with our costumers upfront instead of trying to rent them space they really don’t need, everyone benefits. Customers save money and we as the storage operator have a costumer who knows that we have their best interest at heart.

At Interstate, we succeed when costumers know that we are looking out for them with our gate systems, camera system, alarm systems, relentless maintenance, lock checks and, most of all, in the initial phone call helping them to pick the smallest storage unit they feel they can live with.

• 

Perhaps you have an extra vehicle which you plan to put into storage. In deciding whether or not to spend the money to do it, the single most important decision to make is whether to put the vehicle in;

• An individual storage unit where it is behind a locked door (often times with trickle charge electricity) and is protected from the elements where only you have the key.
• A large warehouse where it is protected from the elements and where access is controlled, BUT anyone who has a vehicle at the site can access your vehicle.
• Covered parking where it is protected to some extent from the elements but the control of access to your vehicle is minimal.
• An open lot which guarantees both exposure to the elements and, largely, unfettered access to your vehicle.

Probably the single biggest storage issue, aside from wear and tear to your vehicle from the elements, is vandalism. No storage is fool-proof in this era where classic car and RV parts are exceedingly expensive. It doesn’t end with the simplest parts. Catalytic Converters are a “HOT” item. Almost anyone who is considering placing their vehicle in storage knows about this critical aspect of your emissions control system. Catalytic Converters contain platinum, palladium and rhodium and can be unbolted and removed or cut off with a reciprocating saw in about a minute often times damaging other parts of the vehicle in the process. The replacement cost for such a device is often over $1,000 and if you have one removed from your motorhome, expect it to run close to $2,000.
In summary, if you have to put your vehicle in storage, consider security as an important aspect of what you are paying for.