Planning is essential for your road trip. After the activity of packing, loading, outprocessing, and all of the other considerations involved in leaving your old home behind, the travel to your new home might seem simple by comparison. Take the time to develop at least a basic outline of your trip. You may find that a little strategizing before departure can avoid some annoyance and extra expense on the road.
A charged cell phone is essential for any cross-country trip. Bring a car charger, and consider downloading an offline map for your route ahead of time — rural and mountain stretches can still have real dead zones with no signal at all, where a phone that depends on a live data connection for maps or navigation is suddenly useless.
Pace yourself. If you feel run down, take it easy. Consider stopping early and relaxing in a hotel to recharge. Stopping early costs far less than a crash, and drowsy driving is a leading cause of serious ones. If a delay could affect your report date, tell your command — don't assume you can extend authorized travel or lodging on your own.
Some considerations that might easily be overlooked:
- What route should you take? A car navigation app doesn't know your truck's height or weight — check bridge clearances and truck restrictions, and a mapping site such as Google Maps only as a starting point.
- What is the weather forecast for your intended route, and are any roads closed? Check a weather forecast and your state's 511 service before you go.
- How can you get emergency roadside help if something goes wrong? (Check whether your auto insurer or a roadside-assistance membership you already have covers a rental truck — coverage varies.)
- Where can you stay with pets along the way? (Most major hotel chains have a pet-friendly filter on their own booking site.)
Check it yourself
Toll rules and speed recommendations vary by road, state, and provider. Rules, prices, and instructions change and differ by service, installation, and provider — open the sources below, confirm the current details for yourself, and get your move's specifics from your transportation office in writing.
Helpful Hints
- Remember that a rental truck will not travel nearly as quickly as your POV. Plan your route and schedule accordingly.
- Don't assume cash will work for tolls. A growing number of toll roads — including large stretches of Florida's, plus roads in many other states — are fully electronic and don't have a cash lane at all. Toll-payment methods vary by facility and vehicle, and not every electronic toll option accepts every payment method (Florida's Turnpike says Toll-By-Plate can't be used on its managed lanes, for example — check the current rules yourself), so check the specific facilities on your route rather than assuming a bill will simply show up. Look into a temporary transponder or your rental company's pay-by-plate option, and note that rental companies often charge their own separate administration fee for tolls on top of the toll itself. Cash is still worth having for small purchases along the way.
- Take into account the limitations inherent in moving trucks and trailers. When pulling into gas stations and restaurants, look for the parking spot that will allow you to easily leave when you're ready.
- When leaving your trailer or rental truck overnight, be certain to secure the door with a good lock. On trailers you should also lock the hitch (the rental company can show you how to do this). For added security, park in a well-lit, busy spot, park so the trailer can't easily be hooked up and towed away (for example, close against a wall or another vehicle), set the parking brake, and lock the vehicle. Remember that some thieves will not try to break into your trailer when they can just unhitch it and tow the whole thing away.
- Call ahead for reservations at hotels along the way. Finding out after a hard day of driving that there are no more rooms can add unnecessary stress to the moving experience.
- Drive your rental truck nicely. After all, it's your stuff bouncing around back there.