Your moving truck is your lifesaver on moving day -- whether you're moving across town or across the country. You can fit hundreds of items boxed and bagged and shrink-wrapped, but there are some limits to your truck's super powers. If you're planning a DIY move with a rented truck or if you have hired a professional team of movers, you still need to know what things you'll need to make alternate arrangements for.

Live Animals

Generally, you should not plan on transporting any animals in your moving truck. Of course, you would never dream of moving your family dog via the moving van, but some homeowners think that terrariums, hamster cages, or guinea pig enclosures would be perfectly fine packed into the moving truck. Animals depend on their enclosures to provide stability and security. The moving truck environment is always susceptible to accidents (broken glass or bent wires cages) or problems with animals getting too hot or too cold. If you're moving cross country and can't fit your animals in the car with you (or if you're towing your car), you'll need to hire an animal moving service.

Food

Your extra, unopened boxes of dry pasta are fine to throw in your box of kitchen items, but when packing up your food, leave all perishable items behind. This means it's ultimately best to leave the salad dressings, marinades, and containers of yogurt and pickles with a neighbor. In addition, it's best to throw or give away non-perishable items that have been opened as well. Half-full bags of flour, canisters of oatmeal, or boxes of cereal can be crushed or torn, leaving a mess of food in the truck that can attract pests. Also, most moving companies like a truck to be returned clean and ready to rent to the next customer -- cleaning up food spills makes your tidy-up job after moving that much harder. 

Alcohol

Many moving companies and rental companies don't permit moving alcohol. If you only have a few bottles lying around, drink them up in the few week prior to the move, or have a party for your farewell. You might have to transport the bottles yourself, but make sure you are aware of your state's laws, because sometimes there is a limit to how much you can have in your car and whether you can ship wine from state to state. You might have to hire a specialty moving service if you have a vast collection that is too valuable to drink or part with. 

For more information, contact Elite Truck Rental or a similar company.