Question about truck load

Hello again,

I got great advice here about driving the Western mountain passes in a 26 foot Penske International one-way.

Now, I have another related question.

I mentioned before that Penske gave us a crappy truck when we left Massachusetts. We barely made it up the hills in the Poconos. Took it to their service center in Binghamton, where it was gone over by multiple mechanics, who couldn’t figure out the problem. We got subbed out into a new truck.

We packed the truck very carefully before we left Mass., with the heavier stuff toward the front...lots of art and paintings (late mother was an artist). Everything strapped in. Lots of boxes, and not much furniture.

Penske hired movers to unload and reload into the new truck. My husband gave very specific instructions about re-loading. They didn’t follow them. Everything that was at the back of the truck is now at the beginning (they backed the trucks together). This means the art is at the back.

Also, to be clear, we aren’t carrying any heavy appliances. For furniture, we have a couch, a couple of single mattresses, a couple of dressers, tables, a dining hutch, sideboard, and other odds and ends of furniture. Primarily, the heaviest items are all of the boxes we are bringing with us.

The load appears to be packed very tightly, and was strapped carefully from what we could tell. When I drove it from Binghamton to our friend’s (38 miles), the truck felt like it was riding better.

My husband is very concerned that the load will shift significantly, or the art will be damaged/ruined. Do you think the load should be repacked again (impossible with just the two of us), or will be OK as it is?

Yes, this has been a bit of a nightmare. Movers also packed our camping equipment where it is unreachable, and that was what we were going to do along the route. We are on an extremely tight budget and lodging was not part of the plan.

Anyhow, advice and suggestions greatly appreciated! By the way, if you see a 26 foot Penske towing a tiny pink/fuschia colored car on the way west, give us a smile and thumbs-up. We need all the encouragement we can get!

Jenn

 

Oh, we were there supervising all right. Problem is, they had the trucks backed up to each other, so we couldn’t see what they were doing. They didn’t listen to us at all, and claimed they were experienced professionals. In reality, they looked like Day laborers.

We squawked at Penske today, and they are hiring a different moving crew to totally unload and reload the truck the right way this time.

Penske knows they have a lot on the line, and this shouldn’t have happened in the first place.

We’re going to get this done.

 

Just a quick response - Penske hired the movers, not us. The first time around, we did have professionals, especially for the art. We loaded the first time based on specific guidance and instructions we were given. The ‘lumpers’ didn’t give a flying fig, and made it almost impossible to supervise.

 

Oh, this sucks big time. This cross-country saga is after 3 years of taking care of elderly parents, closing down the house they lived in for 50 years, and selling it in a short sale. Mom died, and Dad has Alzheimer’s and lives with brother in Seattle. The art is my mother’s; she was a professional, who painted for over 50 years. Lots of art is what she left behind. We are doing the best we can with this on a mega shoestring budget. We lost our shirts being caregivers, and we are starting over in the PNW.

Oh, and after driving this rig and towing the car this far, I just want to say we both have a new understanding and enormous appreciation for the challenges that long haul truckers face. It’s a ginormous job to get cargo from place to place, intact and undamaged, while keeping yourself and fellow travelers safe on the road.

Thank you.