COVID-19 has brought challenges and difficulties on many fronts, and one of those challenges is navigating highly populated areas and commonly-touched surfaces. It’s important to first acknowledge what areas and what actions you take pose the most threat, and then compose a plan of action to help mitigate the risk. In this article, we outline the very best practices for navigating truck rentals during COVID-19 by implementing sanitary strategies that can help reduce the risk of contracting Coronavirus during your move.
1. Use touchless booking options to reserve your rental
Many truck rental services are now offering completely touchless booking systems that allow you to bypass the counter interaction altogether. There’s really no need to go in person unless you need boxes or moving equipment for your move. Even still, if you book with UHaul, you can select these moving equipment options during the online checkout and a UHaul representative will have these items prepared for you in the truck before you arrive. Simple enough! A word of caution for online booking with truck rentals: if you’re planning to move at non-traditional times (like between 7 PM and 6 AM) you may run the risk of not having any customer support available if something goes wrong.
2. Request for all your moving supplies to be ready before you get there
Similar to the last tip, you will want to call ahead and request for your moving supplies to be placed outside or in the truck before your reservation time. This will minimize face-to-face interaction and having to go inside to get your items. As stated, UHaul is pretty on par with this already, but other rental services may not have the same user interface for their online booking systems.
3. Bring a set of wet wipes for the truck
An easy, 60-second, sanitary measure is bringing a can of wet wipes when you go to pick up the truck. While you’re doing your walk-around (the before-driving check to see if there are any damages you should report to the rental service) wipe down the inside of the cabin. Pay close attention to commonly touched surfaces like the steering wheel, handles, shifter, and dashboard. Bonus for wiping down the outside handle before you even open the door. This will put you at ease and know that your truck is completely sanitary before you even start your move, and you won’t have to worry about wiping it down again so long as you are the only one driving.