The pros and cons of backloading

If you are moving house, you may have heard of backloading. This is a way of transporting your goods and furniture in the return journey of a truck that has already made a delivery, and is now on its way back to its home town. Is this kind of transportation suitable for you?

The advantages

The main advantage of backloading is the price. As the truck is full in both directions, you are only paying for the space and transport costs in a single direction, effectively splitting the cost between two customers. This obviously suits the removals company, as their trucks are twice as profitable as otherwise -- but it also means that the costs to you will be less.

There are also environmental reasons for this kind of transportation. The truck needs to return home even if it's empty, so any journey that can be made useful effectively cuts out another unnecessary journey, lowering the fuel consumption and having less of an impact on the environment.

If you are flexible about your moving time, backloading can reduce the amount of time you will have to wait for the move. Instead of waiting for a truck to become available, you can take advantage of short-notice availability and move at an earlier date.

The disadvantages

You should bear in mind that you may not have exclusive use of the truck -- other customers may be taking advantage of backloading. This can push costs down even further, but can also lead to mix-ups. You should make sure that your items are clearly labelled -- the company will probably have their own labels, but it will not do any harm to label them yourself.

If you do not have any choice over when to move, you may be better off using a traditional moving company. Backloading works best if you can take advantage whenever the space becomes available; booking space for a particular date and time may be more difficult.

Finally, the system works best over long moves. Although it is perfectly possible to use it for short distances, the cost savings are far greater for long distances.

In conclusion, provided you have a certain amount of flexibility over your moving date, backloading can be a great way of saving money and helping the environment by lowering fuel consumption. Get in touch with a backloading removals company in your area for more information.