If you are renting a truck for a move, it may make sense to load your truck the day before you move so you can get an early start in the morning. However, if you leave your belongings in the truck overnight, you increase your risk of having your belongings, or the entire truck, stolen. If you absolutely must follow this schedule, here are some things that you can do to protect your belongings. 

Clamp The Wheels 

It is important to properly secure your moving truck so thieves can not drive off with your belongings. While locking the doors and using a steering wheel lock can be helpful deterrents, a wheel lock may provide a more powerful visual deterrent for thieves. A quality wheel lock can be more difficult to remove than steering wheel locks, and it can be seen from a distance, making thieves aware that you take the security of your belongings seriously. 

You may be able to rent a wheel lock from your moving company or a local towing company. If you have to purchase one, it can be a useful thief-deterrent for your regular car when you are on vacation. 

Back The Truck Against Your Home 

You should make sure the back door of your truck is closed and locked with a high-quality lock. Once again, these may be rented or purchased, depending on your needs. However, locks can be cut by experienced thieves. For this reason, you will want to make it difficult to open the door and remove boxes even if your lock is broken. Backing your truck as close as you can to a wall is a common method for preventing theft.

You should keep in mind that this can provide an area for a thief to hide while they are going through your truck. Depending on your neighborhood, you may want to consider whether it is a more worthwhile to have the door difficult to access or highly visible. If you have an active neighborhood watch that you trust, you may choose to leave your truck more exposed so your neighbors can spot strange behavior around it. 

Pay For Secure Storage 

If you really want to make sure your truck is secure, you can pay to have it stored in a secure parking lot. If there are no 24-hour secured lots near your home, you can look into parking the truck at a storage facility in your area. 

Load More Expensive Items First 

If your truck is broken into, it is likely that thieves will take the most accessible items. For this reason, you should load the items you care most about at the front of the truck. Expensive items and irreplaceable items should be loaded first. At the end of the truck, you ma place boxes with less value. Alternatively, you may want to place large furniture that is difficult to be removed by one person or without causing a visible commotion at the back. 

Don't Advertise Your Truck 

If more people are aware that your truck will be fully loaded and parked in front of your house, there is a greater chance that a thief will learn of the opportunity you have created. To prevent news from spreading, do not talk about your plans in common spaces. This includes telling your neighbors on the street or explaining why you need a lock at the hardware store. You should refrain from posting updates about your packing on social media, as this can allow thieves to know when you are taking a break and when the truck is being watched. 

To prevent the risk of having your items stolen, you may want to pay a professional moving company like Redondo Van & Storage to load and move your belongings. They may be able to complete the job in a single day or store the truck at a secure facility overnight if it takes two days.