Spedition Nicolas von Wedel

Once you have found a new apartment you should, in your mind, immediately start with the planning of where you will put your furniture when you move in. In the course of this you might find out, that the one or other piece of furniture will not reach its intended location, due to too narrow doorways or staircases. You should also spare a thought for all the "stuff" you have in the old flat and consider if all these things really fit into the basement (that is usually where they go) of the new apartment. These considerations and the realisations connected herewith might save you from a chaos at a later stage when you move in and your friends will ask you the classic question: "Where do I have to put this?" Moving is always connected with the opportunity to get rid of things you do not really need any more. Ask yourself now, if you could sell these items or dispose of them. A good idea is also, to check out possible loading/unloading points so you will be able to establish the route from the removal van to the entrance of the new flat. This will help you to plan for any equipment (fixed wheel carriages, furniture dollies etc.) and the manpower you will need on the actual day you move.

Do not forget to draw a plan of where you will put the furniture in the individual rooms. This will help you later on, when you will be in need of free spaces in the rooms to put down the packed moving boxes. Having to move around the moving boxes a second time because they are in the way is an annoyance.

The question, which kind truck to hire, depends on the volume of the goods to be moved, and the distance between the old and the new flat. Be sure to consider the following: the more you avoid going " back and forth", the higher will be the motivation of your relocation team (apart, of course, from the time you save). If you are an owner of an old (German) driving license class 3, you are authorised to hire a truck up to 7.49 tons. Such a "/.5 ton truck" usually has a loading capacity of around 30 to 35 cubic metres. If you do not know the total volume of your household goods, you can establish this with our Moving List . Please do not forget to also consider a fair amount of packed moving boxes as well. A relocation of around 30 cubic metres will usually contain around 40 moving boxes on average. If your household consists of 30 to 40 cubic metres, which it is sure to have if the apartment has more than 3 rooms, you will certainly have to drive the route a few times. In case the route is above a 100 km one way this will generate quite some costs and be time consuming. This is why; in this case, it could be worthwhile for you to consider the option to hire a big truck, possibly with a trailer, together with the driver. You are welcome to get a free Quotation.
When you hire a truck you must also consider the carrying capacity of the truck! A normal 7.5 ton truck may carry a load of around 2.4 tons. In other words: the truck will be overloaded, at the latest, once you have reached a volume of 23 cubic metres of household goods. Do not press your luck in this regard because the controls on the highways have increased! Do not underestimate possible fines or worse- having to unload the truck on the spot or loosing your license. If the carrying load is no problem for you, the next problem could be the driver's rest periods, which have to be considered by law. This rest period is 45 minutes after driving 4.5 hours at the latest. After this rest period the driver may drive another 4.5 hours (obviously this means that 9 hours driving is the maximum)-and that is it. If you have a very long distance to cover, a second driver you can exchange will minimise the risk of breaking according regulations. During an eventual control the trip recorder and the charts will also be checked for any violations in this respect. Always be generous when planning the time for a journey with a truck. Even on the Autobahn the truck may only drive 80 km/h (even though truck drivers usually add 10 %). Also allow time for restrictions and steep parts of the road where you will "crawl". At the end of the day, as they say, you should not calculate with more than 75 km/h. Any other costs, apart from the diesel, like tolls etc. only apply to trucks with a total weight above 12 tons. A 7.5 ton truck will need around 20 litres of fuel for a distance of 100 km, which will cost you around 24 Euro (Status: July 2005).

A truck needs around 15 metres of space; this includes space to move. You should also consider the space for the hydraulic platform, which most modern removal vans have nowadays. The truck itself, during the loading/unloading process, will have a length of around 11 metres. If the circumstances, where you intend to put the truck are rather "tight", you should reserve the space, respectively cordon it off. You can do this with according plastic bands, your and your neighbours car or garbage cans. If the location is in the centre of town it may advisable to establish a clearway with according shields, which you can often hire directly from freight forwarders. Sometimes (like in Heidelberg) it is possible to order this service at the local council. Once you have the shields, it might be necessary to get a special permit from the local authorities (Ordnungsamt) as well. These permits cost between 30 and 15 Euro (in Darmstadt for example it is 17 Euro). Allow enough time for this. The shields normally have to be put up 4 to 5 days beforehand. If you order a freight forwarder to do this for you, it will save you the trouble.

Give your team and their motivation a break. Try to get as much as possible into moving boxes. The fewer odds and ends you have to carry about individually, the less time you will need. This will also minimise the risk of damage. If you put an unpacked lamp into the truck you will have to throw it away at the end of the day! Your plants will also be grateful if you put them in a box, even if the lid is not closed. Do not try to save money at the wrong end and make sure to provide quality moving boxes in sufficient number. A moving box should be folded twice at the bottom to prevent nasty surprises. A relocation freight forwarder will usually supply you with quality boxes that will hold up to 40 kg. But please do not fill up the boxes to this weight. You should try to limit the load to around 18 kg. Anything above this weight will affect your team's motivation. Clothes that need to be hanged can be put into special wardrobe boxes- this will save you having to iron them again. It is hard to make a general statement to the total sum of moving boxes you may require. Life styles and habits of people do tend to differ, which makes an assessment very difficult. One rule however we can offer is: multiply the number of rooms by ten (define room with anything that has a door). In case you have a lot of books you may calculate one box to around 0.8 to 1 running metres of books. Even though you might be able to fit 2 running metres of books into one box - your back will regret this later. About 7 files/folders (the ones with a broad back) fit into one moving box. Wardrobe boxes will take up to 60 cm of hanging clothes. If you want to avoid having to wash off printing ink from your glass or porcelain articles, do not use newspaper for packing. Professionals use a plain white paper. Do not let illustrious expressions for this paper tempt you to pay ludicrous money for it. Bigger pieces can be wrapped in special fortified paper "blankets", using a special wrapping technique, which will ensure a high grade of protection. You may calculate around 10 kg of the packing paper and ten paper "blankets" for a normal kitchen. Especially "money conscious" freight forwarders will try to sell you plastic bubble wrap and all kinds of midgets (sorry-we forgot the word expensive) - we have always managed without. Bubble wrap is very practical to protect pictures and mirrors. Plastic stretch foil, which is only used by a few removal companies yet, is a very effective material to protect your furniture from scratches. You should treat antiques, settees, arm chairs, mattresses or anything with a sensitive surface with special care. Once you have covered any object with a blanket and have wrapped it in stretch foil in addition, it should be safe from any damage due to dampness, slight knocks or dirt. Any furniture with drawers can also be secured with stretch foil (please avoid using any kind of adhesive tapes-you will regret it, if you do!). We usually use stretch foil for all overseas relocations and it is also very practical for goods that are stored e.g. in lofts or basements. One roll of stretch foil usually is enough for a volume of 30 to 35 cubic metres of removal goods. We will gladly send you a roll. To avoid damage to your goods during transport make sure you have enough (textile) blankets. Many car hirers or forwarders rent these out, which we do as well. Alternatively, if you don't mind little scratches or knocked corners, you can use cardboard or Styrofoam. You will also need tie down and load securing straps to secure the goods in the removal van. You will find all materials mentioned above (also including furniture dollies, fixed wheel carriages, bubble foil etc.) in our Price List.

Good professional packing works with the following principle: If a box is dropped from a height of 1 metre the contents must remain unharmed. Porcelain or glass articles must be wrapped in packing paper individually. This will avoid breakage when unpacking them, especially if this is done by somebody, who did not pack it. Boxes intended for glass or porcelain articles should be lined with padding material (e.g. towels, cushions etc.) at the bottom. Put the articles into the box in the same order as you intend to have them in the cupboard. Please note that it is important to pack glass in an upright position. Do not be mean with packing paper. Take care to secure all articles in all directions to minimise the risk of damage. It is important to avoid cavities in the boxes otherwise the articles will tumble about and might break.. Bigger articles, such as coffee machines or a blender, should be wrapped in the before mentioned paper blankets. Bottles should be wrapped in two sheets of packing paper. Quality moving boxes (starting off from the quality 2.4) will not collapse when stacked, even if they are not full to the top. Try to avoid too heavy boxes. Do not forget to mark the boxes with the room they are intended for, to avoid a chaos on the moving day. Your helpers will be able to work independently and will not have to carry the boxes around a few times or constantly bother you with questions. Boxes with articles you need on the moving day itself should be marked accordingly and placed separately in the new apartment, to ensure they are available.

Usually bulky pieces of furniture are dismounted to save space in the removal van. Also heavy pieces of furniture that are difficult to move or pieces are too big for doors or staircases. Basically there are two rules you should stick to. Rule 1: Do not do it alone- this will prevent damage. Rule 2: Mark all individual components, even if they do look identical (use a tape or stickers for this, which can be removed without leaving behind marks). This will save you the trouble of having to adjust doors or drawers later on. It is also advisable to mark the height or the position of shelves etc. Also always stick to the same order of procedure e.g. always start right or left but stick to it. You can also differentiate individual parts by using differently coloured markers. Smaller parts, screws and knobs etc, should be put into small plastic bags and attached to or into the according furniture pieces. Do not put everything in one bag because you will have later on, if you do. Smaller components are best stored in a moving box and you will be grateful, if you do not have to interrupt the reassembly of your furniture due to lost parts.

All moving boxes, with smaller parts in-between (carpets, suitcases, bags etc.), with which you can fill the gap to the ceiling of the van. Store heavy moving boxes in the bottom row and the lighter ones or boxes with sensitive content in top rows.
All pieces of furniture, which can be stacked on top of each other: wall cupboards, bedside tables, refrigerators etc.
Tall cupboards, display cabinets, high racks
Settees into each other and upright followed by arm chairs.
Everything that is tied to the side panels of the removal van; parts of beds and cupboards always wrapped in a blanket to avoid scratches.
Big mirrors, glass table tops and pictures followed by mattresses to secure them.
Tables into each other and-in so far as they are stable- the chairs on top and other objects that can not be stacked. If you are lucky, your television will fit under a table.
ashing machine and dryer.
Whatever is left with exception of the plants-they come last. This demands skill, as most of these goods are awkward to stack e.g. bicycles, garden furniture, lamps etc.
The plants

Load the truck with foresight. You are a virtual professional, when you have everything in the truck and there is no open space left where the goods could slide about during the journey (in a curve or when braking). Always check up what is left in the flat during the loading process- this way you will always find something to fill a gap. Measure the height of the van interior (they tend to be between 2.3 and 2.4 metres high). If any articles (e.g. settee or cupboards) can not be packed upright, take this into consideration and store them in the truck as long as there is enough space.

....you should give a house warming party to satisfy the curiosity of your neighbours and reward the efforts of all of your helpers.