If you are moving to a new home a good distance away from your current one, you will want to take precautionary steps in keeping any fragile items intact during the move. Since your moving truck will be on the road for some time, there is bound to be some shifting of your items in the cargo area. Here are a few ways you can ensure your items are packed and placed in the truck in a way to minimize the risk of damage during the move.

Find Proper Enclosures

When packaging items that are prone to breakage, find the most sturdy enclosure possible. Plastic storage bins or wooden boxes work great at housing fragile items. This allows for some shifting around in the truck, as there is less risk of a container bending or breaking than when you use cardboard boxes. If cardboard must be used, select new, flat boxes and construct them yourself instead of using older boxes that were used in the past. The cardboard in older boxes would have flattened portions of corrugation where weight had been pushing against sides or flaps, making them less sturdy.

Use The Right Cushioning

Knickknacks, china, and glass items need to be wrapped individually to avoid scraping against other items inside their enclosure. Place a piece of heavy-duty cardboard along the floor of the box or bin. Place an inch or two of packing peanuts on top of the cardboard. Wrap each piece you are putting in the container with a piece of bubble wrap. Wrap it around the item so the entire surface is completely covered. Use tape to secure it into place. Put each item on top of the packing peanuts, adding additional peanuts or rolled up pieces of newspaper to fill in any voids. Place more packing peanuts on top of the breakables before putting on a lid or taping shut.

Place In Safe Areas

When placing these containers in the moving truck, you will want to keep them away from larger pieces of furniture that may topple over on top of them. It is not a good idea to stack them either, in case they fall. Sliding the containers underneath bigger items, however, is a safe way to keep them out of harm's way. 

Consider placing a few end tables in the truck, leaving several feet of empty space between them. Secure a mattress over the tables. Slide the breakables underneath the mattress. You can secure them in place using a bungee cord attached to each end table. This will give them an added layer of cushioning while being transported. Another idea is to wrap the containers of breakable things in thick comforters to give them additional protection.

For more tips, check out websites like http://www.movewithunited.com.