If there's one piece of advice we wish every customer heard before hiring a truck or bakkie, it's this:
Saving money on transport rewards planners, not gamblers.
We've watched customers spend days trying to shave a little off the price, only to spend more in the end because they booked at a busy time or chose a vehicle that was too small for the job.
Many people assume truck and bakkie hire works like airline tickets or hotel rooms. They believe that if they wait until the last minute, prices drop as companies scramble to fill empty vehicles.
Are you looking for Home Moves and Deliveries?
That isn't how it works.
Usually, the opposite is true.
With Loadit, pricing is a little different from traditional rental. You get a free, all-inclusive quote online before you book, and the price you see is the price you pay, with no hidden fees. What you save comes down to two things: when you book, and what you book.
Here's what we've learned about getting both right.
You might find this article interesting: Same-Day Truck and Bakkie Rental: Is It Possible?
The Biggest Misconception About Saving Money
The biggest myth we hear is this:
"If I wait until the last minute, the company will discount whatever vehicles are left."
That can work with flights or hotels.
It almost never works with transport.
Customers booking on a Friday or at month-end are usually facing an emergency:
- A moving company cancelled.
- A contractor didn't arrive.
- A business vehicle broke down.
- A landlord insists the property must be vacated today.
At that point, you're not shopping around.
You're solving a crisis.
Availability matters more than price, and month-end is exactly when availability is tightest.
With Loadit there's an added reason not to wait: the discounts are built into off-peak dates and weekday daytime slots, so leaving it to a busy month-end weekend means you miss them.
The Customer Who Tried to Beat the System
Here's a situation that sums it up.
A customer we'll call Thabo was planning to move from Centurion to Midrand at the end of May.
Two weeks out, he saw plenty of 1 Ton Bakkies available at good mid-month prices.
Instead of booking, he waited.
His theory was simple.
If vehicles were still free the day before month-end, surely they'd be going cheap.
Reality had other plans.
When he went to book the afternoon before his move:
- The mid-month, off-peak discount no longer applied to his month-end date.
- Demand had spiked, and the nearby drivers were already booked.
- His preferred same-day slot simply wasn't there.
- He ended up scrambling for a last-minute option at a higher, peak-period price.
It cost more than simply booking two weeks earlier for a quiet mid-month date would have.
The lesson stuck.
Price follows demand and timing, not the clock ticking down.
When Is the Cheapest Time to Hire a Truck or Bakkie?
After years of watching booking patterns, the best-value slots are consistent, and with Loadit they're built right into the pricing.
| Discount | When it applies |
|---|---|
| Off-peak date | Jobs booked on dates from the 3rd to the 25th of the month |
| Weekday | Monday to Friday, between 07:30 and 15:30 |
| Repeat load | 10% off subsequent loads with the same driver |
| Volume | Set up by your sales contact, based on how much you book |
Book Mid-Month, Between the 3rd and the 25th
This is the pricing sweet spot.
Loadit applies an off-peak discount to jobs booked on dates from the 3rd to the 25th of the month.
Leave your booking for the final days of the month and you not only miss that discount, you're also competing with everyone else moving at month-end.
Higher demand, tighter availability.
Book on a Weekday, During Business Hours
Timing within the week matters too.
Loadit's weekday discount applies Monday to Friday, between 07:30 and 15:30.
Booking your job inside that window is the simplest way to bring the price down.
Mid-week days also tend to be the quietest, so it's easier to get the slot and vehicle you want.
Avoid Month-End and Weekends If You Can
In South Africa, month-end is one of the busiest times to move.
Leases end.
Businesses relocate.
Corporate logistics ramp up.
Demand often outstrips supply, and weekend and after-hours slots fall outside the discount windows. If you can move on a weekday between the 10th and the 18th, you'll usually have more choice and a better price.
Combine Trips and Book in Volume
Timing isn't the only lever.
If you book regularly, ask about Loadit's volume discounts. Your sales contact can set these up based on how much you book.
And if a job needs more than one load, subsequent loads with the same driver are charged at a 10% discount, so it pays to plan your loads rather than book separate jobs.
The Biggest Mistakes That Cost Customers Money
Booking at a busy time isn't the only mistake we see.
Some of the costliest ones happen while you're setting up the job.
Ignoring Distance and Extra Stops
Many people look only at the vehicle size.
They forget that a Loadit quote is also built on:
- The distance of the trip
- The number of stops
- Any extras, like helpers or a closed vehicle
Adding detours or extra pickups along the way pushes the quote up. The upside is that you see all of it in your all-inclusive quote before you confirm, so there are no surprises on the day.
Forgetting That the Quote Covers One Load
Your quoted price covers up to one full load on the vehicle you chose.
If you turn up with more than fits, there's an additional charge for the extra load.
It's easy to underestimate how much you have, so be honest about your volume upfront. Picking a vehicle that fits everything in one go is almost always cheaper than paying for a second load.
Overlooking Stairs, Helpers and Access
A few practical details change the final price.
Carrying goods up or down stairs from one floor to the next adds a charge per floor, and extra helpers are an added cost too.
None of these are hidden, they're all on the booking screen, but forgetting to plan for them can make the day slower and pricier than you expected. Sorting them out when you book keeps your quote accurate.
How One Cheap Rental Became an Expensive Weekend
Here's a customer moving from Pretoria East to Centurion.
Trying to save money, he booked the smallest bakkie, planning to make several trips to get everything across.
The plan seemed sensible.
What he didn't account for:
- Every extra load added to the cost
- Each trip added distance to the quote
- The whole move took far longer than one properly sized job
- He needed extra time and hands he hadn't booked
Load after load, the total climbed.
By the end, the "cheap" small bakkie booked for multiple loads had cost more than a single larger vehicle would have, and swallowed most of his Saturday.
His attempt to save money did the opposite.
The Biggest Myth About Cheap Truck and Bakkie Hire
Another myth we hear constantly is:
"The cheapest bakkie will always save me the most money."
It sounds logical.
In practice, it usually isn't.
Choosing a vehicle that's too small sets off a chain reaction:
- Several loads instead of one
- An extra-load charge each time
- More distance across the quote
- A longer, more tiring day
- A load the driver won't take if it isn't safe
Saving a little on the vehicle size often creates bigger costs everywhere else.
The "Tower of Centurion" Lesson
One job showed this perfectly.
A business owner wanted to move office furniture from Johannesburg to Centurion.
To save money, he chose a 1 Ton Bakkie instead of a larger vehicle.
The furniture didn't fit.
On a self-drive rental, some people would stack it high and rope it down. A Loadit driver won't move a load that isn't safe and secure, and rightly so.
That left two options: send it in several loads, or rebook a larger vehicle for the day.
Either way, the "cheap" choice ended up costing more than booking the right size from the start, plus the delay of sorting it out.
Choosing the correct vehicle up front would have been faster and cheaper.
How to Save Money on Every Loadit Booking
If we were booking a truck or bakkie tomorrow, here's exactly what we'd do.
- Book the job for an off-peak date, between the 3rd and the 25th.
- Schedule it on a weekday, between 07:30 and 15:30, for the discount.
- Steer clear of month-end and weekends where possible.
- Choose the right vehicle size rather than the cheapest, so it all fits in one load.
- Check your route and stops, since distance and the number of stops affect the quote.
- Add any helpers or stairs to the booking upfront so your all-inclusive quote is accurate.
- Ask about volume discounts if you book regularly, and combine loads for the 10% repeat-load discount.
Those seven steps save far more than waiting around for a last-minute "special."
Our Golden Rule for Saving Money
If you're about to click "Book Now," remember one simple thing.
Don't choose your vehicle on price alone.
Choose it on the cost of getting it wrong.
Think of it like insurance.
Spending a little more upfront feels like the pricier choice.
What you're really buying is a move that goes smoothly the first time.
Before you book, take five minutes on these questions:
- Have I sized the vehicle so everything goes in one load, instead of paying for a second?
- Am I choosing something too small just because it's cheaper?
- Have I booked an off-peak date and a weekday daytime slot to get the discount?
If any answer makes you uneasy, spend the little extra.
Size up the vehicle.
Add the helpers you'll need.
Move the date to a quieter, off-peak weekday.
For anything high-value, arrange cover in advance, since goods aren't insured by default.
Those small choices are usually the cheapest insurance you'll ever buy.
You can get a free, all-inclusive quote online in minutes, with no sign-up needed, and the price you see is the price you pay. Plan the timing, size it right, and whether it's same-day or scheduled, your move works out cheaper and smoother.