Taking precautions while moving in the heat
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – For years, Orlando Martinez, Elijah Robertson and Joseph Keith have specialized in helping people start over.
“There’s a special breed of folks that could do this every day,” Martinez said. He is the general manager for moving company Two Men and a Truck in Albuquerque.
Even on an average day, moving is hard work, but the summer heat kicks things up a notch. In fact, after just a few minutes of work during their early morning interview with KOB 4, the professional movers were already sweating as temperatures began climbing into the 90s.
“You can work up to 14 hours a day,” Martinez said.
The movers say they’re no strangers to long shifts in the sun. Data shows most people in the U.S. move between June and September when kids are out of school.
Data shows most people in the U.S. move during the summer months. Professional movers share what they deal with in the heat and their tips.
“It’s safety first,” Martinez said. “It’s safety then teamwork.”
“Water, a lot of Gatorade, bananas, anything to snack on,” added Keith, the assistant operations manager. “Keep you okay during the day.”
Just because they do the bulk of the heavy lifting does not mean customers cannot help their movers beat the heat.
“Just being organized when they come in. Having everything boxed up and kind of ready to go and not having everything everywhere,” Robertson, the team lead said.
“Beds taken apart, you know, things like that that speed up the process,” Martinez added.
They also said it helps to schedule movers early in the morning when the sun isn’t as strong. They also say to have patience with crews who may need to take frequent breaks.
“Some customers, we show up to their house and they have a cooler full of water waiting for the guys because they know it’s hot outside. Customers take care of our crew like we take care of them,” Keith said.
Representatives with Two Men and a Truck told us their trucks can reach 110° or hotter during the summer months. So, crews take extra precautions to care for fragile and meltable items like candles and CDs.
If you’re moving on a hot day, be sure not to pack things you might need. That can include things like sunglasses, sunscreen or a change of cooler clothes.