Whether you are moving house, planning to do a big tip run, or are finally getting round to doing that big garden clear out, if you are planning to hire a van it is a good idea to look into it first.
A van is a really useful vehicle to have and if it is not something that you need to use on a daily basis, then hiring one when it is needed is a much better idea than owning one yourself. You can hire vans from places like this van hire Bristol based company Autolyne, and there are lots of different vans to choose from.
If you have never driven a van before, the first thing that you might wonder is whether you are legally able to drive one. If the van is under 3.5 tonnes, then you only need to have a standard UK car driving licence, and you don’t need to have completed extra lessons or have any additional qualifications. Do be aware however that if you have an automatic only licence that you will only be able to drive an automatic van.
Another thing to check with the company that you are hiring from is your age. Some companies have age restrictions when you are renting a van, so if you are a young driver, or you have only passed your test recently, this is something that you ought to check with the company that you are hiring from. If you have any points on your licence, you also need to make them aware of this too, as sometimes this can mean you are restricted, but different companies will have different rules, so do check and phone around.
Before you go anywhere in the van, you need to make sure that you are comfortable and familiarise yourself with the vehicle. Check whether it is a diesel or petrol van and sit in the driver’s seat to get to know where all the various controls are. If necessary, adjust the mirrors and the seat to a position that you are comfortable with and also find things like the indicators, the windscreen wipers and how to turn the hot or cold air on.
Once you have checked all of this and are happy then you can set off and get on with whatever you need to do!
Roger Walker 