How to choose the correct hire van and rental truck.

Date: 15.11.2009

Choose a hire vehicle that matches your needs to avoid unecessary hassle or damage.

Avoid common van hire mistakes such as:

Missing deadlines for purchased insurance,
Using far more diesel than you need - plan your trip in advance,
Incurring extra toll charges with those extra trips,
Extending the hire beyond your intended budget,
Having to extend your own insurance,
Not using the van as intended.

When selecting a hire van please consider:

The distance you will be travelling between all locations
The volume of goods that you need to carry
Your driving ability and familiarity with larger vehicles
The timescale of your house move or business delivery.

The greater the distance, the less feasible a smaller rental vehicle is.

For example, if you are moving home from Dublin to Cork and have a standard 3 bed home, a transit van will probably not suffice. A typical home with furniture will easily have close to 20 cubic meters of goods. Taking a small transit will result in 2-3 trips. A 14ft light truck should do the job in a single trip. When taking into account fuel alone, the cost would be less when using a 14ft truck. This excludes time, tolls and effort on loading and offloading.

A common enquiry we get is on the transit connect small hire vans, these are simply too small for any form of house move. They are a great vehicle for business and moving certain items, but they will not take any form of sofa or even a large armchair.

Adjusting to driving a commercial hire van or truck.

As for driver ability, the transit is a very simple vehicle to drive. The most common problem people have is gauging the length of the van.

On the open road this is not really a problem, however when it comes to going in and out of ones driveway, it can often lead to damage. It often pays to have a passenger to guide you in and out of driveways.

The other thing to be aware of is height, a large hire van is 2.4 metres in height, a full high van is 2.7, this rules out underground car parks and some parking areas with barriers. If you have any doubts about clearance, contact our rental department and we will advise you.

A high roof large van is often a good idea if you have furniture, even if you do not think you will fill it. When loading and unloading you can stand at your full height and keep your back straighter than in the medium high transit, this is particularly useful when handling heavier furniture.

If you have a lot of white goods or items in excess of 70kgs (assuming you have a helper), a Light Hire Truck with Lift is probably the best choice. The tail-lift takes care of the lifting element and can also serve as a useful platform for entering and leaving the vehicle.

Our tail lift hire trucks have become ever more popular with business customers as they reduce the risk of injury or strain.

If you require further information on vehicle suitability, please call or email us and we will endeavour to give you correct advice on which rental van is correct for you.