Some people or companies prefer to relocate commodities on their own as opposed to them hiring a moving company. Besides self-moving being a challenge, many people don’t have the appropriate vehicles to do the moving exercise. Owing to this, people resort to hiring vans that are specifically meant to move materials or commodities.
When you are looking to find van hire services, you should know you have an obligation to take care of the rental vehicle and return it in the same or better condition than you found it.
You also need to take precautions not to compromise the quality of your items especially if they are brittle.
- Get Comfortable With the Van before You Drive
If you’ve never driven a van before, everything in the cabin will be different and strange to you. Don’t feel shy asking for a test drive to familiarise yourself with the van. The van hire company should have qualified drivers that can do a driving induction for you.
Drop your fears, compose yourself and be ready to face the roads to your new destination. The rear view may be very small but the large side mirrors that many vans have are meant to give you a sufficient rear view. If you are used to the small cars, always remind yourself that vans are long so taking note of sharp corners and sizes of parking spaces.
- Familiarise Yourself with Operational Parameters of the Van
Whether you are an experienced driver or a new driver, keep in mind that vans come with different operational features. Different van manufacturers install different functional mechanisms in their vans so you need to take time and learn all these features. Get used to the brakes, clutch, and gear changing before you hit the road.
You will also confirm whether the van is in good condition to use to transport your materials or not. The heaviness of the steering, the changing of gears and general balancing of the van are things you must be at home with before you load your materials or commodities and hit the road.
- Load Your Van Properly to Keep Balancing
Before even considering the position to put your load for proper balancing, first know the weight or volume the van can carry. Loading excess will not only precipitate accidents but also it is not legal. Distribute your load perfectly to ensure items do not crowd at one point of the van.
Start with heavy hard items, let them be at the base of the van and on top of them place the small, fragile or breakable items. It is nice if you can wrap all items in boxes before you load them inside the van. Properly close the door of the van before you start moving. Ensure your items are not visible from outside to avoid any sort of theft attacks.
- Obey Traffic and Driving Rules
You are carrying your load inside the van so any reckless driving will lead to immense damage to your items. Use the best roads, the well-maintained ones, even if you know alternative shortcuts. Drive at appropriate speeds, observe traffic rules and keep a constant focus on the roads to avoid any sort of accidents.
Use of appropriate gears on different road conditions, utilisation of brakes and following the road lanes will lead to perfect moving. Self-moving is not a hard task if you know how to arrange your items inside the van and drive appropriately.
Don’t forget your driving license and also confirm the vehicle has valid insurance cover before you hire it. Moving on your own is nice but you need to be very careful to avoid damaging your items.