Now the conscientious among us would suggest that the best advice for driving in bad weather conditions is to stay indoors and forget it. However, we all know that the pace of life in London is fast, and when you’ve got to get something done it usually needs to get done sharpish. It’s still good advice though and if you can rearrange you van rental plans then it can be a safe option to take. However, we’re assuming you’ve got to get on with it and hire that van and get on with your business around town.

At this time of year, London can be a very wet and snowy place to drive around and if you’ve rented a van you need to be extra careful. The first thing to do when you pick up the van is (whilst your checking the vehicle) make sure that the tires have got good tread on them. You don’t want to be driving in very wet conditions with old tires as you are more likely to lose control and skid. This is an unpleasant experience in a car, but in a large van carrying a heavy load it can be even more dangerous.

Once you’re on the road, don’t rush. Particularly in London, pretty much any driver will jump down your throat if you are in their way, but prepare yourself. Go at you own pace, and concentrate on the vehicle and the road. You may experience all sorts of unpleasant  conditions, so you should be totally at home with the van and feel comfortable driving it. It’s often a good idea to familiarize yourself with the van in the parking lot, or drive around some quiet back streets until you feel comfortable. After that always keep in mind that you not in a car, so high winds for example are more likely to affect you and you will not be sure how the vehicle reacts to excess water on the road. The safest thing to do is slow down and go at a speed that is comfortable for you (even if London’s traffic is piling up behind you).

Often extreme weather conditions with heavy downpours or fog can impair visibility. It’s a good idea (after slowing down) to put on your lights so that other drivers can see you more clearly. If you are traveling at speed then make sure you keep an adequate distance between you and the person in front of you. You don’t need to be so close you can read all of their funny stickers on the back of the car. In snowy weather you’ll be more likely to lose control of your van, but fortunately London has a good response to gritting roads when snow comes, so you’ll most likely find that the roads are clear. If they are not, then be aware of other vehicles and especially slow down for the gritting lorries as they are concentrating on their job of gritting. It’s not a good idea to try and overtake them as they will have even less visibility than you do probably, so try not to be to hasty. A good way to allow for this is to set off a bit earlier.

When it comes to the van itself, it’s a good idea to ease up a little on the controls, for example don’t break too fast, or turn too sharply at speed. In extreme weather you need to be more tentative than usual. Also watch out when crossing bridges for those gusts of wind.

There you go, a few useful thoughts on road safety when considering your van rental in London. Of course don’t forget to quiz the van rental guys about the van you’re getting, they will most likely know any quirks that you need to be aware of. So good luck and drive safe.

We all know that a bit of preparation and some research can potentially save us cash, but what are the things you can do or consider whilst trying to find a good van rental deal? Below are seven tips that will help you prepare well.

1. If you’re trying to move large sheets of material around, like sheets of 8×4 ft wood for example, then you may be tempted to hire a van to transport them inside of. A better option can be to hire a smaller escort van with a roof rack. Very often this is a cheaper option, but that’s not the only benefit. Most of us don’t spend every day driving big trucks or vans, so hiring something that’s a bit more like a car is sensible, as it is far less intimidating to drive. The upside to this is that you are less likely to have any accidents that could cost you more money.
2. Be realistic about your home move, and it could save you a lot of time and money. Very often a move like this requires a transit van for 1-2 trips. If you plan for this, you can prepare your move and save time on the van hire (and of course money).
3. One thing that you must be aware of when traveling in a van is that it is illegal to have anyone traveling in the back. If you are caught you will be in serious trouble. Prepare ahead and know how everyone is going to get from a to b.
4. Many people spend their time trying to get the best deal only to fall at the fence of fuel costs. There really is little point trying to get a van a couple of pounds cheaper only to give more than that back in refueling charges. The key here is to pick up your van with a full tank, and return it with a full tank. That way you make absolutely certain you are not paying extra costs on fuel.
5. Vans, more than cars get bashed up, so make sure you do a thorough check before taking it.
6. If you need a van for a long hire make sure you ask for the rates over the long term. For professional jobs these costs will normally be included in the job specification. it can be worth calculating whether it will be cheaper to buy a van and sell it at the end of works rather than hiring. This is a popular choice.
7. Don’t be a victim. You must check your vehicle properly. If you are stopped with a broken tail light that was not your fault, the hire company will not be responsible, you will. So make sure you’re not exposing yourself to the risk of prosecution.

There’s a check list for you. I may not have covered everything, but if you follow these guides you should reduce the risk to wallet from undue extra costs with your van rental. If it saves money then great!

And so it goes on until you realise how much of a hole you’re going to dig yourself into if you muck it up, or (and let’s face it most people are prone) have a small scrape or an accident because it’s such a whopper of a vehicle. So, this is where I was, and I had so many other things to worry about that I left it until the last minute, which isn’t a good idea because they know they got you then. Eventually a friend recommended a place nearby which was good and cheap - he wasn’t kidding either. The thing is for every slick van rental company with a franchise business model and clean staff who smile, there is another around the corner who doesn’t have the same self confidence because their carpets aren’t clean, the garage is a pit and the vehicles are not completely spotless. Clean yes, but for the pope? Maybe not. Anyway this was one of those van rental places. Now I should add at this point that I didn’t plan this I just found out by accident and got lucky, but there is a bit of a pattern to it (I later realized). I picked up a 16 ft van and got scared to death I was going to take the roof of inside the garage, and then with a few near misses got going and did my moving. However, on the second day, I very deftly managed to maneuver a tricky bit of driving and slamed a lamppost that was trying to escape me. Back of van - messed up. Well I could just see the five hundred smakers laid down for insurance vanish in front of me. But I had a job to do and I got on with it. Filled the tank up again, did some more moving, slept a bit and eventually by the end of day 2 got the van back to the garage with a nervous feeling that my credit card was about to be maxed out - again.

I parked the van, and got out and went to the desk. “Any bumps?”. “Erm, yes I had a bit of an accident”. So I tell the guy. The response I got was great. “Don’t worry about it, the van works but it’s an old model we all can’t wait until it’s gone - you did us a favour, I won’t charge you for the damage, and actually this van isn’t the one you were meant to have so it’s cheaper?’. I wasn’t feeling quite so bad now, and I asked him if I needed a van like this again could I get the same one and ‘help’ him a bit more. He told me just to ask - if they still had it I could take it. So really, in a nut shell this is the moral of the story. Ask around and ask those difficult questions, like ‘Have you got any old vans?’, ‘Do you have any cheaper models?’, ‘I’m not after the top model, what’s the cheapest you’ve got - any going out of commission I’ll take that’. Once you start asking questions and talking about what’s going on for them you’d be surprised what you might dig up, so it’s worth calling around a bit to see if a cheap deal lands in your lap and you get your van rental for a really good price. Try it you might be surprised.