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Dealing with Crosswinds

December 19th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

In the build-up to Christmas, everyone’s rushing around to get their shopping paid for and delivered. Barely any heed is paid to the treacherous road conditions that drivers need to deal with to make the whole thing happen! In this article, we’re going to take a brief look at that most alarming of weather phenomena: the crosswind. You’re driving along a motorway when the hill to your left gives way, and a wide open plain (or, worse yet, a seafront) replaces it. The back of the van acts as a sail, dragging you suddenly across into the adjacent lane. Crosswinds are an occupational hazard for drivers of all sorts, but if you’re driving an especially big vehicle, they can be positively nightmarish. So how do you deal with the problem? Let’s find out. Anticipate the Crosswind If you’re going to be driving across a coastal or hilly route, then you should anticipate a few crosswinds. If you’ve got a little bit of experience under your belt driving in a particular part of the country, then you might already know what to expect. The most dangerous crosswinds are the ones that take you by surprise – so be sure that you’re…

Maintaining your Van this Winter

November 13th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

The weather poses your van with a range of challenges. In the summer, it’ll cause the engine to overheat and break down; in the winter, freeze-thaw cycles will chew up the metal protecting your fuel tank, and corrode the connections leading to your battery. Of course, it’s better to prevent this sort of damage from occurring in the first place than to try to repair it after it’s happened. And there’s no better time of year than now to do those little jobs that’ll save you considerable trouble in the long-term. Let’s get started! Replace your Wiper-blades and Top Up the Fluid Plain old water won’t do the job at this time of year – you need just a little bit of that freeze-resistant screenwash instead. You can buy the stuff ready-mixed, but if you want to save yourself a few quid you can buy the concentrate and mix it yourself. Wiper blades are at their most effective during the first 12 months of their life, so you might also want to replace these – that way you’ll be able to see where you’re going the next time you’re stuck out in a hailstorm. Change the Oil The performance of…

Potholes: What are they and Why Are They Such a Problem?

November 13th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

If you were watching the recent budget announcement then you might have noticed, in between Philip Hammond’s side-splitting jokes, that British roads are getting another £25 billion between 2020 and 2025. Included in this number is another £420 million for local councils to spend dealing with potholes. This is on top of the near £300 million they’re already getting to fix this much-derided problem. Now, £420 million might seem like a lot of money – but according to the Asphalt Industry Alliance, it’s not enough. “It’s just papering over the cracks,” declared the organisation’s Chairman, Rick Green – proving that it’s not just politicians making strides into the world of comedy. The AIA reckon that local roads in England need a one-off investment of around £8 billion to be up to scratch. Which, of course, they’re not going to get any time soon. Given all of this news, we thought we’d take another look at pot-holes. We’re all familiar with them. But exactly what causes them, and what should you do when you hit them? What Makes a Pothole? Potholes form when water is allowed to move through tiny cracks in the tarmac. When water breaks through certain areas, it…

Winter Essentials for Your Van

November 13th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

When the weather outside gets chilly, it’s a good idea to head out onto the road with a few extra essential items. We’re talking about lightweight, easily-stowed items that’ll be worth their weight in gold when the need for them arises. Note that we’re not advocating that you leave valuables in your van overnight. We’re just talking about a few extra goodies that’ll come in handy in the event of a breakdown (or which might prevent one from happening in the first place). Let’s take a look at some of them! Snow Chains You’ll be grateful you packed these if you’re halfway through a ten-hour round trip and the heavens decide to open. Snow chains provide that all-important extra grip during heavy snow. They’ll prevent you from getting stranded on the motorway for hours on end, and you only ever need to pay for them once. A Blanket If your vehicle should break down halfway through a trip, you might need to wait for a good long while in freezing conditions. Without any heating to help you out, you’ll need to wrap up. Blankets can also come in handy in emergencies – and if paired with a sleeping bag, they’ll…

Dealing with Long Van Journeys

October 12th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

If you’re putting in hundreds of miles of driving every single day, then you’ll need the right sort of stimulation. After all, all that time in the driver’s seat can be pretty dull. While it’s probably not desirable to try to eliminate boredom from your life entirely, countless hours spent sitting in one position can eventually grind down even the most committed daydreamer. Let’s take a look at a few ways in which we might make those long journeys a little bit more tolerable. Audio Books The problem with yammering talk-radio is that no-one’s put much thought into the subjects they’re droning on about. The result is one person’s strongly-expressed opinions battering against your eardrums for hours on end. And who needs that? Instead, it’s better to listen to a book. That way you can be sure that the thoughts you’re hearing were arrived at after some considerable thought. There are hundreds, nay, thousands of audiobooks available, covering just about every subject you care to imagine. Thus, your interests are bound to have been covered by someone! Podcasts Alternatively, there are podcasts. Podcasts have a different, but considerable, advantage over radio in that they can be incredibly specialised. If you’d…

Electric Motoring – When is it coming and Why isn’t it here yet?

October 12th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

If you were paying attention during the 1980s, then you’ll have learned from films like Blade Runner and Back to the Future Part II that flying cars should have been with us by now. And yet things haven’t quite progressed that far. Not only are flying cars not with us, but our road vehicles are still reliant on inefficient, atmosphere-polluting fossil fuels. And this isn’t through lack of trying: an extraordinary amount of hours have been put into making electric vehicles feasible. Which leaves us with a tricky question: exactly why aren’t we all driving around ultra-quiet, ultra-efficient vans? And at what point will making the switch to electric make a worthwhile investment? Expertise In the motoring industry, we have a pretty strong grasp of the internal combustion engine and how it works. There are thus expert mechanics distributed across the country, each competing with one another to offer you their help in maintaining your vehicle. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for electric-vehicle-maintainers. This scarcity of expertise will inevitably drive up the running costs of an electric vehicle. Price While electric vans are more efficient and easier to maintain than gas-guzzlers, they also tend to be more expensive in…

Loading and Unloading a Van Safely: Our Tips

October 12th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

If you’re running a one-person delivery business, you’ll spend a lot of your time taking things in and out of the back of your vehicle. If the items you’re delivering are cumbersome or heavy, this can spell trouble – and thus it’s worth thinking about best loading and lifting practice. Start with the Big Stuff To use your space as efficiently as possible, get large items like fridges loaded first. It’s a lot easier to find space for a small item than it is to cram large ones in at the end. Add to this the fact that your larger items are likely to be heavier than your small ones, and therefore capable of inflicting crushing damage, and the sense of starting with the big stuff becomes obvious. Spread the Load Obviously, you don’t want your van to be unbalanced. As such, avoid stacking everything on one side of the van. Push everything right to the rear, and secure small items beneath seats to prevent them from flying around when you go over a speed bump. To be sure that you’re not overloading your van, learn its maximum loading capacity, and figure out a rough idea of when you’re approaching…

Telematics Explained: What is it and Why is it Important?

September 17th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

If you’ve been following technological trends, then you might have heard of something called ‘telematics’. Also known as ‘black box’ insurance, this technology is helping to change motoring behaviour to extend the lifespan of your vehicle and reduce the likelihood of an accident. How does telematics work, then? With the help of a special GPS device, a telematics system will track your vehicle’s movements with pinpoint accuracy. It’ll measure things like how long the engine is running for, how jerky your acceleration is, how late you’re braking, and whether you’re cornering well. All of this adds up to a comprehensive picture of your driving competence. You’re then presented with feedback via your smartphone or tablet. What’s the point? You might think that there could be nothing more irritating than having a robot examiner strapped to the underside of your van – particularly if you already have years of experience to draw upon. And it’s true that the system confers the greatest benefit to new drivers who’ve not yet grasped what’s involved. But that’s not to say that the technology can’t benefit the rest of us: if you’re clocking up thousands of miles each week, then even a marginal improvement to…

Sleeping in the Van: What You Need to Know

September 17th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

If you’re making frequent long trips that need to be split into multiple legs, then you might be tempted to simply pull up to the side of the road, turn the engine off and clock off for the night. In doing so, you’ll be saving on the price of a room – and over the course of a year or so, these savings might add up to a significant sum. But if it were that simple, we’d all be doing it. It’s worth therefore stopping to consider the upsides and downsides. Which is exactly what we’re going to do in this article. Can I Drink if I Sleep in my Van? You might suppose that, provided you’re not driving the van, and you’re going to recover for the next morning, you can get as sozzled as you like. After all, if you’re not sleeping in the driver’s seat, and the keys aren’t in the ignition, then no-one could possibly doubt your intentions. Right? Wrong! You aren’t legally allowed to sleep in your car if you’re under the influence of drink or drugs. So don’t do it. Where Can I Sleep? While it’s possible to park on any public street or…

Keeping your Van Secure

September 17th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

This week, we’ve heard that the rate of vehicle theft is at its highest in eight years, with an enormous 106,334 incidents recorded in 2017/2018. Moreover, a whopping three-quarters of vehicle thefts in the UK are unsolved, with police not even identifying a suspect. In some areas, the rate is even higher: West Midlands Police closed 95% of cases without a suspect, and in the City of London it’s 96%! If you drive for a living, this makes for grim reading. It’s a reminder, if one was needed, of the importance of vehicle security. With that in mind, let’s run through a few of the steps you can take to protect yourself. Don’t Leave Stuff in the Van If there’s nothing in your van worth stealing, then thieves are less likely to want to break into it. What’s more, the impact of any vehicle theft will be lessened, since any thief who makes off with your van won’t take the stuff that you’ve stored in the back of it. Always Lock Your Van You might suppose that, because you’re only popping into a corner-shop for two minutes to pick up a lottery ticket and a Snickers, thieves won’t have time…

Preparing for Driving on the Continent

August 15th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

While most haulage in the UK is domestic, van drivers occasionally have cause to venture across the channel and deliver goods to clients in mainland Europe. If you’ve never driven on European roads before, then you’re in for a bit of a learning curve. Even experienced hauliers occasionally run into trouble! Let’s run through a few of our top tips to make driving in Europe as painless as possible. Passport It should probably go without saying, but you’ll need a valid and in-date passport. Some countries will require that your passport be valid for six months after the date of your arrival – a measure basically designed to prevent you from outstaying your welcome. Bear in mind that first-time passport applicants can often end up waiting for six weeks before being granted the document, so be sure that you’ve left enough time. Get Insured If you’re injured or fall ill overseas and you’re not properly insured, you might end up with a sizeable bill. Spend a little on travel insurance and you won’t need to worry about such things. You’ll also want a European Health Insurance card, which will entitle you to the same medical treatment a native of the…

Can I Transport Animals in my Van?

August 15th, 2018 by Rebecca Webb

If you’re the owner of a dog, then the chances are that at some point you’ll have had to take it out with you on your travels. Perhaps you’ve had to pick it up from the vet and can’t find the time to take it home. Perhaps it’s a new pet that can’t be relied upon not to tear apart your upholstery, chew your cables and run its claws along your carpet. For some, this situation is an occasional one-off – for others, it’s a regular occurrence. But what’s the best way to take an animal from place to place in your van – and where do you stand legally? Let’s find out! What about Heat? During the current spell of hot weather, it’s especially important to kick off by saying that you shouldn’t leave a dog in a hot car for any length of time. They will die of heatstroke. Accordingly to the RSPCA, the interior of a car will reach around 47°C within the hour even on a relatively-mild 22°C day. So don’t leave them in there for any length of time. What Does the Law Say? The law governing animal transportation mostly concerns livestock. It’s there to…

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