Long term van rental

Long-Term-Van-Rental

Long term van rental

When it comes to managing a business, reliable transportation can be a game-changer.

Whether you are delivering goods, transporting equipment, or travelling between job sites, having a dependable vehicle is essential.

However, investing in a fleet of vans can be a significant financial burden. That is where long-term van hire for work comes in.

This flexible and cost-effective solution provides businesses with access to high-quality vehicles without the hefty upfront costs and maintenance responsibilities.  

Our long-term van hire service specialises in providing reliable and flexible transportation solutions for businesses.

Whether you’re growing your fleet, handling seasonal demands, or looking for a cost-effective long-term option, our packages are tailored to meet your unique needs.

With a focus on customer service, we’re here to help your business navigate the road ahead.

Partner with us for a hassle-free and dependable vehicle solution that supports the long-term success of your business.

Whatever you have planned, you’ll find a van in our fleet that suits you. From small vans that you can run errands in, all the way up to Luton’ that you can move home in, J D Robertson & Co Ltd has you covered.

All our vans receive a full service from our in-house maintenance team every 15000 miles so that they’re kept in perfect working order.

Every time you hire from us, you’ll know that your van is reliable and ready to go. All you need to do is hop in and drive.

A Guide to Local Van Hire

Guide-to-Local-Van-Hire

A Guide to Local Van Hire

A Guide to Local Van Hire

If you are looking at hiring a van, it is important that you understand all aspects of van hire before you decide on taking the plunge. There are many aspects of van hire to learn about and today, we are going to take you through how to choose a van, what kind of van you may need, how to go about hiring said van, as well as looking at some important tips and pieces of information which you will need, before you sign on the dotted line.

Where to start?

Let’s begin with a look at your reasons for van hire, and how to go about getting the right deal for your needs.

Purpose of Use

The first thing which you need to think about when hiring a van, is for what you will be using the van for, vans for hire come in all shapes and sizes. People hire vans for a wide range of reasons from house removal to disposing of garden waste, delivering an item or even receiving an item which they have purchased online. Choosing the right van is dependent on what you are intending to use it for and if you don’t know then ask.

Choosing a Van

Now that you understand what your use or uses for the van will be, it is time to select the right van for the job. There are a huge range of vans for hire. For example, you can hire small transits for light loads, you can look at a big Luton which can handle more quantity and more weight.

Budget

Whilst it is best that you know your budget before searching for van hire, you also should look at the various costs for the different styles of vans, to help you make the budget realistic. Daily van hire costs will alter both depending on what van you hire, and which company you use.

Reservation

Make sure that you reserve your van ahead of time, to avoid running the risk of zero availability. There is always a limited number of vans in the fleet and on some dates or seasons it can be very in demand which means reserving is imperative, especially with more specialised models like refrigerated vans.

Things to remember?

Once you have decided on the van and the price that you want, it is time to start thinking about the details around the hire van and the terms and conditions attached.

Pick-up and drop-off

In terms of picking up and dropping off, you must ensure that you meet both requirements when it comes to the agreed date and time, as well as the location. If you are renting the van to make a drop off far away, you may prefer to drop it off at another branch, all of this must be decided and adhered to ahead of the van hire.

Fuel

First and foremost, be sure that you understand what kind of fuel the hire van will take, the last thing you want is to fill it with petrol when it is a diesel. You should also know as to whether you need to bring it back full, or bring it back empty and pay for the tank.

Breakdown Cover

Breakdown cover will be an optional extra and even if you are searching for cheap van hire, this is a cost which is recommended. The last thing you want is to break down, and in doing so it could actually cost you more money than you had wished to spend.

The Small Print

Always ensure that you read the small print or terms and conditions, and you understand what is required of you in terms of caring for the van, and what you are covered for under the daily van hire agreement, sign nothing until you are comfortable.

Damage Waiver

A damage waiver is waiving the right to charge the hirer for any damage that takes place. For a small fee you will be offered this, and it makes sense to take it. If you don’t and something should happen, the fee for the damage waiver will pale in comparison to what you could pay.

Excess

And finally, make sure that you understand the excess that is applicable to you, should anything happen to the van under your care. Usually this will be taken from your credit card and placed on hold, so that the rental firm can be sure that you can pay for the excess should something happen.

Van hiring does not have to be complicated, just be sure you check all details before you hire a van, look after it and everything should run smoothly.

Demand for vans is soaring!

New-Van-Delivery

Demand for vans is soaring!

Despite the difficulties and delays with ordering, we have managed to purchase a number of new vans!

They are Maxus long wheelbase transit-type vans.

Given the current shortage of HGV drivers some businesses are turning to using deliveries with smaller vans for which an UGV licence is not needed.

However, as we approach peak season for vans from parcel delivery companies in the run-up to Christmas this will add to the demand.

If you know you are going to need additional delivery vans in the next few months please let us know as soon as possible and we will do our best to ensure you have what you need.

Let us know if you need to cancel your rental

Cancel-your-rental

Let us know if you need to cancel your rental

With most Covid-related restrictions now lifted and the peak holiday period upon us we are experiencing very high volumes of bookings, especially for people carriers.

However, given the very high numbers of people reportedly receiving text notices at short notice telling them they must self-isolate we are appealing to customers to please let us know if they cannot take up an already-booked vehicle as a result.

For several weeks now we have been asking customers to give us as much notice as possible to be sure of getting the rental vehicle they want, so demand has been at a peak.

So if you unfortunately have been told to self-isolate and you can therefore free up a vehicle for another customer we would appreciate your letting us know.

We hope everyone has a very happy and safe summer.

Lockdown easing and high demand for vehicles

lockdown-easing

Lockdown Easing and High Demand for Vehicles

While the demand for vans has eased off slightly, demand for cars has rocketed thanks to the partial easing of lock-down restrictions this month.

At last people are able to visit loved ones who live at a distance, but they cannot stay overnight. However, this may make using public transport an unrealistic option.

Similarly, people can now get away to self-catering accommodation.

Consequently, as many of our cars are already rented out to local authorities and businesses we have a limited supply for private rental.

We will do everything we can to accommodate you but we ask that you please give us at least a week’s notice ahead of the date when you need a car.

Please remember we are still sticking to all the Covid-19 safety requirements, such as limiting numbers in our offices, providing hand sanitisers to visitors and ensuring all our vehicles are thoroughly sanitised between rentals.

Book vans early for Christmas

Book-Vans-Early-for-Christmas

Book vans early for Christmas

If you are hoping to rent a van before Christmas we are asking our customers to please give us at least two weeks’ notice.

The demand for transit vans has gone through the roof in the last few weeks, partly because of the latest pandemic lockdown and partly because there has been a huge shift to online shopping.

With Christmas on the way both delivery drivers and the Royal Mail are coming under increasing pressure and although we have added to our fleet to try to keep up with their demand we are struggling to meet them.

We now have 80 vans rented out for parcel deliveries and the companies are warning that if people don’t put in their orders soon they are unlikely to receive their deliveries before Christmas.

So, if you are a private customer looking for a van for a day, perhaps for a house move, we would appreciate your giving us at least two weeks’ notice.

As ever, we are keeping to our sanitisation and hygiene routines for both vehicles and visitors to our offices.

Help us to help you!

Car-Hire-Colchester

Help us to help you!

While we are delighted that demand for our vehicles is extremely high, we never like to let any of our customers down.

But the long period of sunny weather seems to have persuaded people to take more day trips than would normally be expected even at this time of year and so demand for cars for a day has never been higher.

This is only likely to become more intense once the school holidays have started.

But it’s not only demand for cars, it’s also vans as people take advantage of the good weather to have a good clear-out, catch up with the D.I.Y. and sort out their gardens then want to rent a van for a short time to cart away all the rubbish.

So, on a few occasions recently when people have popped in hoping to be able to instantly rent a vehicle we have been in the unfortunate (or fortunate depending on your point of view) position of having to tell them that we have absolutely none available.

Therefore, we are asking all our customers to please call us and give us some warning of when they’re going to want to rent a vehicle.

You won’t have to wait too long because short term rentals will turn over quite quickly, but it helps us to ensure that there’s a vehicle ready for you when you are going to need it, and of course, when you do pop in to collect it the paperwork only takes on average 25 minutes to complete.

Long may the good weather continue!

How we take care of all our rental vehicles

Car-checks

Renting a vehicle for a self-drive holiday overseas

It is important that our clients and customers feel safe and comfortable in any vehicle that they rent from us, so inspection, care and maintenance are all carried out regularly.

For the 7.5 ton lorries, there are very strict rules including a PMI (Preventative Maintenance Inspection) check every eight weeks and these are very extensive.

They are done to a strict schedule and the check includes the vehicle’s fuel system, exhaust system, electrical system, steering, suspension, brakes, mirrors, windows, wipers, speedometer, plugs and cables, emissions, tire wear, lights, seat belts, airbags, gear shifts, indicators and air conditioning.

If a lorry is out with a customer, we arrange to collect it and supply a substitute while the check is being carried out. This check is in addition to the usual annual MoT and the servicing whose frequency depends on the specific mileage each vehicle has done. Generally, we will replace lorries every ten years or sooner if the mileage requires it.

Our rental cars are replaced every three years, when the warranty runs out.  This is partly because it is more cost effective and partly because we find that customers generally do not want to rent a vehicle that is more than three years old.

Every time a rental car is returned to us we check the tyres, water and water bottles, ensure all the light bulbs are working properly and do a thorough clean both inside and out.

Servicing again depends on the mileage reached and our system alerts us to when a service is due, so that even if a car is with a customer it can be recalled to the depot for a service.

As you can see we take our customers’ safety and security very seriously.