Tips for driving a van for the first time

Written by VMS Vehicle Hire on 08th May 2019

Tips for driving a van

If you’ve never driven a van before, you’d be forgiven for a feeling a little apprehensive about getting on the road in a much larger vehicle. Especially if you are used to driving small city cars. But the truth is, most aspects of driving a van are no more difficult than in your normal car.

To help you drive with more confidence, we have put together our top 5 tips for driving a van for the first time to help you hire anything from a Peugeot Bipper to a Mercedes Sprinter to the Ford Transit and beyond! 

 

1) Get used to the driving position 

Sitting behind the wheel of a van will feel very different than driving a car. Not only is the viewpoint of the road in front of you different, but your view from the back will be far less than that of a car. 

Whilst all vans come with some quite sizeable wing mirrors, you’ll still want to spend some time getting to grips with how much you can actually see from the back and set up the mirrors accordingly to give you the best view.  

It’s also worth noting that if you are new to driving a van, that you should take the time to drive around a quiet car park which will help you adjust to your new driving position as well as getting you used to parking. 

 

2) Familiarise yourself with the controls 

The controls in your hire van will also differ from your car, so make sure to check where your controls are such as lights, indicators and front and back wiper blades. It may sound obvious but the few seconds that it takes for you to look down to see where they are - at 30 MPH you cover the ground at 45 feet per second which means in two seconds you have travelled the length of two double deck buses without looking at the road. 

 

3) Check your heights and widths 

Have you booked a long wheelbase or a short wheelbase van? How tall is your van? Is there any height restrictions at any of the car parks that you will be using whilst driving the van? Are there any low bridges on your driving route which may mean you need to use different roads? These are all questions you should ask yourself when choosing the right hire van for your needs. Plan ahead to avoid any undue stress. All you should focus on is driving the van safely. 

 

4) Ready to load up

If you are using a van to transport heavy goods, make sure you know how to load the vehicle carefully and securely so that items don’t move about too much as you drive which can destabilise your van. You can read our tips on loading a van here. 

 

5) Remember your speed limits 

Before you put your foot down, check the speed limits on the roads you’ll be using. Vans have very different speed limits from cars. Remember, single carriageway roads on a national speed limit sign means 50 mph, on a dual carriageway its 60 MPH. Don’t get caught out on the roads! 

 

Hopefully, these simple steps will give you more confidence in driving a van for the first time. If your ready to decide which van you want to hire, head to our van webpage to see our range of vehicles ready to go. Remember our pricing includes VAT, Mileage and Breakdown Cover so the price you see is the price you pay! 

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