Type of van?

ok another question for you jedi's of the road,lol

My advice on vans is get the biggest small van or the biggest big van.
I would rather have too much room and not need it.

Small van = 1 pallet  @ 450kgs and 50+ mpg

otherwise Class 7, 3.5 tonne GVW  4 - 5 pallets 1500 kgs  30+ MPG

Anything in between will probably end up running at small van rates for 80% of the time unless you have found a niche customer.

I have had loads of people call with a SWB Transit, Mostly it's not big enough.

Other drivers have called with a vito and say i can do small van jobs and big van jobs.

The vito is too big for envelopes and not cost effective and not big enough for proper transit jobs.

Definitely echo n&ds comments. Either big small van (??) or xlwb. I have berlingo and 90% of my work is for a few boxes or envelopes, leaving room for double/treble ups also can load up full size europallet. Transit size seems to have the disadvantages of higher running costs of a big van  with lack of loads space of xlwb's. 

It all depends what type of Courier you want to be

We are more or less the same as speed here.
Most Transit stuff is pre booked but there are a few urgent jobs that crop up.
It is mostly small van urgent jobs including a adult sized bumble bee costume we had to pick up yesterday.

think ill go with a berlingo sized van as i dont want to be driving round with a n empty van costing me money, i can always upgrade if things go madly well, thanks guys

ive got a lwb Transit thought about getting the jumbo but was advised against it on these very pages as the payloads not as good

right got myself a Peugeot partner for £2k and got myself courier insurance,GIT and liability all for £1388.

Have you got enough reserves to keep you fueled for between 4 - 8 weeks??

well im starting slowly, i am still employed full time 4 days per week and will try to arrange courier work in the other 3 to get both experience and good rep/feedback, then if it goes well ill chuck my horrid job in.

Hmmm.....my experience is being a Courier means you see LESS of the family unless you decide you're not going to work on particular days....sometimes you'll be ready and there won't be anything, other times you'll not be available and the phone will keep ringing. To make it work as a courier you have to be flexible and work when its there...tommorrow it might not be....getting the balance right is an almost impossible task

yeah i understand that and i know at the start ill be just as busy but it does give me the choice if i want to i can try to organize work so i have a little time rather than no time like right now, currently i'm on annual leave that's how i've had the time to go through forums and sort out the insurance and buy a van but still my work have phoned me on 6 of my 9 days off, i need to get away from that.

I am afraid that if you try and organize work which you are offered to suit your own schedule you will get very few repeat bookings.

You need to be free to work as and when.

i understand that too but as i said im not rushing into it full time as i know its hard to start up, finding work isnt easy so ill start slow and hopefully in a year ill have the experience to go full time

I used a guy that worked in customs at Stansted....he had shift work so sometimes had 4 days off...sometimes 7, sometimes just 2...worked ok for the both of us....and like you said...gives you a feel for the industry...plus extra dosh...its when you give up the PAYE job that it gets scary

Up here, a 2k Peugeot won't cut it - in person, but on exchange site's ,no one will check, and you'll profit from tight price.
I'm tempted to sell my reliable new van  , and buy a shed as i'll make more money in the currant climate.

it depends on how far you travel, the smaller van works for me on the short trips and as im based really close to London its easier to park, easier to navigate around, the part time start is simply because i felt jumping in head first was crazy, they may be no work available and i'd be buring up cash like nothing so at least with a job that pays my bills i can progress at my pace, and yep my shifts kinda work the same as the guy at stanstead, i'm meant to do 4 on 3 off but the shifts can be swapped about so i can get 6 days off in a row sometimes i get 1 day off before the next 4 days on, ill try to fit work in around my job and with xmas coming im sure ill have the oppurtunity to test the waters so to speak.

Well Dan...if you're up for it I reckon you could be pretty useful to us....maybe we could meet up, you give me the days you're available and we can see if we can do somethin

Ha ha now you're for it.......you volunteered for London's! 

Well there you go, bit of networking pays off.