{"id":273,"date":"2008-10-08T15:24:02","date_gmt":"2008-10-08T15:24:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/?p=273"},"modified":"2018-02-08T19:32:42","modified_gmt":"2018-02-08T19:32:42","slug":"hourly-van-hire-increasingly-popular-for-home-purchases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/archives\/273","title":{"rendered":"Hourly Van Hire Increasingly Popular for Home Purchases"},"content":{"rendered":"

The growth of eBay and the increasing popularity of DIY removals has created a growing market for hourly van hire – hiring a van<\/a> by the hour, rather than by the (24 hour) day.<\/p>\n

London-based hirers are already served by the Streetvan service<\/a> but van hire<\/a> customers elsewhere in the country don’t have many choices.<\/p>\n

In fact, there is only one national contender – Europcar<\/a> that I know of.<\/p>\n

Europcar<\/a>‘s DriveTime service offers hourly van hire from more than 250 UK locations. According to the company, hourly van hire starts from just \u00a36.99 for a Transit-sized van and the maximum hire period is 8 hours – after which it is always cheaper to hire for a day.<\/p>\n

To make an hourly van hire booking, simply specify the start and end times you would like when completing your quote – Europcar’s booking system will automatically find the cheapest solution for you. Europcar has recently increased the number of Luton vans with tail lifts in its fleet by 50% – making transporting large or heavy objects much easier than before.<\/p>\n

However, loading and unloading goods from a van can be a short cut to back injuries and muscle strains, so to help customers make the most of their hire vans and stay safe, take a look at our tips for safely loading a van<\/a> and remember to take car when lifting and seek assistance if you can’t manage on your own.<\/p>\n

Here is some advice from Europcar on safely lifting and carrying heavy objects:<\/p>\n

Assess the situation <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Test the weight of a large object by lifting a corner, can you lift the load safely by yourself or do you need help?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0If the load is too heavy or an awkward shape is it possible to break-down into smaller parts?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Check how far you have to carry the load and if the path is clear of anything which may cause you to trip. Check that all doors have been opened in advance. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0Once the load is lifted, will it block your view?<\/span><\/p>\n

Correct lifting techniques for heavy items<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Before you lift a heavy object make sure you have a firm footing. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Stand close to the object and centre yourself over it with your feet shoulder width apart, squat down to the ground.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Before starting to lift make sure you have a good handhold. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0To lift, straighten your knees and rise from the ground in a smooth, steady motion. Concentrate on keeping your back straight and let your legs do the lifting. Tightening your stomach muscles will help to support your back. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Never bend your back to pick something up. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7 Once upright do not twist or turn your body, keep your head up and look straight ahead. Focusing upwards will help to keep your back straight. <\/span><\/p>\n

Carrying the load<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Hold the object close to your body and keep it steady with your arms bent, the further the object is from your body the heavier it will feel.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Keep your feet about shoulder width apart, take short steps and move slowly.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0Change direction by turning your feet and once facing in the right direction continue to move forward.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0If you are straining or feel tired set the load down and rest for a few minutes. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0To lower the object, once again position your feet shoulder width apart, tighten stomach muscles and lower to the ground by bending your knees in a smooth and steady action. Only release your grip when the load is securely set down upon a firm surface. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The growth of eBay and the increasing popularity of DIY removals has created a growing market for hourly van hire – hiring a van by the hour, rather than by the (24 hour) day. London-based hirers are already served by the Streetvan service but van hire customers elsewhere in the country don’t have many choices. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[63,245,421,18,422,34],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=273"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10788,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/273\/revisions\/10788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=273"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=273"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vanrental.co.uk\/vanblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=273"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}