Estimate for removing 75 sq ft room 110 miles?

[MM]

As nearly all of my possessions will be in a single 75 sq ft self-storage room by the time I complete, what would the cost be to remove the contents 110 miles to my new home? No packing required.

While I use a "man with a van" type of removal business for moving a sofa or fridge locally, I am doubtful about entrusting my life's possessions to a plain white Luton, waving it goodbye, and hoping it might actually arrive with the contents intact. Therefore, I would prefer to pay more and get a professional firm to do it. Not wildly expensive, though, e.g. not Pickfords.

Any firms to recommend?

MM

[mrcheerful]

Have you considered the firms that supply a container for you to fill, it is then taken away (you keep the key) and stored till you want it ,then delivered wherever. The advantages are that there is only one lot of stuffing into a space, rather than three using the traditional method, so there is less chance of damage and theft.

mrcheerful

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Well, this is a DIY group. With such a small amount, why not hire a van and DIY? You're allowed to drive surprisingly large vans on a car licence

- much bigger than a Transit - which would make loading easier.

[:::Jerry::::]

This depends on a drivers age and / or how long they have had the licence now days, 3.5t is the normal maximum weight since 1/1/96 unless you have either 1/. held a licence before that date (grandfathers rights) or you have passed a 'Medium Goods vehicle' test (this allows for weights of above 3/5t and 7/5t).

[Andrew Gabriel]

That depends when you took your test. When moving lots of gear for an exhibition, I could drive a large van, but a younger colleague couldn't. You had to have passed your driving test before a certain date, or you had to take a separate test for the larger van. I think it was a 7.5 ton van, but I might be misremembering.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Yes, IIRC. Must remember everyone isn't as old as me. Well, very few, probably.

[MM]

I'm getting past it, Dave, I'm afraid. You cannot believe how strenuous the work is when you're as long in the tooth as I am. Plus, I hate driving anyway, and driving a Luton all that way would probably see me, like Blair, with a wire in the groin or worse. I've been thinking of having my first tattoo done. Starting just below the neck, a dotted line down the chest with the words "Cut Here" alongside. To help out the temporary staff, like, who may be moonlighting from the local call centre.

MM

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Right. Although you'd be surprised just how easy modern vans are to drive

- most have power steering these days. I was driving a Renault Master the other day, and all the controls were lighter than my car. ;-)

Oh dear. Hope your move proves hot to be stressful in other ways too, then.

[:::Jerry::::]

True, but driving something like a 'Luton' bodied chassis-cab (and above) is a different game all together if you're not used to the extra width and height - I know of someone who impaled one onto a BT pole due to not calculating 'height of vehicle' x 'camber of the road' correctly !

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Most sensible people would have little trouble - just leave more room, and avoid side streets etc except where you really have to for access. And then it's only a question of being careful. On main roads and motorways the extra size won't really be noticed.

[:::Jerry::::]

Until you get passed, or pass another large vehicle. The points I'm raising are some of the reasons why the licensing laws were changed 6 years ago, it is also a different ball game when it comes to stopping a large heavy vehicle, start driving them around like Transit vans and people soon cause problems for themselves or other road users. Things get ever worse when you start talking about forward-control vehicles, people who are not used to such driving a position often start driving up pavements and allsorts at corners and junctions etc. ! :~(

Dave you are used to driving large / heavy vehicles I expect, I've had to supervise a few people whilst they 'learnt' to drive a 7.5t lorry, although they were used to and OK driving up to a and including Luton van sized vehicles, to put it mildly a couple scared the sh*t out of me the first couple of times they drove the lorry - for those who are new or *don't* have what it takes it's not a case of being 'sensible', it's having the correct 'mind-set' IME.

[Rick Dipper]

7.5 tonne tail lift box lorry, you can drive on a car licence, about 50-75 quid a day.

You can get a HUGE ammount of stuff in these things, we moved a small warehouse 200 miles in one, took 4 of us a long weekend. We were the living dead at the end, and I bashed my mums car with it while reversing ..........

Rick

[:::Jerry::::]

No you can't, as pointed out else where in this thread already, you need either grandfathers rights or a MGV licence.

[:::Jerry::::]

Sorry, that should be 8 years, nearly 9. [1 Jan. 1996].

[nick smith]

So what are these laws then ? I may have to do a similar job soon which will need a large van

Nick

[Lee]

Do the 7.5t GVW vans still have air-assisted brakes? They take some getting used to as well ;)

I used to drive these vans doing a bit of C&D work, I once got stuck half way down a twisty side street because of badly parked cars and had to reverse it 500m - now that was fun :(

Lee

[:::Jerry::::]

You need the correct licence, it will tell you what class of vehicle you are permitted to drive, the chances are if you have held an (un interrupted) licence and / or have renewed all your driving entitlements that you held since before the above date you are likely to have the correct licence. Any vehicle hire company will soon tell you if you are entitled to drive a certain weight / class of vehicle if you show them your licence if you are unsure.

If you have passed a (car / light goods) driving test since that date the chances are that you don't have the correct licence, otherwise you would know if you had taken the extra test required to drive a vehicle above a

3.5t weight.

[:::Jerry::::]

Lorries not vans !

still have air-assisted brakes?

They do indeed, even those vehicles that have hydraulic brakes still often use air to operate the master cylinder (DAF 45's etc).

[Grunff]

Well, I passed my test in...erm...1991, and I can drive one (not that hard really).

[:::Jerry::::]

So you have grandfathers rights then, but more to the point, when you have to change your licence or renew it if you don't tick the correct boxes you will lose those rights !

I'm just pointing out the law, you don't automatically have the correct licence anymore, so to just say that "[get a] 7.5 tonne tail lift box lorry, you can drive on a car licence" as "Rick Dipper" said is not correct anymore.