Removal Transport Options – Pros and Cons

Posted on 22/08/2014

When conducting a move, you’ve got to weigh up all of your transport options. It all boils down to three basic choices; Do you rent your own van and handle everything yourself, or do you place your faith in a professional mover? Or maybe one of the many man with van firms that are out there right now is for you? The only sure fire way to find out is by looking at each in turn, and seeing which one suits your circumstances the best.

Van rental

Pros: It’s the cheapest option by far, gives you complete control over the journey

Cons: More planning, all mistakes are on you

By renting a van, you’re basically saying you want to handle everything yourself, which is fine, if you don’t mind taking on the extra work. There’s lots of planning to do – you’ve got to see what size of van you need by measuring your more space dependent goods, and taking into account the amount of boxes you’re moving. Bear in mind too that you’ll be doing all of the loading as well as the packing, so making sure you’ve got your family and/or friends to help is definitely a good idea.

Bascially, by commiting to a van rental, you run the risk of extra stress, and when you consider that the removal process is already pretty stressy to start with, you’ve got to be sure that you’re willing to take it. If not, then one of the moving firms might be more suited.

Professional mover

Pros: Have highly trained staff at your disposal, extra convenience

Cons: Most expensive

A professional moving company is, as it’s name suggests, a professional service. That means you’re getting large amounts of efficient man power to help with the packing, loading and transport of your goods. It’s a very convenient service, because seeing as most of the work will be taken care of for you, it leaves you some extra free time on the move. Time that you can spend with the family, or relaxing.

Be aware that it’s the most expensive of the three services, though you are getting a lot for your money. Do some shopping to see if you can get a good price for your convenience.

Man with van service

Pros: Most of the benefits of a professional mover, affordable price

Cons: Just not as flexible as a made for purpose mover

And finally, there’s the ‘Man with van service’ option. By plumping for this service, you’re basically hiring a man and his van – he may employ a few extra people, but as a general rule you’re getting less staff than with the professional mover. Though, that being said, it’s more affordable, and you get most of the same benefits and manpower that you’d get with the movers. It’s just not as flexible, and it may take a little longer.

Conclusion

How to sum these three up? Well, it’s simple. Each of these three options fulfills a specific type of move’s needs. Van rental is suited to smaller moves over short distances, so the amount of planning and hard work is kept to a minimum. The Professional is suited to larger moves over long distances, and the Man with van firm’s taks lies somewhere in the middle, or if you require a long distance move on a tighter budget.

So it all depends on what you want, and how much work you’re willing to take on. As always, no matter what type of service you go with, do your research first. There’s plenty of van rental companies, professional movers and man with van services in your area, so only hire the one that’s right for you.