The humble man and van is an amazing thing. You will find that they are extremely flexible and perfect for smaller moves; whether you are moving out of a flat share, or just getting a bit of kit in to storage, the man and van will always be available to help you out! The main feature that people love about the man with van service is that you will always be able to get hold of one, as so many people are looking to get a little extra money out of their van, alongside all of those who do it all day as a living. However, knowing what you are looking for is sometimes a little harder than it seems, in that the variables in terms of van size, hire type and job load will all affect the way in which you will work with the driver. Knowing a little more about what you can expect will no doing set you out on the right foot however, so it is well worth having a look at a few hints and tips...For a start, you need to be aware of the size of van that you need. If you are just putting a washing machine in to storage, then you likely know exactly how big you need the van to be, but if the load is a few bits of furniture, then you need to have a good think about the size of the load, and whether everything is going to fit in. In reality, the van driver will usually be able to give you a decent idea as to what they think will fit, and you will often be surprised by the amount that you can get in there, with a little clever arranging of items. Long wheel base vans can get around a two bed flat in to them, depending on the size of the flat itself obviously! If you want to get an exact measurement, pile your things together tightly and multiply the length, height and width of the load, for a figure for the volume. This figure should correspond to the volume given by the manufacturer for the van itself, so you can do your calculations based on that.The nature of the man and van means that the driver is free to decide how they want to be paid. You will find that this comes down to being an hourly figure, or a flat fee for the whole job. If you can work out a quick route and avoid traffic, then the hourly rate will usually be the cheapest option, but going for the quote means that you avoid any disasters that could befall you if you were to get stuck in traffic, or any other serious mishaps! It all comes down to a little common sense really; if you are doing the job midday on a Sunday, then it should be fairly clear, whereas if you are trying to get somewhere in a city on a Friday evening, then you are likely to be stuck in traffic for hours, racking up a massive bill!Ask around your friends and family to see if they have any recommendations as to the van services that you should use. You will often find that people you know have ideas as to who you should use, and once someone finds a van driver that they like, they will usually hold on to them!