Falkirk finds itself in an interesting logistical and geographical predicament. Being so near both Edinburgh and Glasgow means locals and outsiders alike forget it's an independent town in its own right with its own hauling headaches. Whether you're house moving, carting goods to a stall, or moving a piece of furniture across the Forth – eventually, you'll need a van you don't necessarily own, centralscotlandvehiclehire.
This is one of the things nobody ever tells you before it's too late: pricing for van hire in the Falkirk and surrounding area can vary wildly from day to day. Weekend hire of any van will obviously be harder to get, but when, during the middle of the week demand is noticeably less, taking off a Tuesday is more likely to get you a considerably cheaper deal on the exact same vehicle at the local outfitter to Callendar Park and the surrounding area.
Size turns out to be a much bigger problem than people expect. A short wheel base always looks fine until the 32-piece pine fitted wardrobe isn't quite fitting through the back of it, and you find yourself doing several passes at various angles, in the summer, getting rather hot under the collar. Actually measure your load and then measure it again. Check it a third time and add some extra room – nobody's boxes ever fit together the way you expect.
Needless to say, on average, local companies know the local roads far better than one of the multinational chains. Falkirk's town centre one-way system will almost always catch out somebody who isn't familiar with the area – just ask any van hire owner and they'll have a story about someone accidentally winding up in Bonnybridge or even all the way up to Bo'ness.
Insurance is undoubtedly the thing to pay a bit extra for and regret later. An "excess" will eventually be paid to a large extent over a scraped wing mirror from a tight squeeze in an IKEA or similar car park – spending a little extra here will more than cover this.
The fuel policy should also be noted as being quite various. Have an ask before you leave and have it back on the required usage: be it refilled, or charged a standard fee to do it.
Weather, for a lot of people in Scotland, factors heavily into rental choices – Scottish rain does not care if the van is hired on or around a designated house move day – especially not what condition the interior might end up in in terms of any moisture retained, and certainly not something as basic as tyre grip or clear windows and mirrors in poor conditions.