*blush*

[karen2205]

I've just booked a Transit van for transporting our camp equipment to and from the site.

Can someone please point me at a picture of a Transit so I get some idea of how big it is - I've visions of turning up to collect it and discovering that our camp stuff won't fit into it.....

Comments

[hsenag.livejournal.com]

Are you planning on driving it? If so, are they aware of your age and how long you've had your licence? (And be aware that many experienced drivers find driving something that size quite intimidating,
particularly because you have much worse all-round visibility than in a car.)

[karen2205]

No - I've no intention of driving it, and even I felt able to I can't because of the insurance - 4Rent won't let me drive it.

My Mum's driving it on the way out (she's been driving things much larger than this for a while now), and one of my adults will drive it on the way back.

[beckyc.livejournal.com]

For me, driving a transit isn't intimidating*. Driving a 7.5 tonne truck isn't intimidating. It's parking them and turning them round and backing them into narrow driveways with big walls that's intimidating.

*Well, not for more than about 5 minutes anyway. That's about the point that you realise that everyone is giving you a million miles of room.

[hsenag.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was those situations and getting through narrow streets that I was thinking of.

It did take me a little while to get used to the lack of rear vision, too.

[karen2205]

For me, driving a transit isn't intimidating*.

No - Transit sounds posivitely luxurious after a 7.5 tonne lorry! I'd be intimidated by the lack of internal mirror and by not being aware of how big I was - if that makes any sense, but I'm not driving it! I don't particularly like 7.5 tonne lorries for passenger comfort though - the radios don't work properly, the seats aren't particularly well designed - so it's squishy when you've got three people in the front, they're noisy and don't go very fast - just about getting up to 60 on the motorways....

It's parking them and turning them round and backing them into narrow driveways with big walls that's intimidating.

God yes! We got a tape measure out to check that the gates into the back of the shop were wide enough for the lorry to go in, and we found that there was plenty of room - then my Mum tried to reverse it in and couldn't, 'cos the road wasn't wide enough - you need space when dealing with a 7.5 tonne lorry.

[beingjdc.livejournal.com]

I think you need a special bit of license to rent something about 3500kg Gross Vehicle Weight. Transit must be close to that.

[karen2205]

Yep, unless you passed your (car) test before 1st January 1997, as my Mum did.

I nearly asked for provisional entitlement for HGVs and PCVs, but couldn't be bothered to go to my doctor for a medical report.

[beingjdc.livejournal.com]

As, in fact, did I. I want an HGV, to be honest.

[karen2205]

Umm why? They're slow, not particularly comfortable and difficult to park.

[beingjdc.livejournal.com]

I don't want to park it, I want to drive it. You can earn lots of money for driving. Look at the weather today. Lovely.

[beckyc.livejournal.com]

I don't know how much the situation has changed since I got my license (mid 1990s), but I only took the car driving test and I'm licensed to drive (and have driven) up to a 7.5 tonne laden weight non-articulated lorry, which is WAY bigger than a transit. And a minibus. But probably not at the same time.

[hsenag.livejournal.com]

People with newer licenses can only drive up to 3.5tonnes, and there are restrictions on the circumstances they can drive minibuses in. But getting something like a Luton is still no problem, AFAIK.

[karen2205]

<pedant>

a licence - the noun
to license - the verb

</pedant> ;-)

[hsenag.livejournal.com]

Sorry :-) I do know the difference, but I just didn't think.

[karen2205]

http://www.dvla.gov.uk/drivers/vehicle_cat_desc.htm explains it all - personally, I'm quite scared that I could go and drive a 3.5 tonne vehicle with eight passengers right now and I think the new rules are, in principle, much more sensible than the old ones.

That said, it's been very handy for my Mum that she passed her test so long ago.

[hsenag.livejournal.com]

Even a LWB (Long wheel base) Transit is miles away from the limit; you can get a Luton which will hold _much_ more and still be within the 3.5tonne limit (possibly unless you _really_ load it).