Man with a Van

You have probably heard of ‘Man with a Van’, after all it is a quintessential ‘Britishism’! But what really is a Man with a Van and what services do they offer? Below, we will answer these very questions and provide you a directory of companies offering these services. From Kent to Lancashire, Somerset to Northumberland, we have each region of the UK covered, so you can rest assured you can find the service you require.

So what is a Man with a Van?

The majority of Man with a Van tend to be one person operations, one-man bands with literally one man or one woman offering removal services, most likely at a local level.

This differs from removal companies mainly on size of the vehicles and size of the fleet. Removal companies tend to be larger operations, with some offering national coverage (see our page ‘Removal Companies’ for more information).

OK, so why choose a Man with a Van?

There are several reasons to pick a Man with a Van over a removal company, namely:

• They cater for small jobs
• They are often more available at short notice
• They are cheaper (there are no large overheads, only the cost of the van, the person, fuel and insurance)

And what about the services they cover?

A Man with a Van will be able to help with all sorts of smaller removals or deliveries and as they have experience, they will be able to help ensure your items are moved safely and at low cost. The typical services they will cover day in day out include:

• Business deliveries
• Smaller house removals
• Smaller office relocations
• Student moves
• Furniture pick up/moves such a for a sofa

Sounds great, is there anything I should look out for when selecting a Man with a Van?

When selecting a provider, it is always sensible to do some due diligence. Check for reviews on Google, or independent sites and most importantly, check that they have the relevant insurances to ensure your property is covered in the event of the worst-case scenario. The Logisto Directory has recently implemented a ‘verified’ feature, where we have spoken with the supplier directly to ensure all is well. See our FAQ for more information on verified suppliers.

What’s new in this space?

Recently a new type of ‘Man with a Van’ meets courier service has come to the market, one that focusses on the use of technology to match excess capacity in the market or available drivers with those that need help moving or delivering an item.

They can sometimes be better value than your traditional removals or couriers as they match drivers with downtime who are free and willing to work at any given time.

A wellknown example that you may have heard of is ‘Anyvan’. However, there are many options, with different strengths and weaknesses and so we recommend that you check the LOGISTO Directory before you select a company.

As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to the LOGISTO team and we will be more than willing to help.

Thank you

LOGISTO team