This depends on what categories are on your driving licence. Everybody should have the entitlement to drive vehicles up to 3500kg GVW with up to 8 passenger seats apart from those holding a provisional licence. If you want to hire a 7.5ton Truck, you must hold category C1 on your licence. If you passed your driving test before January 1997, you may already have group C1 on your licence but please check before booking your vehicle.
Some common categories include;
Yes. If you have a UK licence and your driving licence number, we can obtain your details over the phone from the DVLA. It is very important that you have a document with your Licence number displayed as this is the only information the DVLA will not give out over the phone, a photocopy of your licence will suffice. Please note a £3.00 charge applies for this service. The DVLA will need to speak to you first and will ask for your permission to give us any licence information so you will need to do this at our office during opening hours. Please note that the DVLA licence check line is open from 0800 hrs to 1900 hrs Monday to Friday, 0800 hrs to 1730 hrs on Saturdays and closed on Sundays, so if you are hiring on a Sunday and need us to carry out a licence check you will have to come in prior to this.
From the 8th June 2015, you can use the new DVLA licence checking service on the DVLA website. The DVLA will issue you an access code which can be used by us to check for any points or endorsements. To obtain a check code you will require your driving licence and your National Insurance number. You can also obtain licence information by calling the DVLA on 0300 083 0013.
EU, Commonwealth, and North American licences are normally acceptable, but we may have to check licences issued in other countries with our insurers first. If you hold a foreign licence and are living in the UK, you must be able to provide a current UK address. If you are a foreign visitor, you must be able to provide details of your current accommodation. The minimum age for overseas drivers is 25 and you must have a current UK address.
All of our prices include insurance and our standard excess is £1000 on all vehicles. You will be liable for damage repair costs up to £1000 for all vehicles unless you opt for Collision Damage Waiver.
Of course, any excess is refunded if we recover the accident costs from a third party, and if the damage amounts to less than the excess, you will only be charged for the actual cost of repairs.
You do have the option to reduce your excess liability using Collision Damage Waiver.
Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) is a chargeable option that you can pay in order to reduce the amount of the insurance excess that you are liable for. We normally include a base level CDW in the price we quote which reduces your excess liability to £1000. You can opt not to take it, but you will be asked for a larger security excess, typically £1000, depending on your licence endorsements. This security excess is your liability in the event of any damage.
We offer two levels of CDW as highlighted below;
Standard CDW - This option costs £5 per day and reduces your excess liability to £500 on all vehicles.
Premium CDW - This option costs £10 per day and reduces your excess liability to £250 on all vehicles. It also removes any liability for windscreen stone chips and tyre punctures.
There are a number of circumstances where you will be liable for the full cost of repairs. These include;
In addition to the above, any additional damage caused by operating a vehicle with a fault would not be covered by CDW and you could be liable for the full excess. For example, if you realise you have used the wrong fuel but continue to drive the vehicle, any additional damage caused would be your responsibility. If the vehicle develops a fault we would ask you to contact us immediately so we can assess the situation and arrange breakdown recovery if required. This will help us prevent additional vehicle damage from occurring.
Loss or damage to anything being transported is not covered by our insurance. Your home contents insurance may cover personal items being carried, but we suggest you check this beforehand.
Yes but it is usually only corporate hirers who are able to cover vehicles on their own insurance. Any cover must be fully comprehensive and valid for the type of vehicle hired. We must also have a copy of your insurance certificate. Please contact us for more details.
Operators of vehicles over 3500kg GVW or with more than 9 seats need to hold an Operator’s Licence if the vehicle is being used for business purposes (hire or reward). If, for example, you are moving personal effects or family members you do not require an Operator’s licence. However, if you are transporting goods or passengers in connection with a business, or you’re being paid for doing it, you will need to talk to VOSA about obtaining an Operator’s licence. We will need to see a copy of your Operator's licence before you can hire a vehicle from us.
If you are using a 7.5ton vehicle for business purposes you are also required to use a tachograph. Most of our 7.5ton vehicles use a digital tachograph which requires a driver’s card; however, we do have several 7.5ton vehicles that still use the analogue tachograph system. Please let us know which tachograph system you require, digital or analogue, at the time of booking and we will do our best to help.