Whether you are hiring a complete removals service or just a man and van hire, the transport vehicle is the most neglected part of the move that a mover concerns themselves with. The most that people concern themselves with is that they let the house movers assess the property to be moved and send a vehicle accordingly. During the removals survey, they also gauge if they will require ramps and lifts and send vehicles equipped with those. Your moving crew will organize the loading of the boxes and other items in the moving van or truck as they have been trained. They have the required equipment and boxes to ensure that your items remain safe and secure in transit. Each moving company has a bevy of transport drivers that take care of the driving carefully aspect of the move. Not everyone with a driving license can drive a transport vehicle, not even you during your own move.What kind of qualifications do you look for in a removal vehicle driver?Since removal trucks are generally large, from 3.5 tonnes to 18 tonnes, you need an operator’s license to drive any of those, probably a National one will suffice for domestic removals. To obtain this license, a driver has to undergo special training course in transport management and pass the exam to get a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC). On obtaining a CPC, the applicant will have to apply to the Department of Transport for an Operator’s License where they have to provide proof of financially stability to operate goods vehicles, no previous convictions or traffic violations, maintenance contract with an authorized mechanic and other necessary paperwork. Any license provided will be initially probationary and subject to passing regular inspections at agreed intervals, after which they will be granted a full or limited license to operate.How to pick the right vehicle?This intensive selection procedure is imperative to ensure that the people on the road can enjoy safe traffic. Badly managed and driven lorries are especially harmful to the business and reputation of moving companies, since most of the vehicles they use are usually above 3.5 tonnes. Although some van and man companies might claim to carry out house removals, using them for a house move is seldom a good moving idea unless they have a fleet of larger vehicles or they are willing to provide a number of vans to move your entire belonging at once. Some man and van hires are shrewd though and will provide the unsuspecting mover with only one van on moving day and demand additional fees to employ more or do more than one trip. This makes the move more expensive for you.On the other hand, sometimes, hiring a small vehicle is probably a good idea, especially if you have to get them through narrow alleyways or driveways o on terrains that might be difficult for larger vehicles. Drivers of any vehicle above 3.5 tonnes will have to practice timed driving and thus take regular breaks; drivers of smaller vans do not have these restrictions and can drive for as long as they like. Under some conditions, hiring a smaller vehicle might prove to be an advantage. So the next time you are picking a removals service, be sure to check that they have the appropriately trained driver and a properly inspected vehicle, or better still, just pick one with a BAR or Guild affiliation which means that the accrediting body will already have run these checks for you and will probably be running them each year.