Summer in the North West can turn from grey drizzle to a proper heatwave inside a single week, and our van hire in Warrington sees plenty of customers who suddenly find that driving a hire van in hot weather brings a different set of considerations from the cold-weather driving most people plan for. We keep more than seventy vans on the road through the warmest months from our depot at Tilley Street, beside Asda at the Cockhedge centre, and anyone collecting a hire van in hot weather tends to ask the same sensible questions about staying safe and protecting a load. Whether you need a van for one sweltering afternoon or a longer summer booking, a little preparation makes the whole day far easier and more comfortable from collection to return.
How High Temperatures Change the Way a Van Drives
A loaded panel van behaves differently in heat than an empty car, and the larger the vehicle, the more those differences show. Our fleet is built around 3.5 tonne vans you can drive on an ordinary category B car licence, but a fully laden box still asks more of the tyres, the brakes and the cooling system than most drivers are used to in a smaller vehicle. Hot tarmac, a heavy load and a long run up the motorway is exactly the combination that finds any weakness, so the few minutes you spend looking over the van before you leave Warrington are worth more in July than at almost any other point in the year. Take it steadily for the first few miles while the van settles, give yourself more room to slow down, and remember that a hot, heavy vehicle simply needs a gentler hand than the car you usually drive.
Tyres deserve a proper check
Heat and under-inflation are an unhappy pairing, because warm air expands and a tyre that was already a little low works harder and runs hotter still. Before you set off, walk around the van and look for anything obviously soft or damaged, and keep your speed sensible on long motorway stretches where the surface bakes through the afternoon. A van that has been standing in full sun all morning will also have very hot internal surfaces and a warm cab, so it is worth opening the doors to let some of that trapped heat escape before you start loading anything that could be affected by it. A calm, unhurried check at the depot is always quicker than dealing with a problem at the roadside in the heat.
Keeping your load cool and protected
The cargo area of a van can become extremely warm when it is parked in direct sun, and that matters for plenty of summer loads. Anything that can melt, warp, wilt or spoil should be loaded last and unloaded first, and parked in shade during any stops where you can manage it. Plants, electronics, candles, certain foods and adhesives all suffer in a hot sealed box, so plan the order of your day so that the most heat-sensitive items spend the least possible time inside. A light-coloured blanket thrown over delicate items helps reflect some heat, and leaving a window cracked at the cab when it is safe to do so keeps the front from becoming unbearable on a long drive. Thinking the load through in advance saves a lot of bother later.
Choosing a van that suits a hot day
For longer summer journeys and bigger loads, our long wheelbase high roof van gives you height to keep tall items upright and room to spread a load so nothing is crushed against a hot side panel. The whole fleet stays within 3.5 tonnes and drives on a standard car licence, so you can step up to a larger, more comfortable vehicle for a hot-weather trip without needing anything beyond your ordinary entitlement. Picking a van with a little more space than you strictly need also means better airflow around the load and an easier, calmer drive, which is exactly what you want when the temperature climbs and the roads are busy with holiday traffic.
Routes, breaks and sensible timing
Long motorway runs in the heat are more tiring than they look, so build in breaks and carry water for yourself as well as planning for the load. Our guide to driving a hire van on the motorway covers the practical side of the bigger routes around the town, and the same common sense applies whether you are heading north, south or out toward the coast. Where you can, tackle the longest legs earlier in the day before the worst of the afternoon heat, and avoid sitting in slow traffic with a fully loaded van if a slightly later start would let it clear. Customers around Lymm van hire and the southern villages are only a short hop from the depot, which keeps the hottest part of any local job mercifully brief.
Booking your summer van
Booking ahead is the simplest way to secure the van you want on a busy summer day, and on selected vehicles a reservation made at least two weeks in advance qualifies for the advance discount shown on our van hire special offers page. We open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 4pm and close on Sundays, there is no deposit on most vehicles, and you simply bring your photocard licence and a DVLA check code at collection rather than a credit card. Leave your own car in our free secure parking while you are out, and take advantage of short or long term hire depending on how long the job runs. To talk through the right van for a hot-weather job, call our Warrington team on 01925 396 222.
