Falkirk occupies an interesting geographical and logistical predicament. Being so near both Edinburgh and Glasgow means locals and outsiders alike forget it's an independent town in its own right with its own logistics difficulties. Whether you're house moving, lugging goods to a market stall, or shifting a piece of furniture across the Forth – eventually, you'll need a van you don't necessarily own, enterprise van hire prices.
This is something nobody warns you about until it's too late: price on van hire in Falkirk and the surrounding area can vary wildly from day to day. Hiring a van at the weekend will obviously be harder to get, but midweek, when demand is considerably less, taking off a Tuesday is more likely to get you a considerably cheaper deal on the exact same vehicle at the local outfitter to Callendar Park and environs.
Size turns out to be a much bigger problem than people expect. A short-wheelbase van always seems okay until the 32-piece pine fitted wardrobe isn't quite fitting through the back of it, and you find yourself doing several passes at various angles, in the summer, getting rather hot under the collar. Actually measure your load and then measure it again. Measure it again and then add a chunk – nobody's boxes ever fit together the way you expect.
Needless to say, on average, local companies know the local roads far better than one of the multinational chains. Falkirk's town centre one-way system will almost always catch out somebody who isn't familiar with the area – just ask any local hire operator and they'll have a story about someone accidentally winding up in Bonnybridge or even all the way up to Bo'ness.
Insurance is undoubtedly the thing to pay a bit extra for and regret later. An "excess" will eventually be paid to a large extent over a bumped wing mirror from a narrow gap in an IKEA or other car park – a few quid here will more than cover this.
The fuel policy should also be checked, since it differs between firms. Ask before you drive off and have it back on the agreed fuel level: be it refilled, or charged a standard fee to do it.
Weather, for a lot of people in Scotland, factors heavily into rental choices – Scottish rain does not care if the van is hired on or around a designated house move day – especially not what condition the interior might end up in from any dampness that gets in, especially not something as basic as tyre grip or clear visibility on either its windows or side mirrors in foul conditions.