Falkirk finds itself in an interesting logistical and geographical predicament. It's close enough to both Edinburgh and Glasgow that locals and outsiders alike forget it's an independent town in its own right with its own logistics difficulties. Whether you're moving house, carting goods to a stall, or shifting a piece of furniture across the Forth – at some point, you'll need a van you don't necessarily own, www.centralscotlandvehiclehire.co.uk/.
This is one of the things nobody ever tells you before it's too late: price on van hire in the Falkirk and surrounding area can swing considerably from day to day. Weekend hire of any van will obviously be harder to get, but when, during the middle of the week demand is considerably less, booking a Tuesday off is more likely to get you a far better deal on the exact same vehicle at the local outfitter to Callendar Park and the surrounding area.
For many, size is a far bigger issue than they anticipated. A short-wheelbase van always looks fine until the flat-pack pine wardrobe isn't quite fitting through the back of it, and you find yourself doing half a dozen attempts at various angles, in the summer, becoming rather flushed. Take real measurements of your load and then measure it again. Check it a third time and add some extra room – 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 big national chains. Falkirk's town centre one-way system will almost always catch out a driver who doesn't know the layout – 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 be glad you sorted properly. An "excess" will often get charged to a large extent because of a scraped wing mirror from a narrow gap in an IKEA or other car park – spending a little extra here will more than cover this.
Fuel policy should also be flagged, since it varies a lot. Check before you set off and return it at the required usage: whether that means refilling it yourself or paying a flat fee for them to do it.
Weather, for a lot of people in Scotland, factors heavily into rental choices – Scottish rain won't wait to check whether the van is hired on or around a planned moving day – nor does it care about what condition the internal finish might end up in in terms of any moisture retained, especially not something as basic as road grip or clear windows and mirrors in foul conditions.