The moment a delivery run repeats, buying it on the spot market every week becomes the expensive option. Ad hoc rates flex with demand, availability is never guaranteed on the day you need it most, and a different driver arrives each time who does not know your site, your paperwork or which door to use.
A scheduled contract fixes all three. The vehicle and driver are committed to your days and your shifts, the rate is agreed in advance so it does not move with the market, and the same driver runs the work often enough to learn it properly. That last part is where most of the value hides: a driver who knows your customers, your access codes and your loading sequence fails far fewer deliveries than one meeting them for the first time.
Compared with running your own van it removes the parts that are nobody's core business: purchase or lease, insurance, servicing and MOT, tyres, recruitment, holiday cover, sickness cover and the compliance that goes with employing a driver. You keep the capacity and we keep the overhead.
What you get
- Van and driver committed to agreed days or shifts
- Fixed rate per day, per shift or per route
- Consistent driver, with named cover who also knows the work
- Holiday, sickness and breakdown cover included
- Vehicle liveried in your branding on longer contracts
- Trial period before any term commitment
- Named planning contact for daily changes
- Scheduled review against what actually happens on the road
How a job runs
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Map the real requirement
We look at the actual movements, days, volumes and windows rather than the headline description of the job.
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Propose the resource
Vehicle type, shift pattern and driver allocation, and we say plainly where a shared vehicle would serve you better than a dedicated one.
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Trial before committing
We run the pattern for an agreed trial so both sides see the real timings before anyone signs a term contract.
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Run and review
Once live we review the plan against reality and adjust the resource rather than quietly absorbing the drift.
Often needed alongside this
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Multi Drop Delivery
Twenty drops in a day on one vehicle costs a fraction of twenty separate deliveries. The saving is in the routing, and the routing is our job.
Read more -
Dedicated Van Delivery
The whole vehicle, for your consignment only. No hub, no sortation, no other customer's freight stacked on top of yours.
Read more -
Dedicated HGV Contracts and Shuttle Runs
Committed HGV capacity on agreed days at agreed times. The certainty of running your own fleet without the acquisition, maintenance and compliance overhead.
Read more
Scheduled Van Contracts: common questions
What is the minimum contract length?
We would rather start with a short trial than tie you in before either side knows the pattern works. Longer commitments do reduce the rate, because guaranteed volume lets us plan drivers and vehicles against it.
Will it always be the same driver?
That is the point of a contract, so yes, with named cover drivers who also know the route for holidays and sickness. Continuity is most of the value rather than a bonus on top.
Can the van carry our livery?
On longer contracts, yes. Livery application and reinstatement at the end of the contract are agreed up front so there is no surprise on the final invoice.
How does this compare with leasing a van and hiring a driver?
Cheaper than you might expect once you count the whole picture: lease, insurance, servicing, tyres, MOT, recruitment, holiday and sick cover, and the management time. It is also reversible, which buying a van and employing someone is not.
Get a price for scheduled van contracts
Two postcodes and a date is enough to price most jobs. For anything urgent, phone us: it is faster than a form.
- One fixed price covering vehicle, driver, fuel and insurance
- No fuel surcharge added after the fact
- An honest view on whether a cheaper option suits you better
- No minimum volume and no contract required
Urgent? Call 07546 614442