ADUK Archive

Hi everyone, new to here.
Im in a new job and one of my rolls is to be driving a van, i have never driven a van before, i have only driven small cars. The van is a transit, im a little concerned about reversing in tight spaces as there is no vision out the back and driving it generally, does anyone have any tips etc is there much difference in driving a van?
thanks in advance

WELCOME

lose the rear view mirror in your car and use only the side mirrors for reversing - no cheating and turning around!!

Has it got reversing sensors? You shouldn't rely in it of course but they are very useful. Remember vision left and right is also restricted in comparison with a car, so some T-junctions for instance, have to be approached with care and a little more planing to maintain a view.

Make sure you've read the highway code - in particular the speed limits for vans are different from cars:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTr ... /DG_070304

Obviously as you will be driving a van, it is important that you aware of the different rules for van drivers.
These are:
-Never use signals, especially on roundabouts.
-Remember that your stopping distance is 3 feet (at any speed)
-When entering a roundabout, always make sure there is a car in your right hand quarter that you can pull out in front of.
-White circular signs with a number and a red ring around them indicate a minimum speed limit.
-Seatbelts must never be worn.
-It is obligatory to make at least 4 phone calls per every hour of driving, whilst on the move... of course!

If you're going to be reversing into a bay, have a good look into it when you drive past to check for potential problems first. Use the side mirrors to check your position and watch for pedestrians etc that may come into conflict. If you're unsure, get a passenger to hop out and take a look - if you're on your own, don't be afraid to get out and have a look yourself. Better to do that than hit something.

I guess with experience you can also judge how long your van is compared to other cars, and then when you reverse into a bay you can judge how far back you are by how much your van is sticking out compared to the adjacent cars. Reversing into other tight spaces is similar once you can judge the depth of the space and how that relates to you.

Place something on the ground in line with the back of the van. Then get in the cab and line the object up with a point on the bodywork (normally the rear wheel arch or mud flap) and that indicates the back of the van. Repeat for the other side. As long as you put the seat in roughly the same position each time, accuracy should be within an inch or two - even for a HGV. The longer the vehicle, the less the seat position matters.

Be careful when reversing up to cars as your attention is naturally drawn to the tyres of the car, forgetting about the body protruding closer to the rear of the van. If you're towing, then any 'kink' in the tractor/trailer will bring you closer to the back of the trailer, so you need to leave extra room for that.

Make sure to clear up the pavement of obstructions if you plan to do a parallel park, as the back of the van will be over the pavement when the rear wheel is near the curb. You will not be able to see bollards or lampposts. You'll just hear the crunch!

Check you nearside mirror as you pass obstructions to check that you left enough room. Focussing your vision on the inside mirror on a turn (instead of forwards) will ensure that you don't put a gash down the side. If you find the gap closing rapidly then you will have enough time to centre the steering and stop before you make contact.

Be aware that your braking distance will vary dramatically with the load of the van. It is incredibly easy take 2-3 lengths to stop on a slight incline in the damp, even at speeds around 20mph. The golden rule of 'adjusting the speed to be able to stop on your side of the road, in the distance you can see to be clear', actually means that a white van man should almost always be going slower than a car. A van may have more vision, but it takes longer to stop.

I've been driving large vans/trailers for three years without incident - often down streets that I wouldn't take my car down. The above advice works great.