Terms

Quoted prices

All prices are quoted excluding VAT, which is charged at the prevailing rate. Online quotes are estimates until we confirm the job. The headline price is for a route that avoids optional toll roads. All tolls and charges are passed on at cost. Where our calculator detects them, unavoidable charges — the London Congestion Charge, the Oxford Zero Emission Zone (the council rate of £4 per day for a Euro 6 van) and any unavoidable crossings — are shown as separate lines in the total before you book. Optional toll roads (for example the M6 Toll, and, where a toll-free alternative is available, Dartford, Mersey and Humber) can be chosen separately and are then added at cost. Any remote-area charge is also shown as a separate line. Total includes any unavoidable congestion/clean-air charges and crossings at cost. Waiting time is only charged if it is incurred, at the rates in the schedule below, so it is not included in the quote total. Extra drops are charged as stated on the quote. If you tell us the driver will need to load or unload by hand, a hand-balling charge is added as a line in the total before you book. London ULEZ and English Clean Air Zone charges are assumed to be £0 for a Euro 6 diesel (or Euro 4 petrol) van; if a non-compliant vehicle is used, those charges may be passed through at cost. Tolls, congestion and parking not detected by the calculator may still be confirmed before booking.

Waiting time, hand-balling and cancellation

All figures below exclude VAT. These charges reflect the cost of the driver’s time and the work a late cancellation or failed job actually causes; they are not a penalty.

Waiting time

Each collection and each delivery includes 15 minutes free for loading or unloading (30 minutes free for both Luton vans). After that, waiting is charged per 15 minutes (or part of it) at the rates below. We only charge the time after the free 15 minutes, not the free period itself. Waiting is only charged if it is incurred, so it is not added to the quote total.

Hand-balling

For both Luton vans, hand-balling is replaced by a loading/unloading charge at each end (collection and each delivery): £30 for the Luton with tail lift (3.5 tonne) and £15 for the Luton curtain-side (3.5 tonne), excluding VAT. It applies even if there is no waiting, with no free time, and loose items or boxes are charged the same.

For other vans, if the driver needs to load or unload by hand — for example loose or non-palletised goods, or where there is no forklift, loading dock or other help at the site — a hand-balling charge applies at each end where that help is needed. Kerbside handover, where you or the site do the loading and unloading, is included in the quote. We ask this when you get a quote for an SWB van or larger, and we include the charge in the total before you book. We do not offer or charge hand-balling on small vans. If the work takes more than the free 15 minutes, waiting time is also charged. If hand-balling was not selected when you booked but is needed on site, we will tell you the charge from this schedule and get your agreement before the driver starts.

Cancellation and failed collection

You can cancel by phone or email. The charge depends on when you cancel:

For pre-booked jobs, cancelling more than 24 hours before the collection time is free, provided a vehicle has not already been assigned. Once a vehicle has been assigned, the table above applies.