My van has broken down and I have a load to deliver
Do not drive it
Deal with the load as a separate problem from the van, and ring your customer before they ring you. The van is your problem and the delivery is theirs, so a single honest call explaining the failure and the new plan protects the relationship far better than silence. Practically you have three options: a same-day courier to take the load on, secure storage overnight if it cannot travel today, or a hire van so you complete the round yourself. Check your goods-in-transit cover before you hand anything to anyone.
Most likely causes, and what they cost
UK prices at an independent garage for a van up to 3.5 tonnes. Ranges, because anyone quoting a single figure before looking at your van is guessing.
| Cause | How you can tell | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
| The load has a hard deadline today | A wedding, a site, a shop opening, a customer who booked the day off work. | A dedicated same-day courier is priced per mile with a minimum charge, and a premium for two people or a tail lift. |
| The load can wait but cannot stay in the van | The van is being recovered to a yard and your insurance will not cover goods left in it unattended. | Short-term secure storage is commonly £10 to £35 a week for a small unit or a few pallets. |
| You have a full day of drops still booked | It is not one delivery, it is a round, and the van is off the road for a day or more. | A hire van is commonly £45 to £130 a day by size, which is almost always cheaper than losing the day. |
| The load is high value or specialist | Tools, stock, electronics, anything that needs two people, straps, blankets or a tail lift. | Expect a premium for a dedicated run and check the courier goods-in-transit limit against your load value. |
Check these first, they are free
- Ring the customer now with the new plan and a time. Do not wait until you have solved it.
- Photograph the load as it sits, before anyone moves it. This settles any later argument about damage.
- Check your goods-in-transit policy for what happens the moment the load leaves your van or enters third-party storage.
- Work out whether the real answer is a courier, a hire van, or both. A full round is usually a hire van.
- Keep every receipt. Recovery, hire, courier and storage after a breakdown are frequently reclaimable against cover or tax.
What kind of help you need
Onward transport
The van is out of action but the load still has a deadline. A wedding, a site, a shop opening, a customer who has booked the day off work. The van is your problem. The delivery is their problem, and they will remember how you handled it far longer than they will remember that you broke down.
Cost: A dedicated same-day courier is priced per mile on a point-to-point basis, usually with a minimum charge, and a small van run tends to work out cheaper per mile over distance than a short hop. Expect a premium for a two-person job, a tail lift, or anything out of hours.
Same-day van hire
The repair will take a day or more and there is work in the diary you cannot afford to drop. This is the step most people forget in the panic, and it is usually the one that saves the most money, because a lost day of work and a let-down customer costs far more than a day rate.
Cost: A short-wheelbase van is commonly £45 to £80 a day, a long-wheelbase or Luton £70 to £130, with a deposit held on a card and a mileage cap on top. Same-day and one-day hires carry the worst rates, so if the repair may run on, ask the weekly rate, which is often barely more than three days.
Somewhere to put the load
The load cannot stay in a van that is being recovered, cannot be delivered today, and cannot sit on a verge. Common for tools, stock, high-value kit, or anything an insurer will stop covering the moment the van is unattended in a yard.
Cost: Short-term secure storage is usually sold by the week rather than the night, and a small unit or a few pallets is commonly £10 to £35 a week. A single overnight is often arranged as a favour at a yard rate, which is why it pays to ring rather than book online.
Recovery and towing
The van cannot be driven safely, or you are somewhere you must not stay: a live lane, a blind bend, a slip road, or a motorway with no hard shoulder.
Cost: If you have breakdown cover with recovery, this is usually included. Without cover, a local pay-on-the-day recovery is commonly £90 to £200 for a short tow, and motorway or out-of-hours jobs cost more. Long-distance recovery is normally charged per mile on top.
Questions people ask
Will my insurance cover tools and stock left in a recovered van?
Often not. Many trade policies cover tools and stock in a locked van overnight but exclude a vehicle left in a third-party yard, or limit it to a low figure. Ask the specific question before the recovery truck leaves, and if the answer is no, get the load out before the van goes.
Is a courier cheaper than hiring a van for the day?
For one delivery, usually yes. For a round of drops, almost always no, because a courier prices each leg while a hire van covers the whole day. If you have more than two or three remaining drops, price the hire van first.
Can a courier collect from the roadside or a recovery yard?
Many will, but you have to ask, because a lot of same-day work assumes a depot or an address with access. Say exactly where the load is and whether there is anyone there to help load it, before you book.
Where are you?
Put your postcode into the console on the home page and we will give you the safety steps for where you are standing, verified van-capable garages near you, and the rest of the options.
This page is general guidance for working vans, not a diagnosis of your vehicle. Costs are typical UK ranges and will vary by van, area and garage. If anyone is in danger, ring 999.