Are you looking to buy a new van for your business? If so, then you will no doubt have seen that there is a huge choice of commercial vehicles on the market these days. Vans come in all different shapes, sizes and body styles.
You can usually buy them direct from commercial vehicle dealers, even if the ones with specialist body styles have been converted elsewhere. Here is a handy guide to help you choose the right van for your specific needs!
Panel vans
A panel van is the most common type of van that you will see on the streets of Britain. You can tell that a van is classed as a panel van as it will have a flat loading bay, two doors at the back, and blank panels where windows would normally be on the sides if it were a people carrier rather than a van.
There is a whole host of different types of panel van that you can purchase, such as short, medium and long wheelbase and extra-high versions. You can buy panel vans from pretty much all commercial vehicle dealers, such as vanwisegroup.com.
Luton vans
Sometimes known as ‘box vans’, Luton vans are so named because this design of van was initially developed by a haulage firm in Luton, Bedfordshire. Luton vans are much more versatile than panel vans because they can carry bulkier items, and are often utilised by removal companies.
Luton vans generally have a basic cab and chassis setup, and have what is essentially a tall ‘cube’ in the cargo bay area. It is worth bearing in mind that box vans don’t have a cargo area placed above the cab like Luton vans do.
These types of van are much wider than panel vans, and although the cargo bay area is equally flat across the wheel arches, they are usually higher up than panel vans. And, unlike panel vans, you cannot access the cargo bay area from the side, only from the back.
Flatbed trucks and pickup trucks
Similar in size to Luton vans and box vans, flatbed trucks and pickup trucks don’t have a covered cargo bay area.
They tend to be used by construction companies, or for carrying any type of cargo that does not need the security and weather protection of other vans. Flatbed trucks and pickup trucks are generally much cheaper than Luton vans and box vans.
Crew cab (double cab) vans and trucks
Finally, there are crew cab versions of all of these vans and trucks available, and are extremely useful when you need to carry extra passengers.
For example, if you run a removals firm and you need several people at a customer’s premises, it’s easier to transport everyone in a crew cab commercial vehicle than in separate vans or cars.
I hope you have found this blog post on the different types of van and commercial vehicle available to buy, if you have any other suggestions for van buyers on the types of van to look out for, do post up in the comments section below!
