Choosing the Right Delivery Vehicle
Managing a delivery business isn’t an easy process. Especially when you consider the amount of work needed for the whole thing to function correctly. There are numerous tasks that managers tackle daily. However, some decisions directly impact the quality of the service your business tends to provide. One of them is choosing the right delivery vehicle.
So if you aren’t sure which delivery vehicle to choose and need some on the best types before you make the actual decision, consider reading the following text.
1. Box Trucks
Box trucks are among the first choices when it comes to delivery vehicles. They are often referred to as cube trucks because of their dimensions. Recent surveys state they are used for all sorts of services, including moving, retail, catering, etc. Consider choosing a box truck as the right delivery vehicle if you deal with furniture or similar (bulky) items.
Benefits: Luckily, box trucks come in multiple types and can vary in size.
Typical box trucks are usually made by adding a cargo box on the basic (cabin) area. However, there is a door to connect both sites in some cases. That makes the truck more accessible from the driver’s perspective. The main benefit of choosing the box truck is that these vehicles can carry a pretty heavy load while getting around extremely narrow streets and neighborhoods. Also, the aforementioned rear door is usually made as a roll-up door providing high accessibility to the cargo even when transporting heavy (retail) items. If you are worried about loading the cargo into the box truck, consider using a hydraulic lift.
Downsides: The most often downsides if you opt-out of using a Box truck is that the rear visibility can be quite problematic, especially if you overload. Fortunately, you can boost the visibility by using additional mirrors and a solid driving experience.
Also, choosing a big Box truck can result in several inconveniences, including decreased visibility (even for solid drivers) and pretty high fuel consumption.
2.Cargo Vans
Cargo Vans hold second place on this list when it comes to choosing the right kind of delivery vehicle. Somewhat, cargo vans are way smaller than box trucks. User reviews state that cargo vans are great for transporting small-to-medium boxes and packages.
Benefits:
Luckily, these vans have both rear and side doors, making it much easier to approach the area that holds cargo.
Like every vehicle, they can vary in size depending on the type of delivery service ranging from relatively small, compact, and larger trucks.
Cargo vans are far easier for driving than box trucks offering way more versatility and accessibility.
Downsides:
Unfortunately, like always, there are downsides if you choose a Cargo Van for the delivery of your services. According to user reviews, the most mentioned downside is considering its ergonomic, meaning that loading or unloading cargo to it will require more bending and bowing.
We don’t recommend choosing a Cargo Van for certain retail services since it can be pretty impractical here.
3.Multi-Stop Truck
If you are new to the term, the multi-stop truck is often called a step van ( another frequent term is the walk-in truck). Those who indulge in regular deliveries, significantly larger parcels should consider choosing the multi-stop truck. For instance, one of the companies that use it is Fed-Ex. But, don’t be fooled; even smaller companies can benefit from choosing the vehicle mentioned above.
Benefits: The main benefit of Multi-stop trucks is the driver’s seat position, which is exceptionally comfortable, spacious, and highly convertible. Also, the driver can easily access the cargo area from multiple positions, including the rear and the driver’s seat.
If you are wondering why it is one of its synonyms, the step van comes from the lower position of the entire vehicle (lower to the ground).
Downsides: Fortunately, there aren’t many downsides. The main one is similar to the box trucks and revolves around being quite tight, especially in smaller areas with some visibility issues ( if you overload it).
4.Light Duty
Light-duty trucks or pick-up trucks are commonly used for transporting parcels (as the name says) of lighter weight with a maximum of two tons.
User reviews state that smaller retail companies usually use light-duty trucks.
Benefits: Light duty trucks are extremely easy to maneuver, especially when compared to other types of vehicles. They don’t burn as much fuel as other options on the list, making them the most economical choice.
Downsides: In comparison to other options, light-duty trucks don’t hold that much space. Since they usually come with an open bed, it’s not appropriate for voluminous or large cargo. Without a cover, it can be pretty impractical.
Choosing the Right One
The most common choice when it comes to choosing the right delivery vehicle for your service includes a couple of options:
- Box Trucks
- Cargo Vans
- Multi-stop Truck
- Light Duty Truck
So, which one to choose? Make a choice according to the type of service you offer.
- If you are a moving (or even a retail) service, Box Trucks are a reasonably good choice since they are very spacious and easy to approach considering loading and unloading the parcels or furniture.
- For those of you that plan on transporting small to medium-sized parcels, we recommend opting out for Cargo Vans as they provide a decent amount of space and high accessibility.
- Multi-stop trucks are used chiefly for frequent delivery services, especially since their models are specially designed with maximum comfortability for the driver and easy accessibility from two positions, including the rear and driver’s seat.
- In addition, parking should be very easy too mainly because of its size and dimensions.
- Light-duty trucks, as the name says, are great if you are in business with transporting smaller parcels; they don’t use up too much fuel and will be reasonably easy to maneuver (which is highly beneficial for inexperienced drivers).
In any case, choose according to your own needs and preferences. Be sure to check out this list of benefits and downsides on every option before making the actual choice. For any help with choosing the right delivery vehicle or how to choose the best trucking service, contact A1 Delivery Service.