So you’re wanting to get a brand new (or used) truck, but
you’re not really sure where to start.
When it comes to ordering the truck you need, it is
imperative that you make sure you have the right information. What are you
hauling? How will you be loading it? Who will be driving it?
These are just a few of the questions that can save you a
lot of trouble with your medium-duty box truck (also known as “dry van” or “dry
freight” trucks). .
You don’t want to get the truck then find out the truck sits
too low, the body is too short or too long, or the chassis is too light — these
are just a few examples of where specs can go wrong.
How can fleet managers reduce their risk of error when
spec’ing and ordering medium-duty box trucks? Here’s a few things to keep in
mind:
1. What will you be hauling?
Haven’t thought about the importance
of what is you’ll be hauling?
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Often, we‘ll have a customer call
or come in and say that he needs a 24-foot box truck. But, it’s one thing if
you’re hauling boxes of plastic beverage cups; it’s another thing if the truck
will carry pallets of heavy stone or lead bars. The type of cargo could mean
that you have to go higher with the GVW of the truck.
What you’ll be hauling can also
determine what type of floor you need, rear door type, and chassis wheel size.
So always keep in mind what you’ll be hauling.
2. Selecting the Correct Chassis
The objective is to achieve a
balance between required cargo space and weight.
You can put a large body on a
26,000-lb GVW Isuzu FTR chassis to make room for more cargo, but if the
content is heavy, you’ll max out on weight before you run out of space. So,
required space shouldn’t be the only deciding factor. You need to make sure
the chassis is compatible with cargo weight at full load.
FYI
GVW
UD 1200 – 12,000-lb
UD 1400 – 14,000-lb
Isuzu NPR – 14,000-lb
Isuzu NQR – 17,500-lb
Isuzu FRR – 19,500-lb
Isuzu FTR – 25,950-lb
3.
Match your truck with your driver
Any truck with GVW over 26,000-lb
requires a CDL driver. If the intended driver doesn’t have a CDL, this could
create all kind of unexpected hassles for you. These heavier trucks will also
need DOT inspections, health card inspections and a wrecker log will be
required.
Make sure this is the size you
need and are ready for before assuming weight doesn’t matter.
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4. Matching Chassis & Box
Lengths
Mismatched chassis and box lengths can
create havoc on a driver and fleet manager. Too long a box will overload the
truck even when it’s empty, and will make turning around much more cumbersome.
If a box is too big and is mounted without rolling the rear axle back, the weight distribution will be wrong. So your front wheels get light and you start wearing out tires. The tires start cupping. We buy used trucks and it’s amazing — we see trucks like this come in all the time.
Fleet managers purchasing box truck should
confirm that the chassis cab-to-axle (CA) or wheelbase length can safely
accommodate the length of the body to be mounted. One way to verify this is by
contacting the body’s original equipment manufacturer (OEM).
As a general rule, NPR and NQR carry
12-16 foot boxes, anything over 16 foot overloads the truck, even empty.
5. Evaluate Workspace
Fleet managers should always
consider any potential clearance issues in areas where the truck will be
loading and unloading.
The overall height is not always thought of in regard to low ceiling warehouses with low-hanging conduits. But, this can create major productivity issues if not taken into account.
Will you be working in tight or open
workspaces? Flat noses keep the truck shorter, but longer nose trucks are safer
to drive. This can be a very important decision.
If you are working wrecks, for
example, a flat nose would be a better choice because you don’t want your nose
sticking out any further than it has too, shutting down more road or another
lane.
6. Interior Lighting
Fleet managers must know when goods
will be delivered.
If you deliver primarily at night, we need to make sure you have proper lighting inside the box. But, if you deliver during the day, a translucent roof is useful to allow natural light into the box.
Without proper lighting inside the box, it may take employees longer to find cargo for a specific delivery, which can slow down the job.
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7. Floor Type
Floor selection can make a big difference
when ordering a medium-duty box truck. This, once again, will have to do with
what it is you’ll be hauling. If you’ll be hauling any liquid or food item –
you won’t want to get trucks with hardwood floors. Liquid can ruin a hardwood
floor, and after a couple weeks hauling food, the floors will be nasty with
dropped food. If you soak the hardwood to clean it but don’t dry it completely,
you’re going to end up with a rotten floor.
8.
Automatic or Manual
When selecting a medium-duty box
truck, really think about the pros and cons of automatic vs. manual. This is
something you might think doesn’t matter, but in the long run the driver will
be much happier with the appropriate, well-thought-out choice.
An automatic would be better if you’ll
be dealing with a lot of stop and go, for example if you’ll be driving in the
city. But a manual will be better for the more strenuous operations such as
construction sites with heavy loads and confined spaces.
Keep in mind what will keep your
driver happy.
9. Selecting Specs for Efficient
Dock Delivery
If the truck is intended for loading
and unloading at a dock, this impacts three key areas of specification:
Rear door type. Are you going to deliver the goods dock-high? If yes, a roll-up rear door (versus swing-out door) is the most viable and efficient option because if you use a swing-out door, when the driver backs up to the dock, he can’t open the doors.
Chassis wheel size. Light GVW trucks with boxes usually have small (19.5-inch) tires and sit lower to the ground at the back of the body, which makes it too low for dock loading and unloading.
Forklift package. If a forklift will be used, which requires the truck be dock-high, this typically requires a Class 6 or larger truck with 22.5-inch wheels and tires. Choose the tire size that offers the best load height for your application. If a forklift will be used to load cargo onto the truck from a dock, spec a forklift package. This will reinforce the floor with added crossmembers, a threshold plate, and reinforced rear-end plate.
The
Bottom Line
By keeping in mind these nine things,
fleet managers can greatly improve the odds of appropriately spec’ing a box
truck and eliminating unpleasant surprises, maximizing employee productivity,
and ensuring the lowest total cost of ownership.
Questions to Answer When Specifying Box Trucks
The following 12 questions should be answered before placing an order:➊ What products or materials are being hauled?
➋ How much do the materials weigh?
➌ How will the product be loaded and unloaded from the body?
➍ What are the length, width, and height requirements of the body?
➎ Do you need interior lining for the body?
➏ How will cargo be secured in the body?
➐ Is a side door needed?
➑ Will the body be hand-loaded and unloaded?
➒ Will a forklift be used to load and unload?
➓ Is a special type of bumper required for the body?
➓ Is more natural light needed inside the body?
➋ What other lighting needs are required for the body?
Source: Supreme Corporation
Types of Floors for Box Trucks
There are four typical floor options to consider with box bodies. These include, but are not limited to:■ The lowest-cost option, pine floor can handle most light-duty, dry-freight applications; however, it is not recommended for heavy-duty use. Using a forklift on pine flooring is not a good fit.
■ Laminate hardwood is an upgrade to the pine floor and designed for heavier-duty applications.
■ Extra floor protection is provided by aluminum (overlaid on wood), especially important if the vehicle is carrying liquids that might spill onto the floors. Also, the aluminum counteracts corrosion for greater longevity. The downside is higher up-front cost, compared to other floor options.
■ Like aluminum, the steel floor (overlaid on wood) offers extra protection compared to pine and hardwood, but at a lower cost than aluminum. The downside is the steel floor must be painted, unlike aluminum, and is vulnerable to corrosion.
