'Van'Tastic
Walk-in vans are serious about P&D.
ED THOMAS
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Pickup & delivery operations involve stopping, starting, parking and a lot of jumping in and out for drivers. The best vehicle for this could well be the walk-in van. Its high cargo volume is obvious, but there's a lot more to it.
"Why a Stepvan?" asks Workhorse Custom Chassis Co. on its web site. "Because time is money." Drivers can get off their seats, step a few feet into the cargo area, grab what they need, then get out at curbside and make the delivery. Drivers stand upright because of the high roof, and have only a short step up or down when entering or leaving the vehicle. They can stay out of busy streets because full-size, fully opening doors lead into the box and to the sidewalk. Compare that to all the steps the driver of a regular cab-chassis/cargo-box truck must make.
The more stops the driver makes — and some make more than 200 a day — the more time he or she saves with the walk-in van. If a route involves 20 stops or more a day, it should be a walk-in van, according to Joe Snyder, commercial product manager at Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp., or FCCC. Aside from ease of moving around inside, the walk-in van''s short wheelbase and good forward and sideward visibility make it nimble, quick and safe.
Noise is sometimes an issue with these trucks, as engine rumblings are close to the driver and the vast expanses of metal paneling can "boom" at certain speeds and road conditions. Careful studies by industry associations have led to improvements in sound deadening and attention to details that greatly reduce racket for drivers.
This is something we talk about all the time, says Snyder. Depending on powertrain and body configuration, noise reduction packages are standard or optional from manufacturers. But the truck's intended duty requires use of a lot of metal, which adds to the challenge. The walk-in van is the only real working, beat-it-up truck left in the industry, he notes. It's the only type where the cab is treated like the cargo area. They want to stack things up front and on the engine cover, and they still expect it to last 15 or 20 years.
FCCC competes with Workhorse, Ford and International in this market. All compete against light- and medium-duty trucks of various types: traditional cargo or panel vans, cutaway van- chassis, and cab-chassis with conventional or low-cab-forward (also called low-cabover) cab designs. Walk-in vans cost somewhat more than panel vans and about the same or more than cab-chassis-box trucks, depending on cab type, powertrain and weight-carrying ability.
The new German-designed Sprinter van fits just above panel vans from the automotive Big Three: The Ford E series, Chevrolet Express-GMC Savana, and the Dodge Ram Van (which will soon be dropped). Sprinter, with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds, will also compete against lighter-duty walk-in vans.
General Motors marketers understand that the panel van's low roof can be a pain in the back and legs for the driver, so have come up with left-side doors and side access panels to allow merchants and tradesmen to get at cargo and tools without crawling inside the truck.
Walk-in vans have long-life aluminum bodies from Grumman Olson, Utilimaster, Union City Body and Innovan. Bodies and chassis are made to last 15 to 20 years in rugged urban service. Medium-duty trucks generally go 10 to 12 years, while cargo vans might go eight years (though some, spared from rust, seem to struggle on forever in the Sun Belt).
DC Vans, the new organization set up by DaimlerChrysler to market and service the Sprinter, says its steel body and Mercedes-Benz powertrain will last 15 years and deliver 50% better fuel economy than cargo vans, but are priced only a little higher. The design works well in Europe, where FedEx is running hundreds of Sprinters and, impressed with them there, has ordered about 2,000 for use in the U.S.
FedEx, United Parcel Service, and the U.S. Postal Service are three major forces in the North American walk-in van market, says FCCC's Snyder. They sometimes buy a total of 5,000 units in a year, and sometimes not. Otherwise, 15,000 units go to a myriad of other fleets.
High-mileage and high-load operators buy diesel engines, while the lighter-duty operators choose gasoline, suppliers say. All Fords and most Workhorse chassis get V-6 and V-8 gasoline engines. Workhouse offers the Cummins ISB and the AM General (formerly GM) 6.5 diesel V-8. FCCC and International chassis come only with diesels: International's own T444E for its chassis and Cummins and Mercedes-Benz engines from FCCC. Chassis builders offer automatic and manual transmissions.
Most chassis sold to this market are rated at 14,000 to 19,000 pounds GVW, says Snyder at FCCC. This reflects a trend toward heavier vehicles from changing, higher-volume operations, especially in package delivery. Bakeries and snack-food purveyors buy 10,000- to 12,000-pound GVW vehicles.
FCCC's heaviest walk-in van chassis is rated at 29,000 pounds GVW. Who needs them? Some package delivery routes and guys who sell hand tools, among others. Tool merchants need not only a strong chassis, but also powerful roof-mounted, plug-in heating and air conditioning units to keep all the metal from freezing and baking.
Are walk-in vans a hot segment? No. Like almost anything else right now, sales are flat. But it could grow as operators become more sophisticated and realize the benefits of this vehicle, Snyder says. Their urban character also makes them suitable for use of alternate fuels, hybrid powertrains and other maximizers of increasingly expensive energy.
Serious about P&D? You might want to step right up and try some.
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