Upgrading Van Bodies
The van-style body itself costs far less than the chassis, but is every bit as important.
Tom Berg
Equipment Editor
Let's say your basic cargo vans are getting the job done, but they're in the shop a lot. Or maybe your guys and gals don't want to drive them because they're hard to get in and out of. What's the problem? Most likely, the specs are not sufficient for the application. Or they were set up without considering durability and productivity, or the needs and wants of your drivers.
It's possible to add equipment to improve the trucks you now have. But if the problems are serious, or the trucks are getting old anyway, it's probably wise to replace them with something that will work better for the maintenance crew, drivers and you.
Before focusing on the body, review your choice of chassis make and model, including engine, transmission, suspension, gearing and other basic matters. Are they all suitable for what's being hauled and delivered, where the truck runs and how it's driven? If you're not sure, pick the brains of colleagues, sales people and the folks who use the trucks. They'll probably tell you plenty about the chassis, and some of it may be worthwhile advice.
The van-type body itself costs far less than the chassis, but it's every bit as important, because that's where the payload goes. It's even more important if you want it to last through two or more chassis. As bodies go, vans are relatively simple, but it's the details that make them more or less successful on the job.
You're probably tired of hearing that price isn't everything, especially when money's tight and you have to select the lowest price — or someone upstairs does it for you. To avoid this, try developing minimum performance requirements or listing the actual specifications you want. If possible, include long-term maintenance and total life-cycle costs in your request for bids. Then make apples-to-apples comparisons from the resulting proposals.
Aside from that, here are some categories, considerations and ideas gathered from users and suppliers at maintenance meetings and truck shows. Some can make your van bodies work harder and save you money and grief over the long haul.
Body Structure
A cargo van is basically four walls, a floor and ceiling, and one or more doors. Strength of each component determines how well it contains the load and for how long. Tell the body builder exactly what you haul, how you deliver it and how long you expect the body to last with minimal maintenance. Then he can recommend what's right for you.
Typical standard specifications from body builders seem to have improved over the years, and may or may not be rugged enough for your application. These include walls of aluminum skins bolted or riveted to steel posts, with plywood or composite liners. Floors are some type of hardwood screwed to metal crossmembers set a certain distance apart. Ceilings are aluminum with a panel or two of translucent fiberglass. Doors are usually metal-covered plywood on swing hinges; door width varies, depending on the application.
Experience will tell you that you need slightly thicker skins and closer-spaced posts. Liners may need to be beefier, especially up front and along the floor, where boxes or pallets bang against or slide along the panels. They may need to be something stronger than plywood. Swing-type doors need enough hardware to stay secured and lock tight; and they can be clumsy, so overhead doors may work better. Composite-type doors will eliminate swelling and delamination that's almost assured with metal-clad plywood doors. They're worth some consideration.
Is the skin-and-post type of body sufficient? Walls of FRP (fiberglass-reinforced plastic) over plywood can hold up better under some conditions. They resist tears and punctures far better than aluminum, and they don't need liners. Molded fiberglass bodies are now available, claiming superior strength with few seams to split or leak as well as smooth aero shapes. But if a wall gets ripped, who's going to repair it for you? The supplier, you hope. Or he'll teach your shop people how to fix it.
If forklifts load or unload the cargo, you may need a stronger floor. The hardwood should be thicker and perhaps of a better grade. Steel or another premium material might work best. Crossmembers need to be closer, particularly at the rear entrance where heavy forklifts bang aboard. If cargo is loaded to the ceiling and sometimes jammed into place, heavier ceiling panels and even liners will bear the brunt of brute force.
Wiring & Lights
Bright LED lights have been embraced by the trailer industry because they use one-tenth the power and last about 10 times as long as standard incandescents.
So lights using light-emitting diodes may be the ticket for your truck bodies, as well. Volume production has brought down the price, so they can be cost-effective.
Premium light fixtures, wiring and connectors will give less trouble and save you money in maintenance and downtime. Whether you choose premium or standard electrical parts, be sure the body installer will plug his wiring harness into connectors provided by the chassis manufacturer. Today's complex electrical circuitry does not like to be cut because signals can migrate all over the truck, affecting engine, transmission, gauges and who knows what else.
If deliveries are done at night, lights inside and outside the van let the driver see what he's doing and avoid slips and falls. Placement and fixture choice are things to think through.
Safety & Productivity
A safe truck and body helps the driver avoid getting hurt or hurting somebody else — both costly possibilities. Safety and productivity are both boosted if the driver is nimble and quick as he gets himself and the cargo in and out of the van.
Three types of hardware can help: steps, ramps and handles. Steps can be incorporated into the van's rear bumper, into a floor extension behind the door or hung stirrup-like beneath a door. A pull-out or fold-up ramp lets the driver walk up and into the van, stack cargo on a hand truck, then walk it down. He can grasp handles to steady himself as he climbs up or down, but handles should be near the steps to be useful and deep enough to allow big, gloved fingers room to grab. Also, any walking or climbing surface ought to be non-skid.
Stepped floors allow the driver to work a load toward the door and then onto the sidewalk. Low floors, usually accomplished with low-profile truck chassis, put things closer to hand and reduce the height to be climbed. Lowered floors don't match standard dock heights, but lifting cylinders under the chassis can compensate. Heavy loads are best raised and lowered by lift gates or even interior-mounted cranes. Many types of lift gates are available, and the driver needs to be instructed in their operation to avoid crippling falls or pinched-off extremities.
Side doors make unloading easier at curbside, and you may include them in your specs. If your trucks run on a lot of one-way streets, a door on the left may be as useful as one on the right. Would a roll-up door be better than a swing door, whether on the side or at the body's rear? Power-operated roll doors are now available, and can enhance security and lessen the amount of stretching the driver has to do.
You or your drivers may have some good ideas on safety and materials handling equipment, so run them past the body manufacturer. Chances are, he's installed something like them, or something that's better. They don't add a lot of money, but can keep drivers from getting overly tired and can save big dollars in injuries.
Security Safeguards
You probably instruct your drivers to close and lock the van doors when they're away from their trucks, and they may or may not do it, depending on location.
They're more likely to comply if you make closing and locking the doors easy. That's why we brought up power-operated doors, which can be especially useful if the driver walks loads down a ramp with a hand truck. A remote control lets a driver close the door as he leaves the body, then open it as he returns.
In simpler operations, a good padlock will suffice — again, if the driver's willing to bother with it. A locking latch may be a better idea. Either way, doors should be locked while the truck's being driven. Agile thieves can jump aboard and toss cargo to trailing cohorts without the driver's knowledge. He will know if the body's equipped with a door-open alarm that sounds and flashes in the cab. He can then call for help with his mobile phone or other communications device that you've provided. If the entire truck is stolen, you'll be able to find it fast if it's got a tracking system; inexpensive devices using satellite or cell-phone links are now available, and are worth looking at.
Aerodynamic Improvers
Have recent hikes in fuel prices got your attention?
The front of many trucks are streamlined, so maybe it's time to consider aerodynamic enhancements on the bodies to reduce wind drag and save some fuel. The higher fuel prices climb and the more the truck rolls, the quicker aero devices pay for themselves and then add to your profits. Among the add-ons available:
• Air deflectors. Your vans may already have a rounded top edge at the front to carry air over the roof, and this can be improved with a cab- or nose-mounted deflector. Countless tests and fleet experiences have proved their effectiveness.
• Vortex generators. Akin to the winglets and slats used on airplane wings, these wishbone-shaped devices can be quickly affixed to the trailing edges of the van's sides and roof to cancel the vacuum effect at the body's rear, which holds back the vehicle and requires power and fuel to overcome. Also, they keep rear doors clean, say satisfied users.
On new vans, consider rounded front vertical corners that also improve air flow. And the latest fiberglass van bodies have rounded edges and integral upper deflectors to smooth air flow, cutting wind drag and saving fuel.
There's almost no end to the things that you can add or build into a van body to improve driver productivity, lower operating costs and lengthen useful life. Find the ones that offer a payback in a reasonable amount of time, then grab 'em.
