Fleetowner 5166 Ram Promaster City
Fleetowner 5166 Ram Promaster City
Fleetowner 5166 Ram Promaster City
Fleetowner 5166 Ram Promaster City
Fleetowner 5166 Ram Promaster City

New trucks for new routes

April 8, 2015
Changing distribution patterns and fleet needs are leading to innovative designs for commercial vans

The trends are nothing new. Growth of commerce directly correlates to the expansion of packaged-goods delivery to businesses and homes across the country. The volume of deliverables, from household goods and business supplies to fresh food and produce, perishable products and a wide range of commodities, continues to grow, in large part due to the convenience of online shopping and ordering.

“The increase in home and business delivery volumes in the last couple of years has led to vehicles designed to haul light goods, especially vans,” says William Salter, CEO and president, Paragon Software Systems. “In the U.S., we have seen a change toward more clients that operate smaller vans. In part, this has been driven by customer expectations, including that something they order today should be delivered tomorrow at the latest.”

Salter goes on to say that Paragon, which provides fleet vehicle routing and scheduling optimization solutions, has seen this trend develop among customers who almost universally use small vehicles so they can be more reactive and flexible to customer needs. He adds that there has also been an increase in the number of hub-and-spoke distribution operations, making a van fleet more effective and essential.

“There have been changes in the driver workforce as well,” Salter continues. “It is very much an expectation today that van drivers might have other non-driving duties. Furthermore, there is a change in the attitudes that businesses operating vans have about their drivers. In the past, van drivers haven’t always enjoyed some of the benefits that drivers of larger vehicles have had over the years. Finding vehicles that meet those needs is something that’s changing now as well.”

“Businesses are always looking for new efficiencies,” says Dave Sowers, head of Ram commercial marketing. “The need to enhance operational performance with vehicles that support day-to-day activities drives us, from a product creation standpoint, to bring more flexibility and features into our designs. Once those newly developed vehicles are available, we find that they drive creativity in the marketplace as customers imagine different ways of using vans.”

Build your own

Part of the appeal of new van designs is the ability to customize, notes Yaroslav Hetman, brand manager for Ford Transit, Transit Connect and E-Series. “Van customers need to be able to adapt their vehicles to specific vocational needs,” he says. “Design flexibility enables them to configure the right vehicle for a particular application. For example, as retailers seek a competitive edge by offering faster delivery times, many are looking for vehicles that are agile, with a tight turning radius for maneuvering in crowded city streets, as well as door openings that facilitate easier loading and unloading.”

Joe Langhauser, commercial product manager for vans and mobility at General Motors, says that van fleet operators are tailoring vehicles to address needs and that even small companies are tracking inventory and measuring volumes before making vehicle choices. “Ergonomic issues are also being considered,” he relates. “As the driver workforce gets older, something we call the aging tsunami, mobility is becoming a bigger part of customizing vans and adopting technology for a vehicle’s intended use.”

“As distribution patterns change, particularly as the popularity of hub-and-spoke methods continue to increase, versatile van products provide the right solution for virtually any business model,” says Jan ten Haaf, manager of fleet operations at Mercedes-Benz USA Commercial Vans. “This ultimately enables a myriad of cargo types to be distributed more effectively and efficiently and payload requirements to be met. For commercial vans as well, total cost of ownership is a critical factor. Managing a van fleet by applying this valuation principle enables businesses to control costs by effectively planning the lifecycles of the equipment in their portfolios.”

Universally, manufacturers say that the drive to build more efficient and durable vans is propelled by the knowledge that in distribution operations unplanned downtime is simply not acceptable. A van that doesn’t start or breaks down is not only expensive from a repair standpoint, they add, but can also result in a costly loss of customer confidence.

The cost of ownership, longevity and fuel mileage were important parts of the decision to power the Isuzu Reach, a walk-in van developed with Utilimaster, relates Brian Tabel, director of marketing at Isuzu Commercial Truck of America. “We went into this venture with Utilimaster to work with delivery company customers to build a unique walk-in commercial van,” he says. “Powered by a diesel engine and incorporating ultra-light molded body panels and structural components of aluminum and polycarbonate sandwich panels, the Reach van can offer more payload capacity and higher mpg, along with the inherent durability of a diesel engine.”

Built for the job, the latest van offerings from manufacturers are addressing changing and new distribution patterns, driver demographics, and cost factors. OEMs are also providing a range of sizes and models, offering flexibility unheard of in this market segment not that long ago.

With a 12,000-lb. GVWR and a 151-in. wheelbase, the Isuzu Reach is offered with 12- or 14-ft. bodies, and 540 or 630 cu. ft. of storage space, respectively. The vehicle is powered by an Isuzu 3.0L turbocharged 4-cyl. diesel engine mated to an Aisin 6-speed auto­matic transmission.

Choices aplenty

Nissan Commercial Vehicles brought a few of its van options to the recent 2015 Work Truck Show. While there were no major news announcements, the vans generated plenty of interest among show attendees.

Nissan’s NV200 compact cargo van is designed for companies that need a smaller vehicle, but still require a moderate amount of cargo space. The larger NV cargo van offers more space than the NV200 for additional cargo-hauling capability. In addition to the cargo model, the NV is also available in a passenger configuration. The larger NV2500 is popular among tradesmen looking for a functional and roomier vehicle.

Vehicles from Ram include the FWD ProMaster in two roof heights, three wheelbases, and four body lengths with a payload capacity up to 5,145 lbs. depending on the model. The ProMaster with a 3.6L Pentastar V6 gas engine rated at 280 hp. has a GCWR of 11,500 lbs. When equipped with a 3.0L 174-hp. EcoDiesel, the GCWR rises to 12,500 lbs.

The Ram ProMaster features a standard sliding door on the passenger side with an optional sliding door on the driver’s side. Sliding door openings are based on roof height. In the rear, an available three-position clamshell door swings open to fold almost flat to the side of the van. All three doors enable forklift pallet loading and unloading.

The newest model in the Ram van lineup is the ProMaster City, a Class 1 commercial unit offered in eight different configurations. Also available is the Ram Cargo Van with three flooring options, including a standard structural flat aluminum rear load floor, a deluxe load design with through-the-floor access to three storage bins providing an additional 11.5 cu. ft. of cargo capacity and load floor tie-downs, and the ability to delete the load floor to accommodate vocational upfits.

The Chevrolet Express Cargo and GMC Savana Cargo vans are available in regular (135 in.) and extended (155 in.) wheelbase lengths in 2500 Series and 3500 Series models. The 2500 Series includes models rated at 8,600 lbs. GVWR; the 3500 Series models are rated at 9,600 lbs. Two gasoline engine options for the vans are a standard 285-hp., 4.8L V6 and an available 6.0L V8 rated at 342 hp. Also offered is a Duramax 6.6L diesel.

Chevrolet’s all-new 2015 City Express van provides maneuverability and cargo-hauling flexibility for urban commercial fleets, according to the manufacturer, with 122.7 cu. ft. of customizable cargo space and a payload capacity of 1,500 lbs. The cargo area in the City Express has 4 ft., 6 in. of space from side to side to enable loading of 40- by 48-in. pallets. The van also has rear doors with a 40/60-split design, with the 60% on the curbside for easier access from a sidewalk and the smaller driver side door reducing potential intrusion into the street when open.

Larger options

Ford Transit and Transit Connect vans are available from the factory in a range of versions, including 47 total configurations for the larger Transit. Engines for the Transit include a 3.7L V6 rated at 275 hp.; a 320-hp. 3.5L EcoBoost V6; and a 3.2L Power Stroke, 185-hp., 5-cyl. diesel.
The company’s new Transit van family, which replaced the long-lived Econoline product lineup, has a payload capacity that tops out at 4,650 lbs.

Short and long wheelbase Transit Connect models range up to a long wheelbase cargo capacity of 128.6 cu. ft. The Ford Transit Connect can be powered by either of two 4-cyl. gasoline engines—a 2.5L Duratec at 169 hp. or a 1.6L EcoBoost at 178 hp.

Sold in North America under the Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner nameplates, Sprinter vans come factory-built with 144- and 170-in. wheelbases, three body lengths and three roof heights, including a super high roof variant.

Depending on the body configuration and wheelbase chosen, payload capacity in Sprinter vans can range up to 5,508 lbs. and cargo volume can range from 319.1 to 530 cu. ft. Standard on all Sprinter vans is a 4-cyl. diesel engine;  a 188 hp. 6-cyl. BlueTEC diesel is available as well.

Mercedes-Benz Vans USA is also offering a North American version of the European Mercedes Vito to fit the size void between larger vans like the Sprinter and smaller models on the market. The  Metris will be offered in a range of cargo and passenger configurations.

In the early 1900s, manufacturers were offering panel delivery trucks that were the precursors to today’s modern vans. The segment has since evolved from standard size vans with basic capabilities to include a wide and growing range of purpose-built cargo hauling vehicles that meet application-specific needs at a low cost of ownership.

Customization possibilities today are now almost limitless. Along with manufacturers of a wide variety of racks and shelving, upfitters stand ready to outfit vans to meet operational needs.

Ford, for example, has partnered with 12 ship-through upfitters that have set up facilities within 20 mi. of the OEM’s plant where Transits sold in North America are manufactured. The close proximity to the factory, the company says, helps customers tailor vocational upfits quickly. Fleets can also access upfitters through OEMs, such as the Mercedes-Benz Preferred Upfitter program for Sprinter vans.

According to Ram, Class 1-4 van volumes are expected to reach nearly 400,000 units annually over the next five years with small vans representing about 25%. Additionally, Class 1 sales data shows a steady increase in cargo van demand, which Ram says can be attributed to commercial customers rightsizing vehicles for their businesses.

“For 30 or more years,” says Ram’s Dave Sowers, “customers in the commercial van market were locked in, with virtually no flexibility. There simply wasn’t an opportunity for companies to step off the path without using vehicles designed for other segments.


“Today, they are able to efficiently right­size because they have choices,” he continues. “Changing entries and ideas in vehicles that fit their needs more effectively and efficiently make them winners for this market.”  

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