A practical guide on choosing vans

Before choosing the most efficient van for your job requirements, it is helpful to consider these initial questions:

• What will the van be used for?

• What loads will the van be transporting?

• Will you need company branding for your van? (read more)

• Will the van need to accommodate passengers?

• Will the van be used for local or long-distance travel

You can find a detailed analysis of the different types of vans available here: Ultimate guide to choosing the best van for your needs.

Construction

Traffic Management

Increasing your vehicle’s visibility and abiding by the latest legislation will be essential in traffic management.

Choosing a chassis cab will allow you to easily navigate both inner-city environments and suburban terrains.

Customisation and addons:

• Full Chapter 8 Markings to Highway standards

• LED Roof mounted highway specification beacon with Pattern control

• Amber strobes to further increase the vehicles visibility

• Tail lift attachment access

• Telescopic Safety Handrails to allow loading and offloading safely

• Storage boxes over the wheel arches to utilise space and allow storage

• Permanent view, rear facing camera and screen in the Cab

• 360-degree visibility (e.g. chevrons, beacon attachments)

Builders

The most popular choice is a medium panel van as they strike a good balance between driving experience, storage space, and fuel efficiency.

However, if you plan on transporting large equipment or bulky materials you may need to consider a large panel van for a higher loading capacity.

Remember to choose a van with enough space in the back to load tools, materials, and any other equipment you might need.

Customisations and addons:

• Telescopic Safety Handrails: These assist in safely offloading and loading equipment

• Safety features: May help deter theft (e.g. tinting windows or vehicle trackers)

• Industrial Loading Ramp: This will help you load equipment in and out of your van safely

• Telematics: Northgate telematics can provide you with knowledge of your drivers’ whereabouts and driving styles enabling you to improve driver behaviour and reduce costs for your business.

• Van Windows Grilles: A popular deterrent for theft

• Company branding

Logistics

Courier drivers

A courier will need to choose a vehicle suitable for multiple trips and should try to minimise vehicle weight, ensuring optimum efficiency while increasing fuel savings.

Customisation and addons:

• Tail lift attachment access

• Telematics: Northgate telematics can provide you with knowledge of your drivers’ whereabouts and driving styles enabling you to improve driver behaviour and reduce costs for your business

• Easy access at the back for loading and unloading

• Van Windows Grilles: A popular deterrent for theft

• Open shelving

Trades

Will driving routes be short distance or long distance? You may need to increase the size of your van for longer journeys to store more equipment.

Customisations and adds on:

• Roof tubes to store essential components (e.g. piping, paint, boilers and other essentials)

• Racking for extra storage in the back of the van

• Van Windows Grilles: a popular deterrent for theft

• Telematics: Northgate telematics can provide you with knowledge of your drivers’ whereabouts and driving styles enabling you to improve driver behaviour and reduce costs for your business.

• Company branding

Electrician

Electricians usually have demanding travel schedules with frequent trips. It’s wise to go for a reliable vehicle that can efficiently store your electrical equipment.

A microvan may be the perfect solution as it offers reliability and good economic value.

Customisations and addons:

• Roof tubes to store essential components (e.g wiring)

• Company branding (read more here)

• Racking for extra storage in the back of the van

• Telematics: Northgate telematics can provide you with knowledge of your drivers’ whereabouts and driving styles enabling you to improve driver behaviour and reduce costs for your business.

Painters and Decorators

Small panel vans are a popular choice as you will be looking for fuel efficiency and reducing maintenance costs.

Customisations and addons:

• Maximising comfort with a good seat support if you spend long periods inside your van

• Shelving to store essential components such as paint and ladders

• Company branding

Carpenter

The medium sized panel van is the most popular choice as you will typically be carrying a range of tools.

Customisations and addons:

• If you plan on working inside your van, you will need a high roof and a long wheelbase to carry out your job in comfort with enough storage for equipment.

• Sliding doors may be required for easy access. This will help you carry equipment in and out of your vehicle.

• Van Windows Grilles: A popular deterrent for theft

• Industrial Loading Ramp: This will help you load equipment in and out of your van safely

• Company branding

Additional Questions

Now you know some of the options that are available, you may want to consider these more detailed questions.

• How will goods be secured? (ie tie down points, tie rails, load lock, shoring poles)

• What will your load area measurements be? (load length, height, width between arches)

• What will your payload be?

• Will towing be required?

• Preferable body type? (tipper, dropside, luton, curtain sider, other)

• Do you know the body internal measurements? (load length/height/width)

• Will you need a tail lift? (column/dumpover/cantilever/full closure)

• Do you have any special requirements? (refrigeration, crane, compressed)

How can Northgate help?

Hiring a van with Northgate does not mean settling for a plain, white van.

At Northgate we offer:

• Stocked vans that are spec’d for the most common trade jobs. This cuts vehicle lead times down drastically, when compared with buying or leasing

• You can receive vans in as little as 4 hours for existing customers

• Northgate can source every type of light commercial vehicle

• You can choose from a range of stocked vans or our growing selection of electric vehicles to meet your needs, whether you’re looking for plain, customised or specialist.

We help businesses across the UK in meeting their commercial vehicle needs cost-effectively and reliably.