Does your business require transporting people, products, tools or equipment from different locations across the UK? Or do you intend to start up a mobile product or service business? If yes, you’re probably searching for the best type of commercial van that will suit your business. There are many van options available in the market today, but it’s essential that you choose the right van that will suit all your specific needs. Naturally, products vary in size and weight and the size of your products determine the type of van you will purchase or hire for your business.
When it comes to choosing a van for your business, there are other things you must factor in other than the size and weight of products and equipment. You will also need to consider running costs such as fuelling, safety, maintenance costs and choosing the right van insurance which will cover all your needs. Other deciding factors are the number of miles the vehicle will be covering regularly and the location of your business (whether urban or rural).
Courier and delivery service
For courier or delivery services, you need a van that’s efficient, practical, has a lot of space, a large payload capacity, satellite navigation, holds up to travelling long distances often, highly affordable, light weight and suitable to carry heavy loads with enough legroom, such as the Ford Transit Custom or Volkswagen Transporter T6.
Landscaping and Gardening
This type of work requires regularly moving heavy tools and machinery from place to place. The most suitable option for this kind of work is an open-backed tipper – this is appropriate for easy loading and off-loading of sand, stone, foliage, etc.
There are vans that offer the option of locking your equipment and materials, however, the open-backed tipper is most suitable.
Urban-based small businesses
City-based businesses tend to deal with cramped road spaces and traffic congestion on a daily basis – for this reason, the best option are car-derived vans. These vans are compact, manoeuvrable in urban areas and suitable for activities or jobs not requiring transporting bulky or heavy products or equipment such as light or floristry delivery services, painting, decorating, interior design, or paramedical personal treatment. Examples of small vans are the Citroen Berlingo, Volkswagen Caddy, Fiat Doblo Cargo, Ford Transit Connect, etc.
The downside of the car-derived vans is that the speed limits are the same with normal cars.
Transport Vans
Some businesses aren’t solo operations and require an accompanying tag team. Crew vans are the best options for such cases. They’re usually somewhere between a minibus and a standard panel van. If your business deals with transporting people and tools or equipment, a crew van is exactly what you need. The Renault Trafic Crew Van can carry up to 6 passengers while the Renault Kangoo Crew Van can seat 4 with plenty of storage space in both cases.
It is cheaper to hire van services if your small business deals with delivering and transporting products or equipment on a regular basis, but your finances may not be sufficient to make such a huge financial commitment. There are different available options for financing a business van.