Have you ever wondered what the difference between a box truck and a cargo van is? Maybe you’ve always thought there was no difference at all, or you never thought about it in the first place. From the title of this blog post, you can probably guess that there is a difference between these two vehicles. While both can be effective for transporting commercial goods or personal shipments, there is a time and place when each one is preferred. Let’s take a look at the differences.

What is a Box Truck?
Individuals and companies alike use box trucks to transport large items, such as furniture or large boxes of inventory. If you’ve ever moved, you’ve probably rented a box truck from a moving company. A box truck features a cube-shaped cargo area on the frame of the vehicle, behind the cab. In most box trucks, the cargo area cannot be accessed from the cab. You can access the cargo area by opening a roll-up rear door, kind of like a garage door. Box trucks come in many sizes, typically ranging from 10 to 26 feet.

What is a Cargo Van?
Cargo vans are generally smaller than box trucks, but they can be large as well. Unlike box trucks, this vehicle is made of one piece, so you can access the cargo area from the front seat. Large cargo vans may have the roll-up rear door like a box truck, but many have a backdoor similar to most vans. Additionally, many cargo vans have sliding side doors that provide access to the cargo inside. Oftentimes, service-related businesses use cargo vans to transport equipment and products to customers’ homes.

The main difference between these two vehicles is their makeup; box trucks have two separate parts, while cargo vans have one continuous design. Box trucks can also be much bigger than cargo vans. Both vehicles have a time and place to be used and are useful for transporting large items.