What Is the Difference Between the Box Trucks vs Sprinters vs Cargo Vans?

BOX TRUCK

Box truck characteristics: 

• There is no direct access from the driver's cabin into the cargo box.
• Box trucks have a roll-up rear door.
• A rolling rear door provides a large opening to easily load large items of cargo such as furniture, appliances, and boxes.
• Box trucks come in various sizes ranging between 10-feet long to 30 feet in length.
• The flat sides may serve as a blank canvas for advertising.

SPRINTER CARGO VAN

For the sake of this article, I will refer to the Sprinter Cargo Van.  

• A Sprinter cargo van is a one-piece vehicle where the driver cabin and the cargo area make one piece. 
• The driver can grab an item from the cargo area while being in the cab. 
• Sprinter cargo vans are used by plumbing companies, electrical repair services, and courier services.
• Due to their smaller size, Sprinter cargo vans are easier to navigate in tight spaces and congested traffic. 

CARGO VAN

A standard cargo van has the same general features as the Sprinter cargo van has.  

BOX TRUCK

• The driver's cabin and the box-shaped cargo area sit on the same frame but are separate from each other.
  
• The cargo area has no windows. 

SPRINTER CARGO VAN

• Sometimes, the cargo area may have windows. 
•  The Sprinter cargo van has a high roof, which allows higher freight to fit in. 

CARGO VAN

• A cargo van is also a one-piece vehicle. 
• Compared to the Sprinter cargo van, the cargo van has a lower roof.
• Cargo vans have empty cargo space instead of seats at the back, and most of them don’t have windows in the rear cargo area.

BOX TRUCK

• Behind the driver, there can be additional room for a sleeper bed or for additional storage spaces. 
• For a team, a box truck with a sleeper provides drivers with a comfortable resting option that they can customize it with a home away from home ambiance. 

SPRINTER and STANDARD CARGO VAN

• For a team, the comfort level is a downside.
• For a team, it's very difficult to live in a cargo van full time. 
• If the cargo van is fully loaded, imagine having to sleep in the front seat. 

BOX TRUCK

Depending on where the engine is located, there are two main types of box trucks:

• Conventional – They have a distinctive “nose” since the engine is located in front of the steering wheel. Example: Freightliner M2.
• Cabover – These box trucks don’t have a bonnet and a “nose” as the engine sits underneath the front seats. Example: Isuzu NPR and Mitsubishi F series.

SPRINTER and STANDARD CARGO VAN

• Cargo vans have a “nose” because the engine is mounted in front of the steering wheel. 

BOX TRUCK

• Box trucks are categorized as medium-duty commercial vehicles. 
• According to the Federal Highway Administration, box trucks fall under the following weight classes as part of GVWR truck classification:
• Class 3: 10,001 lb to 14,000 lb.
• Class 4: 14,001 lb to 16,000 lb.
• Class 5: 16,001 lb to 19,000 lb.
• Class 6: 19,501 lb to 26,000 lb.

SPRINTER and STANDARD CARGO VAN

• Most of these cargo vans fall under light-duty vehicles.
• Although some of the larger models fall into the medium-duty category, while the particular weight class might vary from 1 through 3:

• Class 1: up to 6,000 lb
• Class 2: 6,001 lb to 10,000 lb
• Class 3: 10,001 lb to 14,000 lb

BOX TRUCK

• Price-wise, a brand new box truck can be rather expensive depending on commercial vehicle class:

• $30,000: smaller Class 3 truck.
• $35,000-$50,000: medium-sized Class 4 truck.
• $40,000-$75,000: larger Class 5 truck.
• $50,000-$100,000: big Class 6 truck.

SPRINTER and STANDARD CARGO VAN

• You can find a decent cargo van at the price range $30,000 to $55,000. 

BOX TRUCK

• Box trucks are mostly used by professional moving services and trucking companies.
• They usually move furniture, heavy appliances, similar cargo, and less-than-truckload freight (LTL).

SPRINTER and STANDARD CARGO VAN

• Cargo vans are used to haul food, equipment, car parts, and other commercial freight deliveries.
• Types of shipping customers depending on cargo vans include cake deliverers, flower deliveries, fresh grocery deliverers and equipment deliveries.
• You can also use cargo vans to haul packages and parcels .
• They offer all the functionality of large vans on a smaller scale. 

BOX TRUCK

• Box truck dimensions provide enough capacity to make more money because they have more room to load more freight. 
• Having a bigger cargo area means that the box truck can transport stuff with fewer trips.

SPRINTER and STANDARD CARGO VAN

• The Sprinter cargo van or a standard cargo van can carry less than a box truck but more than a pickup truck. 
• Cargo vans can’t haul very large and awkwardly-shaped items, as their average cargo capacity is 260 ft³.
• As a result, transferring big loads using a cargo van would mean doing additional trips that you wouldn’t need to do with a box truck. 
  

BOX TRUCK

• The comfort, cargo capacity, or pay is all great if it can be moved at the right price but ...
• The overall maintenance and other costs for box trucks is higher than those of cargo vans.

SPRINTER and STANDARD CARGO VAN

• The sprinter cargo van or a standard cargo van costs less than a box truck. 
• That is a big pro!

BOX TRUCK

• Due to their bigger size, around the town, box trucks are harder to drive and maneuver.
• Some models are as tall as 102”, which makes entering certain buildings and garages a real challenge.

SPRINTER and STANDARD CARGO VAN

• The smaller size of a cargo van makes it easier to maneuver through narrow streets.
• Cargo vans provide excellent driving visibility and front-end clearance.
• The front end of the cargo van is flatter than most commercial trucks and the driver seat is often placed over the front axle.

BOX TRUCK

• Box trucks won’t fit into tight parking spaces or areas.

SPRINTER and STANDARD CARGO VAN

• For cargo vans, the smaller size of the cargo van allows for easier parking. 

BOX TRUCK

• At the back the of cargo area, doors opens up like an accordion from the bottom to the top. 
• Many models feature ramps instead of stairs allowing both personnel and cargo alike easy access inside the box truck itself.

SPRINTER and STANDARD CARGO VAN

• Cargo vans usually have a sliding door on the side and also have swing doors at the back of its cargo area. 

BOX TRUCK

• Carriers value strait truck teams much more than cargo van. 
• Comparing to cargo vans, carriers will extend every effort to keep them loaded and happy because box trucks makes them more money.

SPRINTER and STANDARD CARGO VAN

• Comparing with box truck, cargo vans provide less value so carriers can easily replace them. 
• Carriers don't necessarily have to keep vanners loaded and happy. If they lose a van, there are 10 more waiting in line to take its place. 

BOX TRUCK

• Box trucks drivers has to follow HOS rules.

SPRINTER and STANDARD CARGO VAN

• For Sprinters and cargo vans drivers often there are no hours of services regulations.
• Cargo van drivers don't have to deal with logs or weigh scales.