Commercial and Specialty Vehicle Manufacturers Basics

Master commercial and specialty vehicle manufacturers basics to narrow down what you need

Commercial and specialty vehicle manufacturers make mass movers, helping you transport people or product. From small step vans to large tractor-trailers, you can match up a manufacturer to your transport needs.

Commercial vehicle manufacturers develop rugged vehicles to handle a variety of tasks from hauling crowds and cargo to transporting raw materials or moving the earth itself. You can easily grasp what specialty vehicle manufacturers produce based on three broad categories of special purpose vehicles.

1. Efficiently move the greatest number of people from students to seniors with school or commercial vans;

2. Provide your product cost-effective transport with commercial vans;

3. Match the most extraordinary jobs to specialty vehicles developed exclusively to handle them.

 

Turn to commercial vehicle manufacturers for any size bussing need

While all transport vehicles designated "buses" carry over 10 passengers, specific bus types are size-based from smallest, labeled as type A (a bus body on a cut-away van frame) to largest (type D, flat-nose city transit buses). Invest in no more bus than what you need on a regular basis, as they are rugged enough to withstand heavy long-term use, but bring high fuel and maintenance costs.
Try: School Transportation News describes in detail the various bus types by body style and vehicle weight. Blue Bird is the best-known brand of school and transport buses.

Ship product safely with commercial vans

Contact a representative of commercial van manufacturers to upgrade from a converted passenger van or panel van, to take advantage of heavy-duty engineering and build quality for a longer-lasting vehicle to maximize return on investment.
Try: Peruse the Electrical Construction & Maintenance magazine, published by Penton Media, for a concise summary of all major manufacturer’s commercial vans and medium-duty trucks. Use the GM's Body Application Guide to narrow down the size and body type of medium-duty hauler for your business before visiting the dealer.

Employ special purpose vehicles for unique applications

Specialized jobs require specialty vehicles. Look for a manufacturer with experience and a solid support network to provide sales and service, as the jobs these vehicles do, from cement mixing to street plowing and sweeping, place a severe strain on the equipment.
Try: Oshkosh develops and produces trucks for applications in the military, emergency and concrete mixing. While Freightliner is North America’s largest producer of heavy-duty trucks, it also manufacturers a full range of medium-duty and specialty vehicles. Review the detailed specs on each type of heavy-duty hauler for more information.

 

• Think through a typical business day for your company when considering a specialty vehicle: how far you travel overall, the mix of urban/highway traffic, who or what you convey, how and where it gets loaded and unloaded. Or, in the case of specialty vehicles, do you perform a variety of duties that one vehicle can handle with an assortment of accessories, or do you perform one unique function repeatedly, with little or no time between assignments?

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