What Is a Box Truck in Freight Shipping Terms

Speaking of logistics, many hear the term “box truck: and often people wonder, “What is a box truck?” and how does it work. Well, to put this as concisely as possible, we can say that a box truck is a versatile shipping vehicle, designed for transporting freight securely.

To discover the difference quickly, we can compare the box truck to a cargo van, where the main difference comes out straightforwardly – the addition of the box van mounted on a single frame.

What Is a Box Van?

Well, this is what allows retailers to move large loads across towns and crowded areas.

In short, box trucking is a crucial part of the supply chain for many retailers and organizations, but it requires professional box truck drivers. If you’re somehow involved in logistics or freight transportation with a box truck, this guide is for you.

We’re unwrapping the box truck sizes, box truck dimensions, and box truck freight preparation, which is a fundamental part for many businesses. In addition, we’re going to explore the main difference between a straight truck and vs box truck and help you choose the best fit for your haul.

Let’s learn whats a box truck!

What Does a Box Truck Look Like

So, if you have ever noticed a vehicle, obviously for delivery purposes, with a large rectangular cargo area, you’re likely seen a box truck. While box trucks share many similarities with other well-known cargo vessels, like cube vans or vans with a box, many specific points stand out.

To help you recognize a box truck visually, we’re going to list a few standout features:

• An enclosed cargo area mounted behind the driver’s cab, giving it a distinct box van appearance.
• The rear door that usually rolls up for easy loading and unloading, allowing drivers to easily fit large freight.
• Separate cab and cargo section, unlike cargo vans and box combinations, where space is continuous
• Single frame chassis supporting the cargo area, distinguishing it from tractor-trailers, and is easily recognizable.
• Typically larger than moving trucks or cargo vans, with box truck sizes ranging from small to large box truck configurations
• Flat sides with smooth panels, often used for freight box truck branding or storage, are typical for a box truck.

Is a Box Truck a Commercial Vehicle?

The straightforward answer is Yes, a box truck is widely recognized as a commercial vehicle!

This is because a box truck is mainly used for the transportation of freight for organizational purposes and business needs.

With the box truck weight limits and payload capacity, a box truck is made for medium-level transportation, falling under the category and licensing for commercial uses.

A large portion of the owner-operators and box truck drivers solely rely on box trucks to fulfill a large quantity of shipments in heavily crowded urban areas. Contrasting the cargo van, a box truck can carry much heavier loads up to 14,000 pounds (the capacity varies as per the model).

The truck weight is proportional to the operating costs, but even with this trade-off, having the capacity to transport heavy freight satisfies the commercial needs. So, it does not matter if it’s used for dry vans and box trucks in combination or as a standalone vessel; they fall under the one category as “commercial vehicles”, making them subject to specific standards and regulations.

Box Truck Dimensions and Size Chart

Understanding box truck dimensions is crucial for anyone involved in box trucking, whether for moving, delivery, or freight box truck operations.

Box truck size and box truck length vary depending on the type and intended use, and knowing the dimensions of a box truck helps plan routes, comply with weight limits, and optimize cargo capacity. Below is a handy box truck size chart to compare common different size box trucks:

That’s how big a box truck is!

The aforementioned size box trucks comparison clearly outlines how box trucks vs cargo could be quite different in capacity, especially if you’re wondering how wide a box truck is!

How Much Does a Box Truck Weigh?

Now that we know what is box truck, let’s learn about its weight!

A lot of factors are involved in the supply chain of the box trucking industry, and they all can affect the box truck weight in different ways. While some of the factors include the size, freight capacity, truck design, and many others, the main aspect is the model.

For example, a smaller box truck or even cube vans may weigh approximately ~8000 pounds, while large trucks can hit the ~13,000 pounds mark easily.

All this weight while they are completely empty!

It’s always different, hence understanding how much box trucks weigh is important, since all these weight limits and regulations might backfire when the payload capacity is exceeded.

Hence, it’s critical to carefully calculate the load/weight for your box truck freight operations!

Types of Box Trucks Used in Freight Shipping

When we bring up box trucking in a conversation, we can’t just put all types of box trucks under the same label and category. Sometimes we need to specify further.

Let’s take a quick look at some of the most common types of box trucks:

• Standard Straight Truck: The standard straight truck has a fixed area for cargo and is the most used option for crowded areas and towns.
• Small Cube Freight Van: The small cube freight van is a small and compact van with a box, which is ideal for freight that is light and fits easily.
• A Medium Box Truck: The medium box truck is another great option, allowing you to balance the freight space with maneuverability.
• Large Freight Box Truck: This is the maximum freight volume and payload capacity for heavy-duty box truck freight shipping.

Those are the most common types of box trucks used in the world of freight shipping, and the one that fits the job best is determined by specific requirements.

Straight Truck vs. Box Truck vs. Cargo Van - Is There a Difference?

We often hear all these different terms and comparisons like “box truck vs straight truck” or even “box truck vs cargo van”, but we often can’t grasp what sets them apart.

Yes, they are different.

They share many similarities, but they differ in size, capacity, and operating cost, so comparing trucks vs cargo vans and even cargo vans and boxes can help us understand their differences.

Here are short and straightforward definitions:

• Straight Truck: A shipping vehicle with a fixed freight area and a single frame, typically used for local deliveries and large loads.
• Box Truck: The box truck offers larger cargo space than a cube van, ideal for regional box trucking and freight box truck operations.
• Cargo Van: Smaller and more maneuverable, often used in urban areas for lighter shipments, sometimes referred to as a van with a box.

Now that we’ve learned what box trucking is, selecting the right shipping vessel comes down to determining your freight volume, truck weight, route requirements, and box truck driver team.

The bottom line here is that knowing the different types of shipping trucks can help you discover the best fit for your organization's operation and shipping project.