Cargo van sleeper

tianpatriot · Jul 19, 2010

I bought a cargo van myself, I was driving for someone else before. On my excursions around the country I have seen other expediters who had sleepers in their cargo vans. I can't remember which companies they drove for, because the companies I have checked into require you to have 8 feet of cargo area. Does anyone know of a company I could drive for with 6' 9" of cargo area?

guido4475 · Jul 19, 2010

By the sound of the cargo area you have left after youre sleeper, you must of bought a short wheelbase cargo van.I have a 29" sleeper/bed with a bulhead and 8 ft Of cargo sealed space.This is in a Ford E-350 extended van.I do fine with this setup, and would not recommend any smaller for cargo area.or any lighter duty of a van, for that matter.

Zoli · Jul 19, 2010

You bought the short (wrong )size van.In expediting you need the extended van.

guido4475 · Jul 19, 2010

Zoli said:
You bought the short (wrong )size van.In expediting you need the extended van.

Who bought the wrong size van? He didnt say what he bought, but I can only assume he bought a short one, which is worthless as far as I am concerned in this business.

tianpatriot · Jul 19, 2010

I bought an extended van. However I put a 55" sleeper in.

Zoli · Jul 19, 2010

tianpatriot said:
I bought an extended van. However I put a 55" sleeper in.

Aha...In expediting the recomanded cargo space is 9 feet.My advice is to put a smaller sleeper.

skyraider · Jul 19, 2010

U b captain condo, California sleeper,,u plan on resting good, because u wont get any loads. Break open the sawzall, rough cut blade and go to it,,10 minute job, good luck on the mattress

dancorn · Jul 19, 2010

Tianpatriot,
I put in a 28" sleeper with a 30" upright back on hinges. Down it is 58" and works for something less than two full size skids. Up it is in a sofa shape and allows for two full skids. I have 100" maximum of cargo space and have not had an issue with fit so far. Hope this helps

transporter · Jul 30, 2010

not likely anybody can survive long in this business with less than a full 8 feet of cargo space.

xiggi · Jul 30, 2010

With less than 8 ft of cargo space your going to have plenty of time to enjoy that nice big sleeper.

guido4475 · Jul 30, 2010

Even though I have a 8 ft cargo area myself, I have to somewhat disagree about not being able to make it with less than 8 ft of cargo, based on past load volume count.Very rarely do I haul enough freight to count as 2 skids, or requiring 8 ft of cargo space.It is possible, but I also realize most co's wont put any van on with less than 8 ft also.

Jack_Berry · Jul 30, 2010

tianpatriot said:
I bought an extended van. However I put a 55" sleeper in.

why? its not a sprinter. tear it out and make it 29 or 30 inches. better yet, now here is the sarcasm coming....
1 do a search
2.use advanced search
3. look for the phrase "cargo van sleeper"

just gotta ask, how much research did you do on this site before building that sleeper? good luck getting it right.

chefdennis · Jul 30, 2010

My sleeper area is 60"...but it is built in a way that I can still get up to 2 52" automotive skids in if i need to...its all in research and planning before you do something....

bryanvolsfan · Jul 30, 2010

Can anyone give me the specs for building a sleeper in my van? I got a Ford E-350 extended.

chefdennis · Jul 30, 2010

Specs !?? It is a hip shoot..sit down with a tape measure and some common measurements like , a twin size air matteress is 37-38 inches wide...now go from there....

transporter · Jul 31, 2010

guido another thing to take into consideration is customer ordered 8 foot of usable space vehicle but only used 2feet.
its called a just in case factor. in your case you might not have gotten all the loads you got if you didnt have those 8 feet.
Why would a carrier even mess with a truck that cant handle 8 feet? their is way 2 many 8 ft or more capacity trucks out there. less than 8ft trucks are better suited to the courier market but than you dont need a bed.