Please go back and re-read the example I used. 3 boxes at 136 lbs does not warrant a D unit, and I can certainly put them on a dock by my self. I feel that a shipper wants to see an appropriate vehicle for the load in question. He also does not want to pay for "Too much truck". In my opinion, the B van has a valuable place in most expedite fleets, and will for the forseeable future. They are capable of handling a wide variety of goods, and can get in to any location to deliver, unlike the D's which are restricted to truck routes, and have trouble getting into narrow laneways, in downtown areas of old cities. The fact that B vans are essentially unregulated, and do not have to "scale' gives them the advantage on a long run, where they are able to maintain a higher average speed, within the speed limit, than a bigger, heavier D unit, which also has Hours of Service limits. All in all the B van can still be very useful in this business, and of course, the costs are lower to buy and maintain them. Comments, anyone? Jim Bunting..
