I have to agree that a Sprinter or an Aerocell are the only way to go in a van. That said, I also have to agree there are more vans than Carter has liver pills. Some of the carriers still have their revolving door running. Some have a freeze on vans because they are saturated for practical purposes. I highly suggest you talk to carriers, and especially to van drivers, before jumping into this. I also suggest you read back at least a year in the general, newbies and recruiter forums.
Now I have to agree with the advice to consider a truck instead of a van. We'll use Acme Widgets as our shipper example. They represent every company that has something to ship. They have things of all shapes, sizes and weights to ship. For illustration, we'll imagine an olympic swimming pool with a hot tub and a 4' kids pool next to it. The pool has 9 lanes. They will all represent freight needs.
In the 9 lanes of the pool, 2 require a C unit and 1 a C refrigerated, 2 a D and 1 a D refrigerated and 2 an E and 1 an E refrigerated. The hot tub has to have a Sprinter or Aerocell and the wading pool needs a van. That's a total of 11 possible freight sources. An E refrigerated unit can take loads from all 11, an E from 10. The DR has 9 and the D 8. It goes on until you get to the "less expensive" standard van. It has 1 freight source, and the smallest one at that.
The van is less expensive when you look at the price but when you factor in the opportunity cost to the overall cost is it still less expensive? The Sprinter/Aerocell has a second freight opportunity from the hot tub so the "pool" of potential work is greater. As you move up the chain to a dock high truck, the "pool" of potential work exponentially increases. The farther up the chain you go the greater the pool. At some point, for some individuals, the additional work opportunity may not exceed the additional opportunity cost of the equipment required. There is no magic answer and it wouldn't fit everyone even if there was. You have to look at your individual situation.
This is a good example of why driving for a fleet owner can be valuable. You get exposure to all this without locking yourself in to a unit type that may not be the best for you. You have the time to see the various lanes firsthand and determine which parts of the pool you want to be able to swim in.
Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
OOIDA Life Member 677319, JOIN NOW
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.