Driver Lifestyles
Do-It-Yourself Comfort Zone Van
Expediting cargo van drivers, by necessity, have been innovators and inventors when it comes to outfitting their trucks.
They don't have the living and cargo space available to them like their expediting brothers and sisters in the straight trucks and tractors, so they've had to improvise. Some of those improvisations have led to some interesting customizations - some that work and some that don't.
The main concern for cargo van expediters has typically been, "How do I fit a bunk into this small amount of space and still carry two skids or other bulky cargo?" (And provide the expedited carrier with it's required space minimums.)
One of the more creative creations that addressed that question, was a van owned by a Canadian couple from Toronto. Their extended van included a high-rise or "turtletop" roof complete with a set of pulleys and ropes that raised and lowered a mattress that was stowed against the van's roof.
This method, inventive though it may be, still didn't allow the mattress to be used when the van was loaded. Neither did the sleeping arrangement used by some in vans, a fold-down bunk attached to the van's side wall - the freight was still in the way.
The O'Connells
Terry O'Connell of St. Louis, MO has been in the expediting business since 1989. He and his wife Rene' have leased a succession of cargo vans with FedEx Custom Critical (originally Roberts Express) during those years.
Terry and Rene' are on their fourth cargo van, a 2000 Chevy Extended Van with 350,000+ miles.
The O'Connell's have picked up some van customizing tricks during their time in the fast freight business, particularly those techniques dealing with personal comfort and outfitting a van."
The nuts and bolts
One feature they insist upon when spec'ing out their trucks is the installation of a raised roof. Terry stands 6' plus and obviously needs that extra 12"-14" of height the turtletop provides. He says his last three vans have been so equipped, with prices for the raised roof ranging from $1,200 to $1,800.
"This latest van's roof has two layers of honeycomb fiberglass and it's actually heavier than the original sheet metal roof. Anyone looking into the raised roof installation would be wise to check the estimated vehicle weight before having this done. The installation was done by a van shop in the St. Louis area."
Terry's hobby of woodworking proved of great value when it came to outfitting the interior. He constructed a bunk out of 4 feet wide, 3/4" plywood with a 2" x 4" support in the middle.
The bunk is hinged in the center so the back half can be folded up for an additional two feet of cargo room. There is substantial personal-item storage room under the bunk itself.
"We sleep on 2-2'x6' mattresses, specially made at the Mattress Factory in Cleveland. The mattesses nest together so that we would have at least one mattress available for sleeping while under a team load."
The interior wall and ceiling are finished with foam backed velour installed by the van shop and by Terry. He used 1/4" plywood on the walls and doors and applied 3M brand spray adhesive to attach the velour.
Moving towards the back, we find a fixed bulkhead wall with door openings that are equal in size to the van's back door opening. The cargo area measures 82 inches in length with the doors closed and 108 inches with the doors open with a 4-foot height.
"In the cargo area," says Terry, "we installed home-fabricated sixteen inch-tall 'short walls' that run the length of the van. Two rows of E-track mount on these walls."
"There's plenty of space between the van walls and these short walls for cargo securement items, tools, emergency equipment and personal items."
Terry adds, "Also, contained behind the short walls, are two deep-cycle batteries wired into a battery isolator. The batteries are charged when the engine is running and all the auxiliary equipment is powered by those batteries, including the Qualcomm, TV, phone, lights, etc."
Mounted in the forward area of the sleeping compartment are a carbon monoxide detector and extension handset for the Nokia hands-free phone. In the overhead console sits the 13" TV and Video Cassette Player.
"On the last van, we had two DC-powered fans in strategic locations and turned in opposite directions for flow-through ventilation."
The floor of the van is baltic birch plywood with a polyurethane finish. Terry has his own special method of moving the freight around once it's inside the truck - doormats sprayed with silicone lubricant.
"You can put one of those doormat 'skid pads' under each corner of a full-size skid and a two-thousand pound pallet can pulled to the rear of the truck by hand. No chains or tow ropes needed."
Freight securement is accomplished with the required e-track mounting sockets that support the 2" x 4" load bars in addition to ratchet straps and D rings.
Terry and Rene's 15 years in the business have given them the experience to know what they need from their vans. If you happen to see a white FedEx expediting van in a parking lot with a raised roof and Missouri plates that read "HOT FR8", stop by and say hello.