van loading solutions

Learn how easy it is to install and operate one of our modular rollerbed systems for vans. We've assembled a video with details on how easy it is to install and operate the system once it's installed. 

We help businesses lighten loads and are highly regarded as the world's leading loading and unloading solutions provider in the logistics industry. Over the last 60 years, we've helped thousands of businesses streamline their logistics operations to be more cost-efficient, more sustainable, and more health and safety-conscious. Learn more About Us here.

Don’t choose a van or work with one unless you understand the payload, the amount of weight the vehicle can carry. That includes the passengers. If you go over the payload, you could get into serious trouble, as it’s illegal to exceed this weight. It can also be extremely dangerous.

To calculate your payload weight, subtract the maximum gross vehicle weight (the maximum weight your vehicle can hold) from the curb weight (the weight of the vehicle when unloaded).

Be aware that a larger van doesn’t automatically mean the payload is higher; merely that the internal dimensions are greater so you’ll enjoy more space inside for materials or goods.

Accessibility isn’t just about the van; it’s also about the surroundings. You’ll need to consider whether you’ll be driving around narrow streets and whether your van complies with any location height or weight restrictions.

If the journeys consist of short trips around a town or city, you might prefer an all-electric-powered vehicle, whereas a diesel-powered engine may be more suitable if operations involve long stretches of motorway. If you’ll be conducting a mixture of short and long trips, you might feel a petrol-powered vehicle could be the right choice.

When you’re using a van for commercial purposes, you’ll have further size-specific considerations to make. Below are some of the most important factors to keep in mind when choosing the van:

• The length, height and width of the equipment, supplies or goods you’ll be carrying in the van.
• The occasional need to carry extra, large pieces of equipment or more supplies or items than usual. Does the van have the space and enough of a payload to accommodate them?
• The space you need to work in the van if you need to work in it at all. Loading or unloading might entail you entering the van space.
• The potential for your needs to change in the future. For instance, have you been dealing with larger contracts lately that require you to transport more goods or carry more equipment?
• Location-based restrictions. Think tight city parking spaces, low headroom, etc.

The load space is the space available inside and designed for the van to carry the load. If you’re transporting tools or smaller parts, a small or medium-sized van could do the trick, whereas if you’re going to be shifting pallets, a larger van will be more suitable.

You should also think about how you’re going to access the load. If you’re loading the van with heavy items, you might need to access this cargo with a forklift truck. If you’re working in a town, you might require access to the van from the side instead of the back.

Consider, too, any special requirements of the load itself. For instance, if you’re delivering food, refrigeration could be necessary.

Often, anything above a H2 is considered a high-top van. It’s likely to provide enough space for you to stand inside the van if you need to. Normally, the best body type is the one smallest enough to still complete the job because it will also be more fuel-efficient. Before you choose your van, consider the following:

• How much will your van need to carry?
• Is it likely to run light or empty?
• Are you carrying low volume/high weight loads? High volume/low-weight loads?
• Will you require any specialist loading/unloading capabilities?
• Are there any height restrictions or limitations in the location(s) where you’ll use your van?

Are you going to be carrying any passengers at all? Will you be transporting a team at all? If so, you’ll have to consider a van that has enough seating for passengers as well as for the cargo itself. Comfort should also be a factor to take into consideration when asking this question.

Before anything else, and to confirm you won’t be violating any traffic laws, you should check the loading site before you begin loading. Look out especially for:

• Double and single yellow lines: The local authorities will have clear time limits and restrictions of their own. Read any signs at the loading site clearly to avoid falling foul of the law.
• Designated loading bays: These bays will allow commercial vehicles to load and unload for up to 20 minutes. You should check the signage on the site, however, to confirm the exact times permitted and, again, stay within the law.
• Metered and residential parking bays: unless loading or unloading has been suspended there, these zones will often permit it. Check to be sure, however.
• Pavements: Unless you have someone to stay with the van, try to avoid parking on the pavement. Avoid parking even partly on it if you can help it.

Before you lift a single object, observe the ground to see whether there are any kerbs, potholes or obstructions which you could trip up on or over while you’re making your way to the van with the load. Do you need a midway stopping point? Case out the route beforehand to determine this and where you’ll stop.

The loading site itself should be:

• out of the way of vehicles or of human traffic;
• clear of electric cables;
• on firm, level ground.

Don’t just check the site, though; check your van as well. Any obstructions? Slippery patches? Clear them and clean them up as appropriate.

Then it’s down to loading the van safely. The technique is easy enough to perform, but in the rush to complete loading or unloading and get the van back out on the road, logistics workers can forget this. The technique is as follows:

1. carry the load close to your waist, with the heaviest side closest to you;
2. keep your back mostly straight, and try not to twist the waist, especially when you’re lifting;
3. keep your head up and avoid making jerky movements, allowing them to be smooth instead;
4. lower heavy items into the van first, and then position them exactly where you want them, not while you’re still lowering them into the van;
5. even if you’re lifting in pairs, which will enable you to carry the amount you can carry safely by around two thirds, know your limits.

To read more about safe loading and unloading techniques, check out our Ultimate Guide to Safe Loading and Unloading of Vehicles

In conjunction with a ramp, you may use a winch to help you load and unload your vehicle. Electric winches are easy to install and to operate but don’t work well in wet environments, require a lot of energy and are only really good for lighter loads. Meanwhile, hand winches are easy to use in difficult weather conditions but require extra support while you’re operating them. They also don’t work well when you’re dealing with heavy loads.

You may choose to invest in some equipment to secure loads so that they don’t move around while in transit. This could include extra lashing points, which you could fit to the bulkhead, floor or sides of the van; lashing rails, which you can fit to the floor or sides of the van; and floor rails, which assist in the loading of wheeled equipment.

When it’s time to unload your van, you should follow the same precautions as before of checking it’s legal to unload in the spot you wish to; the ground is firm and level; and you’re carrying all the items safely as possible.

When a load moves around inside a truck or a van, the goods can end up damaged and the situation can become hazardous. The load can become unsafe for the person(s) who have to unload the vehicle, as items may fall on top of them, cut them or cause some other injury. The driver and anyone else in the cabin can also become at risk of an accident because the load may cause the vehicle to roll or shift forwards when braking.

This means you should secure the load and, generally, make loading and unloading as safe as possible. You can find out more advice and guidance on loading and unloading vehicles in our Ultimate Guide to Safe Loading and Unloading of Vehicles, in which we also discuss the responsibilities of employees and employees when it comes to safe loading and unloading of vehicles. In the meantime, however, here are some tips on how to secure loads in a van.

Accidents and fatal injuries don’t just occur out of the blue. There will often be near misses or minor incidents before something really nasty happens. Report these and other issues so that the relevant people can take preventive action and avoid something more serious happening in the future.

If you’re the driver, and especially if you’ve not loaded the vehicle, you should be supplied with information about the load you’re carrying, how to carry it and what to do if the load shifts. If you don’t receive it, ask for it.

Your restraining method should secure the load to the chassis of the vehicle and stop movement. Note that some loads are different, so pick a method that prevents the load from moving but also which doesn’t create other risks, such as manual handling or working at a height.

You should stack the load against the headboard (or bulkhead, as we’re dealing with vans), and the centre of gravity should be as low as possible. Make sure the load is stable without the lashings to lower the risk of it falling over during transit. If it’s not stable by itself, you should think about how you can support it.

If it’s not possible to stack the load against the bulkhead (or if items could slide over it, use additional lashing and think of other ways you can stop the load moving forward). Extra lashings, sails, chocks or blocking are all potential options. In a van, you should also use straps attached to the vehicle body.

If there’s any damage to a headboard or bulkhead, fix it as soon as possible. The headboard is a crucial element in the load securing system.

Always check you’ve locked your cargo doors and that your locking mechanisms are in good working condition. After you’ve travelled a few miles, check the load for security and lashing tension, and then do so at several intervals during the journey. Note that weather conditions can interfere with the tension of lashings, which can cause them to loosen up, decreasing the security of the load and increasing the potential for damage to the cargo.

Our Modular Rollerbed Systems offer the possibility of upgrading your van from a standard unit to a rollerbed vehicle to ease your pallet handling. Our solution for vans is a pneumatically operated pallet loading system, featuring a rise and fall rollerbed to load and unload small vehicles safely and quickly. 

Several lightweight aluminium frames, all connected and equipped with rising and fall pneumatic tracks, comprise the system. You can then install this system in your van — which we can do for you in as little as two to four hours, depending on the configuration — and load much more safely by just rolling euro pallets, block pallets or plastic pallets or other loads in and out of the van.

Systems are powered by a 12v low current compressor, internally fitted within the rollerbed dimensions and connected via the cigarette lighter socket of the transporter van. It has an air operated valve, deactivated via door closure in case of operator error.

The floor at the cabin side is fitted with a galvanised steel strip of 50 mm. This strip serves as a bulkhead and stops pallets from hitting the cabin/partition wall. Meanwhile, at the rear door side of the vehicle sit some manually operated flip-up pallet stops. This prevents pallets from rolling out.

• Driver does not need to enter van to load or unload the pallets
• No forklift needed to push or pull pallets in and out; just roll in and roll out
• Less damages due to simple loading and unloading procedure
• 100% safe during loading, when in transit and during unloading
• Connected by 12v low current compressor via cigarette lighter socket

Our modular rollerbed will boost not just the safety of your loading and unloading but also the efficiency of the process. The system makes everything more straightforward because:

• the driver doesn’t need to enter the van to load or unload the pallets;
• you just roll the pallets in and out, instead of using a forklift truck to push them in or out;
• loading and unloading causes less damage to items;
• the goods are safe during loading, in transit and during unloading
• you can connect the system easily via the cigarette lighter socket.

Safety and security are important when loading and unloading a van so that nobody gets hurt and that the items in the load don’t get damaged. If you’d like to find out more about our van loading system, contact us. We’ll be happy to discuss your requirements.

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