Van Hire Jargon Buster

The weight of a vehicle including its load. The maximum laden weight is the maximum total weight allowed.

The maximum laden (loaded) weight of most larger vans. This includes the weight of the van and the weight of all your stuff. 3.5 tonnes is equal to 3500kg.

All vans up to this weight can be driven with a standard car driving license.

The maximum laden (loaded) weight of the small lorries some rental companies offer. These require Category C1 on your driving license. If you passed your car test before 01/01/1997 you should have this on your licence, but if you have passed since then you will need to take an additional category C1 test to drive vehicles with a maximum laden weight over 3.5 tonnes.

Barn doors are the name given to the twin rear doors on most vans - each opens to the side, just like traditional barn doors. These are good when loading tall objects into a van.

A van with a box body - completely square and giving the appearance of having been mounted on top of the van's chassis, rather than being an original part of the van. 3.5t vans with box bodies are usually referred to as Luton vans.

A van or pickup with a crew cab has two rows of seats. The front row, (including the driver's seat and 1 or 2 passenger seats) and a second row, allowing a further two or three passengers to travel in the cab.

A van or truck with an open load area that has short vertical sides and a vertical tailgate. The side panels are known as dropsides because they can be unfastened and opened outwards - so that they hang down vertically, leaving the load area open.

Dropsides are particularly useful for awkward-shaped, large loads and for transporting building supplies and other such items.

The best-known extra-long wheelbase van is the Mercedes Sprinter - with a load compartment 4.7m long. These extra long panel vans were developed to take a full-sized roll of carpet - 4m long - but have become popular with all sorts of people who appreciate the combination of 3.5 tonne rating and cavernous load space.

The internal space in a van that can be used to carry cargo.

The name given to longer vans with bigger load areas. The wheelbase is the distance between the front and rear wheels - the longer it is, the more you can fit in.

A Luton van is a 3.5t van with a box body that extends over the cab. These have a bigger, more flexible load space than a panel van (see below) and are ideal for furniture and household moves.

The name given to longer vans with bigger load areas. The wheelbase is the distance between the front and rear wheels - the longer it is, the more you can fit in.

The number of miles you can drive a vehicle on one gallon of fuel. One gallon is equal to 4.54 litres.

Medium Wheel Base - halfway between SWB (short wheel base) and LWB (long wheel base) in length.

A "normal" Transit-style van, with a panelled body that is similar to a car body.

The load of a van - usually used to describe the maximum weight load a van can carry - e.g. a payload of 900kg

A car or van-based vehicle with an open rear load area that has fixed vertical sides and an opening tailgate to enclose the load and to allow easy loading and unloading.

An alternative to barn doors - a sliding door that covers the whole of the rear of the van, and simply rolls up into the roof to allow goods to be loaded into the cargo area. Luton vans normally have roller doors. These don't usually lock with the van's locking system - you'll usually need a padlock to fasten it closed.

The shipping dimensions - length, height and (sometimes) width - of a van are the measurements required when booking a van on a ferry crossing. To ensure that the van will fit on board and that the ferry company can make best use of their vehicle decks, these dimensions must be complete - i.e. any roof racks or other extensions front and rear must be included.

The name given to shorter vans - usually not much longer than a medium-sized car. The wheel base is the distance between the front and rear wheels. A short wheel base van will be easier to park and manoeuvre in small spaces but will have a smaller load space.

A van or pickup with a single cab that has just one row of seats. This consists of the driver's seat and one or two passenger seats.

Side Loading Door - the sliding side door on the near side of almost all panel vans. Very useful for loading from a pavement, or when there is not room to open the van's rear doors. Also allows you to access the front of the load space without having to climb in from the back.

The name given to shorter vans - usually not much longer than a medium-sized car. The wheel base is the distance between the front and rear wheels. A short wheel base van will be easier to park and manoeuvre in small spaces but will have a smaller load space.

A hydraulic platform that unfolds from the rear of a van or truck to allow heavy or bulky goods to be lifted from the load space down to pavement or road level. Unusual in panel vans, very common in Luton vans - but not all have one, so if you think you will need one, make sure you ask for it.

At the rear of a pickup, dropside or tipper van or truck, the load area will be enclosed by a vertical panel. This is the tailgate. Most tailgates are hinged at the bottom to allow them to open outwards and provide flat access to the load area.

On tippers, the tailgates are hinged at the top and can be unfastened at the bottom. This means that when tipping, the tailgate swings away from the load area, allowing the load to slide out underneath the tailgate, onto the ground.

A tipper is a van or truck with a load area that can be mechanically raised up at an angle to allow the load (usually sand, gravel, etc) to be "tipped" out onto the ground behind the vehicle, thus saving it being unloaded by hand.

A term generally used to describe goods vehicles of 3.5t maximum laden weight upwards. Not usually used for vans.

The weight of a van (or any vehicle) without any passengers or luggage/load.

The distance between the front and rear wheels of a van. Used to indicate the size of the van - i.e. the longer it is, the larger its load space will be.

The best-known extra-long wheelbase van is the Mercedes Sprinter - with a load compartment 4.2m long. Ford also offer the Transit Jumbo, which is almost identical in size. These extra long panel vans were developed to take a full-sized roll of carpet - 4m long - but have become popular with all sorts of people who appreciate the combination of 3.5 tonne rating and cavernous load space.