Box truck, Sprinter van or cargo van delivery service: which do you need?
A Sprinter van delivery service and a box truck delivery service solve the same problem at two sizes: a load that is too big for a car, moving across town today, with a driver who stays with it from pickup to drop-off. Picking the right one is the biggest lever on price, because a box truck starts at more than twice the cost of a van.
| Cargo van (including Sprinter-size) | 20 to 26 ft box truck | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Cartons, parts, displays, tall or awkward items | Pallets, furniture, fixtures, crates, full store or event loads |
| Loading | By hand, with a second person for heavy pieces | Liftgate or pallet jack where there is no dock |
| Starting at (first 20 miles) | $80 | $200 |
| Extras, quoted when needed | Second person, waiting, added stops | Liftgate, pallet jack, second person, added stops |
For documents and small parcels, a car from $45 is cheaper than either; see same-day courier service.
Sprinter van delivery service
Cargo vans in our driver network include Sprinter-size high-roof vans: full-size vans with more than 6 ft of interior height, so tall items travel upright. Sprinter van delivery is the workhorse of our cargo van delivery service: multi-carton orders, auto and equipment parts, retail displays, sample runs, rolled goods and anything tall that would not lie flat in a car. The longest high-roof vans typically take up to three standard pallets when a dock or forklift can load them.
Vans in the network vary by make and length, so send the dimensions of your largest piece and we will confirm the fit. Without a dock or forklift, a van is loaded by hand. If one piece is too heavy for the driver alone, add a second person, or move up to a box truck with a liftgate.
How big is a box truck, and how many pallets fit?
Box trucks commonly run from 10 to 26 ft of cargo length. The ones in our driver network are 20 to 26 ft. A typical 26 ft box is about 8 ft wide and 8 ft high inside, which leaves room for two standard 48 by 40 inch pallets side by side with the 40 inch edge across the truck. Six rows of two is why a 26 ft box truck is usually quoted at about 12 pallets on the floor. A 20 ft box is often a little narrower as well as shorter.
Weight runs out before floor space with dense freight such as stone, tile or paper, so the total weight matters as much as the pallet count. Very heavy loads are priced on your quote, so send the total weight with the pallet count.
Large item courier and delivery for businesses
For businesses, large item delivery usually means one of these:
- Furniture for retailers, showrooms and designers, delivered to their customers or project sites.
- Store fixtures and displays for openings, resets and pop-ups.
- Equipment such as machines, racking and appliances moving between sites or to a customer.
- Crated displays and set pieces for retailers and production companies, covered in more detail under entertainment and production logistics.
- Convention and live event loads: move-in windows, show paperwork and storage between shows are covered under trade show logistics.
Hotel and commercial fit-outs, where furniture and fixtures arrive floor by floor, are covered under hospitality and FF&E logistics. When an item has to be carried inside, placed and unpacked, white glove delivery starts at $160 by cargo van and $325 by box truck for a local delivery. We are a business-to-business large item courier, so we do not handle household moves or residential relocations.
Same day freight delivery by box truck
LTL freight moves through terminals, which is efficient but rarely same day. Local pallet runs and expedited box truck runs often go the same day instead: a box truck picks the pallets up and drives them straight to the receiver. You can follow the truck in our online shipper portal: the driver’s live location, onsite updates at each dock, and pickup and delivery updates with photos of the pallets as they were handed over. Box trucks are available in every service area, from Fresno to San Diego. Typical same day freight runs include a supplier’s pallets to a store before a launch, stock between two warehouses, or a part shipment to a manufacturing line.
Pallets that arrive before the receiver is ready can be held at our Valencia warehouse and delivered on the right day. For resets, openings or event load-ins, a driver and truck can be booked for a day or set hours, and regular runs can become a scheduled route quoted per stop or per route.
When a day or two is fine, or the pallets are going farther, pallet shipping by LTL is usually cheaper, with ground transit of 1 to 2 days to most of the West through ground carriers.
Liftgate, pallet jack and a second person
These add-ons apply only when a stop needs them, and they appear on your written quote before the driver goes:
- Liftgate. Lowers pallets and heavy pieces to the ground where there is no loading dock.
- Pallet jack. Moves pallets from the liftgate to the door or receiving area.
- Second person. For heavy or bulky pieces, stairs or long carries.
Waiting time, added stops and after-hours or weekend timing work the same way.
What to send for a box truck or van quote
Send the pickup and delivery addresses, what is moving (pieces or pallets, dimensions and total weight), whether each end has a dock, any stairs or long carries, and the time window. With those details, a coordinator can match the van or truck and price the run. Once your account is set up, you can book runs in the portal or connect your own TMS to it, and business clients are invoiced. For what sets the price of a run, see the Los Angeles courier cost guide, then start with a quote request or call (661) 344-8766.
Smaller loads by car are covered on our courier service in Los Angeles page.
