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How to Specify a Closed Van Truck Body: Doors, Material, Floor and Options

A closed van body protects cargo from weather, dust and theft, and it is the standard choice for parcels, retail goods, furniture, electronics and packaged products. Two van bodies can look the same from the outside and still behave very differently in daily use: the door layout decides how fast the truck can be loaded, the material decides payload and service life, and the floor decides what the body can carry. Qingdao Hailong Machinery Group builds closed van bodies with side-door, rear-door and special-purpose options in steel or aluminum. This guide walks through the decisions to make before you order.

1. Start with the cargo and the route

Write down what the truck carries, how it is packed and how it is loaded. Palletized goods loaded by forklift at a dock need a different body from loose cartons loaded by hand at the kerb. Note the typical trip as well: many short urban stops favor more door openings, while long-distance freight favors a simple, well-sealed body with the most usable volume.

2. Door layout: rear, side or both

• Rear doors are the basic layout and suit dock loading and pallets loaded end-on.
• Side doors let the driver reach cargo without unloading from the back, which saves time on multi-drop delivery routes.
• Combined side and rear opening gives the most flexibility for mixed loads and forklift loading from the side.

Hailong offers optional side and rear opening structures. Tell us how the truck is loaded at each end of the trip and we will suggest a door arrangement.

3. Steel or aluminum

Hailong builds van bodies in steel or aluminum.

If the truck often runs near its weight limit, the payload gained with aluminum can pay back over time. If loading is rough and repairs are done locally, steel is often the practical choice. Read our full comparison of steel vs aluminum cargo bodies.

4. Dimensions and chassis fit

Length, width and height can be configured. Start from the chassis model and wheelbase, the space behind the cab and any legal limits on overall size in your market. Inside dimensions matter most to the user: check pallet size and how many pallets must fit side by side.

5. Floor and structure

The floor carries the load and takes forklift wheels and dropped cartons. Hailong floors are built from longitudinal beams, cross beams and bottom plates that are positioned, welded and inspected, and the floor material can be configured. Tell us the heaviest single item and whether forklifts drive into the body, so the floor and cross-beam spacing can be sized.

6. Corrosion protection and finish

Steel van bodies are fully e-coated and finished with high-temperature baking paint. E-coating reaches seams, corners and the inside of profiles, where corrosion usually starts. A good finish also matters because the large flat sides of a van body often carry customer branding.

7. Special-purpose versions

Beyond standard cargo vans, Hailong can build a hazardous-goods style van body by request. Share the cargo class and the regulations that apply in your market so the structure and fittings can be reviewed before quoting.

FAQ

Can you build to our drawing? Yes. Hailong can build by drawing, by sample or to a target specification, and our engineers review the structure before quoting.

Do you supply spare parts? Yes. Floor, front, side and rear boards and body accessories are available.

What is your capacity? Truck body production is based in the group's Bei'an Intelligent Manufacturing Park, with capacity of about 30,000 cargo body sets a year.

What should I send for a quotation? Chassis model and wheelbase, cargo type, target payload, inside dimensions, door layout, steel or aluminum, quantity, destination market and drawings if available.

Not sure a van is the right body? Read how to choose a truck cargo body and how truck cargo bodies are made.

About Hailong Group

Hailong Group was founded in 1955 and is certified to IATF 16949, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.