Walk-in van bodies, also known as stepvans, are mounted on strip chassis manufactured mainly by Ford and Freightliner Custom Chassis. A strip chassis is a “bare” chassis with engine and drivetrain but no cab. The body structure is built as a “unibody” fabrication, designed for full standing in the cab area and unimpeded access to the cargo area, as there is no separating “wall.”
Walk-in van bodies range in GVWR from 11,500 lbs. to 30,000 lbs., and the entire van unit is manufactured on the strip chassis from the ground up by the body fabricator—resulting largely in a “unibody” structure. Key suppliers of strip chassis are Ford for gasoline applications and Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp., specializing in diesel.
Walk-in Style vans were introduced a few years ago by the Shyft Group/Utilimaster as a lower price-point alternative to the traditional walk-in vans on strip chassis. These vans, mounted on cutaway/modified cab chassis have the desirable features of a traditional walk-in van (on strip chassis) but is sold at a lower price point when compared to the traditional walk-in vans.
Currently Utilimaster is the only company manufacturing walk-in style vans.
A few manufacturers also fabricate monocoque walk-in vans (gas powered and electric powered). These integrate both body and chassis into a single unit.
