Where do Luton Vans Originally Come From?

The iconic Luton van originates from the town of Luton in Bedfordshire, UK, this is also home to the Bedford heavy commercial vehicle plant that produced the popular Bedford model. The body of the Luton van consists of an enclosed box-shaped body or curtain side. This allows goods to be loaded through the side if necessary. The part of the body that rests on top of the cab is sometimes known as a Luton or a kick.

Luton vans were designed originally to transport large volumes of low-density loads, especially straw hats which formed a large part of Luton’s local industry. These straw hats were wrapped in long cylinders, so they’d fit in the van. Earlier models of the Luton vans used Bedford chassis.

What are the benefits for Courier services that use a Luton Van?

Luton vans are now made by companies such as Ford, Mercedes & Iveco, and these vehicles are commonly used by courier companies, haulage firms, and removal companies for the delivery of large, bulky, difficult-to-load, and oversized items.

They are a fantastic option for transporting many different items, and there are numerous benefits for any courier services that use them.

The Luton body comes as either a solid box van or a curtain side which is great for loading larger loads through the side.

Here at Greg Paulson Same Day Couriers, we often use Luton vans due to their versatility. Both Luton box vans and Luton vans with a curtain side are invaluable to our business. We often use them to move large crates containing engineering machinery to power stations throughout the UK, also heavy, odd-shaped in-store display units/materials to many high street stores such as Selfridges & JD Sports, in the UK and Europe.

Office removals can often be difficult due to the different shape sizes and shapes of the furniture and equipment, but the Luton vans have adequate space to load office furniture, and kitchen appliances as it's literally a huge empty box on wheels.

Luton vans also come with tail lifts fitted to the rear of the vehicle. These are perfect for lifting heavy items such as pallets, office furniture, desks, and filing cabinets up to the level of the loading area.