What Freight Can't Go in a Courier Van? A Guide to Vehicle Types

A courier van is not a universal answer to every freight problem. Here’s what actually fits where, and what you’re paying for when you step up to a larger vehicle.

Sedan / car (up to ~200kg, 1.2m longest item)

The default vehicle for small, time-critical freight. Documents, blood samples, small parts, a laptop, a circuit board, a legal envelope. Fast, cheap, parks anywhere. Completely wrong for anything over about 1.2 metres or heavier than the boot can handle.

Van (up to ~800kg, 2.4m longest item, ~7 cubic metres)

The workhorse of the Melbourne courier industry. Flat-pack furniture, cartons, catering equipment, medical device kits, server components, retail stock transfers. Most “courier freight” problems are van problems. A standard pallet at around 250kg can go in a van if it’s low enough to load without a forklift — a tail-lift van is the cleaner option for anything over about 100kg.

• Not suitable for: pallets that need a forklift, lengths over 2.4m, anything over 800kg total.

Ute / one-tonne tray (up to ~1,000kg, 3m+ lengths)

The right vehicle for long items, awkward loads and trade freight. Pipe, conduit, timber, steel sections, panels, machinery components. An automotive parts courier running windscreens and bonnets across Melbourne is usually in a tray vehicle. Loading is manual or from a forklift at the pickup end — there’s no tail-lift.

One-tonne tray with tail-lift (up to ~1,000kg, powered unloading)

For pallets and heavy items going to sites without a forklift. The tail-lift handles the vertical movement; a pallet jack handles the horizontal. Standard configuration for pallet delivery to warehouses and DCs that don’t have a loading dock height match.

Pantech / 3-tonne (up to ~3,000kg, large volume)

Multiple pallets, large consignments, full-tray-load freight. Also the right call when the load is fragile and needs full enclosure rather than open-tray transport. A three-tonne pantech with tail-lift is the largest vehicle in our regular metro fleet.

The rule

Always book to the freight, not the price. A van sent to collect a 600kg pallet from a loading dock that needs a tail-lift arrives, can’t complete the job, and costs you two truck-rolls. Tell dispatch the weight, the dimensions, the pickup access (dock, ground floor, forklift available?) and the delivery access, and the right vehicle is dispatched the first time.

Questions about the right vehicle for your freight? Call 1300 973 038 — the dispatch team quote quickly and don’t send a van where a tray is needed. See the full list of freight types we move, or the pallet delivery page for pallet-specific weight limits and handling options.