Commercial vehicle jargon buster

When you’re looking at investing in a commercial vehicle, you will no doubt come across some industry-specific terms that might throw you off a little. We’ve put together a comprehensive guide on all the common commercial vehicle acronyms and phrases to make your next purchase as smooth as can be.

Here’s our commercial vehicle jargon buster.

Backload

By booking a job that allows you to fill an empty commercial vehicle on your way back to a base or depot from another job, you are efficiently maximising utilisation.

Braked/unbraked towing weight

The towing capacity of a vehicle is split into two figures: Braked weight, referring to the maximum weight that can be towed if the trailer being towed has its own independent brakes, and Unbraked weight, the maximum weight that can be towed if the trailer being towed doesn’t have its own brakes.

Chassis cab

Before a converter fits the required body to a commercial vehicle, it is referred to as a chassis cab.

Crew cab

A four- to seven-seat van that incorporates a second row of seats in the back so it can transport people as well as a goods.

Drop-side van

An open top and drop-down side allow for easy access into the vehicle, making loading and unloading a breeze. Drop-side vans are often used for transporting loose goods, like soil, sand, or gravel.

Euro pallet

A Euro pallet is a wooden pallet used for storage and transportation. They are a uniform size of 1,200mm x 800mm, and therefore are used by some manufacturers to describe the size of the space in a commercial vehicle.

Flatbed

A flatbed truck has a flat, open cargo area that is often used to transport oversized or oddly-shaped items.

H1/H2/H3

Commercial vehicles’ roof heights are measured using this system. While the actual size may vary between manufacturers, the higher the number = the taller the vehicle.

Kerb weight

This is a vehicle’s weight without passengers or loads but with a full tank of fuel/battery.

L1/L2/L3/L4

Commercial vehicle’s lengths are measured using this system, and it is usually measured by wheelbase. While the actual size may vary between manufacturers, the higher the number = the longer the vehicle.

Load Volume

The amount of space available for cargo.

LCV

Light Commercial Vehicle is any commercial vehicle with a MAM below 3.5 tonnes.

LGV/HGV

Large Goods Vehicle/Heavy Goods Vehicle refers to any commercial vehicle with a MAM above 3.5 tonnes.

MAM

Maximum Authorised Mass, sometimes referred to as Gross Vehicle Weight, is the maximum weight of a vehicle or trailer (including load) that is allowed to be carried when being used on the road. Vehicles with a higher MAM may require the driver to have a specific category of driving licence.

Payload

The weight of both passengers and load that a commercial vehicle is legally allowed to carry. This depends on the individual vehicle, and can be calculated by subtracting the kerb weight from the MAM.

Unladen weight

The weight of a vehicle when there are no passengers, cargo, fuel, or batteries.

VED

Vehicle Excise Duty is commonly known as Road Tax, the rates for which vary depending on a vehicle’s emissions, age, and engine size.

ZEV

Zero Emission Vehicles are vehicles that emit no tailpipe pollutants, such as electric vans.