The History of the Step Van and curbside delivery vans.

Early History of the term Van: The word van is a shortened version of the word caravan, which originally meant in the olden days a covered vehicle. The first generation of American vans were the 1960s compact vans, which were patterned in size after the Volkswagen Bus. Basically named a "Step Van because a delivery man could step-up into one via low van steps built under the doors, while standing up-right. He could also stand up in one from the drivers seat and in the cargo area.

Therefore the North American STEP VAN was named this way because of the ease with which one can step in and out of it. Now wonder it became the standard truck type Widely used by delivery services, courier companies and the parcel division of the US Postal Service and Canada Post. They are often seen driven with the door open, especially in big cities. Step vans have more obviously boxy shapes and higher rooftops than other vans, and they are rarely employed for carrying passengers. Many are converted as food service mobile kitchens and frozen or softserve Ice Cream Trucks with a service window where the vendor can stand up.

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Other Types of Vans: The standard, or full size, vans appeared with Ford's innovation of moving the engine forward under a short hood and using pickup truck components and taillights. The engine cockpit housing is often called a dog house. Over time, they evolved longer noses and sleeker shapes and a lot more head room in the storage or cargo areas.

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The Corvair-based entry even aped the rear-mounted, air-cooled engine design. The Ford Falcon had a flat nose, with the engine mounted between and behind the front seats. The Dodge A100 had a similar layout and could accommodate a V-8. Chevrolet also switched to this layout. The early Ford, Dodge and Corvair vans were also produced as pickup trucks.

In urban areas of the United States full-size vans have been used as commuter vans since 1971, when Dodge introduced a van that could transport up to 15 passengers. Many mobile businesses use a van to carry almost their entire business to various places where they work. For instance, there are those who come to homes or places of business to perform services or to install or repair appliances.

Historic 1952 Mercedes Benz Panel delivery Van in Museum display condition

The 1960's VW Mini Bus Hippie conversion vans started the van craze. Conversions for personal motor homes became very popular, drawing the interest of recreational vehicle manufacturers. Based upon that, cutaway van chassis were developed in the early 1970s to accommodate demand for conversions which were heavier and wider than the standard production vans completed by the major auto and truck manufacturers (i.e. Chevrolet-GM, Dodge, and Ford). As they began working on bigger models of their popular light-duty van products, they developed cutaway van chassis solely for use by second stage manufacturers.

Before the vans of th e60's and 70's came the ultra collectable Divco Motors Delivey Vans .Divco stands for Detroit Industrial Vehicles Company. Founded in 1926, Divco was well-known for its pioneering delivery vehicles, especially the original milk delivery trucks. From 1926 until 1986, Divco produced multi-stop delivery trucks unlike any others. Only the VW Beetle stayed in production with the same basic model for a longer period of time.

  Divco was a brand name of delivery trucks in the United States. Divco is an acronym which stands for Detroit Industrial Vehicles Company. Founded in 1926, Divco was well-known for its pioneering delivery vehicles, especially the home delivery milk trucks. From 1926 until 1986, Divco produced multi-stop delivery trucks unlike any others. Only the VW Beetle stayed in production with the same basic model for a longer period of time. Divco trucks have become popular collectible vehicles today.

In 1957, Divco merged with the Wayne Works based in Richmond, Indiana to form Divco-Wayne. During the Divco-Wayne era, some Divco trucks were modified with seats and windows from the Wayne Works to produce a Divco Dividend Bus. But very few of these units were built between 1959 and 1961. The truck manufacturing of Divco-Wayne continued to be through the Divco portion. Divco was spun-off from the company in 1968, and production ended in 1986. (Wayne became an Indian Head company, and continued manufacturing buses until bankruptcy and liquidation in 1992).

Many delivery Step vans use a cutaway van chassis. These are used by second stage manufacturers like Union City Body and Utilimaster for a wide range of completed step van styled motor vehicles. Especially popular in the United States, they are usually based upon incomplete vans made by manufacturers such as Chrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors which are generally equipped with heavier components than most of their complete products. To these incomplete vehicles, a second stage manufacturer adds specific equipment and completes the vehicle. Common applications of this type of vehicle design and manufacturing includes small trucks, Delivery trucks, Ice Cream Step Vans, small school buses, recreational vehicles,and ambulances.

A sedan delivery (Car derived van in British English, commonly called a delivery in US) is a two-door station wagon with solid panels in place of the rear side windows. They were almost always ordered from the factory with few or no options and spartan trim. They were used in the same way a delivery van is used today, by businesses ranging from plumbers to bakeries, and are now popular in hot rod circles. With the growing sales of the Volkswagen Microvan, they faded from the scene. Chevrolet dropped the body type in 1960 while Ford moved it to the Ford Falcon line-up until 1965. Pontiac produced them through 1953 in the U.S. and 1958 in Canada. Plymouth produced them for a short while until 1937. Manufacturers attempted a comeback with sedan delivery versions of the Chevrolet Vega and Ford Pinto wagons in the 1970s.The first General Motors van was the Chevrolet Corvair-based Greenbrier van, introduced for 1961, which used a flat-6 opposed rear engine with air cooling, inspired by the Volkswagen bus.

A panel van (or panelvan) is a form of delivery van, and in some national usages it is distinct from a purpose-designed van, in that it is based on a family car chassis. Elsewhere in the world it applies to any solid (rigid-bodied, non-articulated) van, smaller than a lorry or truck (although the latter is also a vague definition), without any rear side windows — in this usage the term is fairly interchangeable with simply "panel van". Indeed, in this latter case it tends to imply a vehicle larger than one based on a passenger car.

Utilimaster Corporation produces customized Parcel Delivery Vans (PDVs), walk-in vans (also known as step vans), and truck bodies. It was founded in 1973 in Wakarusa, Indiana. Previously owned by Holiday Rambler and then Harley-Davidson, it was bought by senior management along with an investment group led by Kirkland Messina for $65 million in 1996. Union City Body Company, a former competitor from Union City, Indiana, was bought by Utilimaster Corp. for an undisclosed amount on November 16, 2005. Utilimaster's customers include FedEx, United States Postal Service, UPS, Canada Post, Purolator, Airborne, Budget, Penske, Ryder TRS, Frito-Lay, Keebler, Krispy Kreme, IBC, Canadian Linen and Uniform Service, Cintas, AmeriPride, Verizon, Apria Health Care, and Home Depot. These Utilimaster Step Vans with Chevrolet V6 or V8 diesel engines are the workhorses of todays'  Step Van INdustry.

Walk-in trucks or delivery vans (Also known as step vans), are the primary product of Utilimaster Corporation. They are received as bare chassis with the entire truck built from raw material. Cabs in these trucks have 1 or 2 doors that are sedan or sliding types. The sliding doors are often capable of being locked in the open position for low-speed driving during deliveries. Most are built now with Aluminum parts to save weight and eliminate rusting.

The cabs also allow full access to the cargo of the trucks in most configurations. Some trucks also have side access doors while nearly all allow outside cargo entry from roll-up or hinged doors. These trucks are the most customizable and can be modified to incredibly diverse possibilities including air conditioning, oxygen tanks, laundry racks, hinged shelving, lift-gates, airtight construction, windows, extra seating, etc.

Truck body Step Vans: The final truck type that is produced by Utilimaster. These are also finished cabs that are larger vehicles that simply have a box attached to the back before painting. These tend to be large diesel trucks used by Budget and Old Dominion that are capable of hauling more or larger products than the other trucks produced. Access to the cargo area in these trucks is always possible through a rear door and sometimes through a side-access door if available. However, there is rarely, if ever, access available through the cab to the cargo area. These boxes are also generally produced with wood flooring and wood slats on the interior walls.


Multi-Stop trucks(also known as Walk-In Delivery Vans) are a type of light-duty and medium-duty truck created for local deliveries to residences and businesses. They are almost always forward-control vehicles, designed to be driven either sitting down or standing up, and often provide easy access between the driver and goods, hence the name "Walk-In Delivery" van. They are larger in height than full-size vans such as the Ford Econoline, Dodge A-Series/B-Series/Ram Vans, and Chevrolet P10 -20 or P30 Series vans, but can have wheelbases that are shorter than these models or longer. Though commonly referred to as "bread trucks" and "bakery trucks," trucks like these are used for delivering may other goods and services. May have also referred to them as "Step-Vans".

Partially due to their size, they've also been used as large ambulances. Subsequently, fire departments have also used them for this purpose, as well as for utility vehicles, radio command centers, canteens, and other secondary work. Police S.W.A.T. teams and other special units have used them as well. The opening theme from the 1975-76 police action series S.W.A.T. was noted for containing such a step van.

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The famous UPS Walk-in Delivery Vans Postal workers also use them in larger deliveries. Parcel companies such as United Parcel Service and Federal Express have used them for decades. Since 1966, Grumman-Olson has made UPS trucks designed excusively for that company. Ice cream distributors such as Mister Softee and others have found these types of trucks to be far more suitable than cowl-and-chassis-based pickup trucks. Many have been converted into "Jitney" buses. Some are converted into motor homes either by manufacturers or private citizens who buy used models.


Chevrolet Step-Van and it's dopple ganger GMC Value Van, were successors to the shared "Dubl-Duti" delivery vans. They had classifcations as light as 1/2 ton trucks, and as heavy as 2 ton trucks. They've also offered stripped-chassis versions which can be used for made-to-order bodies. Motor Homes built around Step-Vans & Value Vans became the basis for the GMC Motor Home, which was built between 1973 and 1978.

An ice cream van (British) or ice cream truck (American) is a commercial vehicle which serves as a travelling retail outlet for ice cream, usually during the summer. Ice cream vans are often seen parked at public events, or near parks, beaches, or other areas where people congregate. Ice cream vans often travel near where children play — outside schools, in residential areas, or in other locations. They usually stop briefly before moving on to the next street.

Ice cream vans are often brightly decorated and carry images of ice cream, or some other adornment, such as cartoon characters. They may have painted-on notices, which can serve a commercial purpose ("Stop me and buy one!") or a more serious one ("Watch that child!" - serving as a warning to passing motorists that children may run out into the road at the sight of the van, or appear without warning from behind it). Along the sides, a large sliding window acts as a serving hatch, and this is often covered with small pictures of the available products, with their associated prices. A distinctive feature of ice cream vans is their melodic chimes, and often these take the form of a famous and recognizable tune, usually "The Entertainer", or, in the United Kingdom, "Greensleeves" and Swedish Rhapsody.

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Novelty ice cream trucks... Professionally built ice cream trucks that sell prepackaged product (Novelty Trucks) use commercial cold plate freezers that plug in overnight and when unplugged maintain the cold for at least 12 hours. Music systems are commonly digital devices that have no tape or other moving parts. Each "Music Box" has as few as 1 or as many tunes as one can have programmed onto the chip. The opening on the side that drivers serve from is commonly referred to as a serving window and will usually have a serving counter. Awnings can be attached to trucks over the serving window. Safety equipment usually comes in the form of an electric or vacuum swing out sign which may resemble a stop sign or a triangular shape, as well as vinyl lettering or decals that advise others to use caution. In some locations, ice cream van operators have diversified to fill gaps in the market for soft drinks, using their capacity for refrigerated storage to sell chilled cans and bottles. We have completely converted used Ice Cream Trucks with or without cold plate freezers for immediate sale. Click here for some current listings of Ice Cream Step Vans for sale

Early vans used relatively primitive techniques: their refrigeration was ensured by large blocks of dry ice so the motor was always turned off when the van was stopped for sales. The chimes were operated by a hand driven crank or a take-off from the motor, so they were not heard as often.A food truck or mobile kitchen is a mobile venue that sells food. Some, including ice cream trucks, sell mostly frozen or prepackaged food; others are more like restaurants-on-wheels.

Food trucks make frequent appearances at carnivals, construction sites, and other temporary venues where large numbers of people gather. They can also be found at or near college campuses, office complexes, auto repair shops, movie sets and military bases, and often boast loyal followings. In the United Kingdom, these are known as snack vans and can be found on nearly all major trunk roads at the side of the road selling their food. Many people prefer to stop at one of these Burger vans when travelling due to the cheap price, rather than stop at a motorway service station where prices can be extremely high. In Canada, they are known as 'chip wagons'. In the US, they may whimsically be called 'roach coaches'.

A catering food truck enables a vendor to sell a larger volume than a cart and to reach a larger market. The service is similar; the truck carries a stock of prepared foods that customers can buy. Ice cream vans are a familiar example of a catering truck in Canada, the United States and United Kingdom. A mobile kitchen is a modified van with a built-in grill, deep fryer, or other cooking equipment. It offers more flexibility in the menu since the vendor can prepare food to order as well as fresh foods in advance. A vendor can choose to park the van in one place, as with a cart, or to broaden the business's reach by driving the van to several customer locations. Examples of mobile kitchens include taco trucks on the west coast of the United States, especially Southern California, and fish and chips vans in the United Kingdom.

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A concession trailer has preparation equipment like a mobile kitchen, but it cannot move on its own. As such it is suited for events lasting several days, such as funfairs.

 Wouldn't it be wonderful to wake up in the morning knowing that everyday you were working for yourself in a profitable delivery route business that is recession proof? We'll now's the right time for you to consider owning an affordable mobile business by buying a reliable Step Van from CK Corporation of Centerline MI.

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