[dhalltoyo]

According to the Commercial Fleet Truck Mgr where I do business, GM is going to produce a 4500 series cargo van during their next production run in 2009.

At first, I thought he was talking about a Kodiak cutaway chassis, which is a 4500 or 5500 series, but he informed me that this will actually be a cargo van.

The GVWR is going to be greater than 10,000lbs.

[LDB]

That will be an interesting vehicle to see. I've thought about a 17' Aerocell body on a Kodiak 4500 with 3 floor spots plus enough room for a decent sleeper. I suspect it's only a matter of time till vans have to log anyway.

[fastrod]

Vans will never be required to log. The only reason you are required to have operating authority to run a van is so the feds can make sure you have the proper insurance. Outside of that they really do not want to be bothered by van operators

[RLENT]

Originally Posted by fastrod

Vans will never be required to log .... they really do not want to be bothered by van operators

Ya gotta think that unless there was a significant exemption (say the 150 air mile radius) that requiring vans to log would result in a huge increase of workload, record-keeping, etc. .....

Leo - you sorta been pushing "vans will be required to log" for awhile here - I'm curious .... what exactly are you basing that on ?

The only thing I've really heard on it is that there was a move afoot in Congress to actually raise the weight required for logging and scaling to around 14K or 15K - and exempt everything below that ..... dunno the actual sponsors of the legislation offhand tho' .... and don't suppose it is likely to happen with the Dems controlling both Houses of Congress.

[OntarioVanMan]

I don't know if I'd say never...the van makers are so close to the limit now..Dodge seems to know the limit...look at the 07 Sprinter at 9990 gvrw. By rating these over 10,000 they take themselves out of a bigger market...GM should really look at rating the 4500 at 9990. It may not be the Feds that make us log but the automakers.

[terryandrene]

We've often commented in the past that a heavily overladen cargo van, particularly a quasi-regulated expediter, will eventually be involved in a serious accident requiring investigation by the NTSB. A possible outcome would be van logging regulations.

[OntarioVanMan]

Originally Posted by terryandrene

We've often commented in the past that a heavily overladen cargo van, particularly a quasi-regulated expediter, will eventually be involved in a serious accident requiring investigation by the NTSB. A possible outcome would be van logging regulations.

a quasi-regulated expediter...one that insists on swaps and xdocks and safety breaks and then asks you to put on 3500lbs in the next breath!!!

[fastman_1]

Sooner or Later a Bored Lawmaker will look out his Window a see a Cargo Van Unloading in the Street and Wonder whatelse can I do to get into his Pocket?? I agree with Leo and Terry on this.

[OntarioVanMan]

Considering the average age of the present forum members and considering how long it takes the Hill to do anything...We'll prolly not see that in our lifetime...unless as terry said there's a serious accident and the lawmakers have one of them knee jerk reactions.

[LDB]

Terry gives the answer I see as very likely. There will be an incident that will be the catalyst. The other possibility is one of the watchdog groups will figure out those are more commercial vehicles terrorizing our highways and them so they'll decide vans should log also. It's just a feeling I have but I believe the odds are slightly in it's favor.

[RLENT]

Fair enough - reasonable scenarios by both Terry and Leo. Being a fan of less governmental regulation as a general principal, I hope I don't see it in my lifetime.

[Moot]

With a GVWR over 10,000# I would image this van has dual rear wheels. GM is probably going after the construction trades market. A van is more secure than a pickup truck for storing tools and equipment and it should be able to pull a trailer with a Bobcat, trencher or other machines.

[greg334]

What I think is funny is that these will not be under 10k but be like the E450 and E550, which came in configurations up to 19k.

Logging, it is not a van. It is a truck in compact configuration.

Beside what triggered this is the sale of the GM's medium duty truck line to navistar. They can beef up their full framed vans up to 16k.

[Crazynuff]

Originally Posted by dhalltoyo

According to the Commercial Fleet Truck Mgr where I do business, GM is going to produce a 4500 series cargo van during their next production run in 2009.

At first, I thought he was talking about a Kodiak cutaway chassis, which is a 4500 or 5500 series, but he informed me that this will actually be a cargo van.

The GVWR is going to be greater than 10,000lbs.

If produced by GM it will definitely not be a Kodiak . GM sold their medium duty division to International .

[MSinger]

The new G4500 is scheduled to come out for 2009. However it is not a standard cargo van. It is a cutaway chassis for such uses as cube trucks, ambulances and class-c motorhomes. The GVWR will increase from the available 12,300# currently available on the G3500 to 14,200#.
If you will notice, there are alot more GM van based ambulances lately. Ford announced last year that they would quit offering a diesel in their vans due to the new 6.4L Powerstroke not fitting in the E-Series. Ford has since reniged on that and are now offering a diesel E-Series but only with the leftover 6.0L PowerJokes. Who would go with one of those problem children when you can have a GM Duramax?
Here is a link to a story I found. Current Trucking Industry News: TruckingInfo.com : Your Source for Trucking Information and News