SWB Van Courier
One standard pallet or up to 800kg, collected within 60 minutes and driven direct on your own dedicated van and driver. No hub, no sorting depot, no waiting for a slot on tomorrow’s run.
- Fully insured
- DBS-checked drivers
- 4.9 rating
Get a Quote in Minutes
Tell us what’s moving and where it needs to be. A real person quotes you back fast, day or night.
When should you book an SWB van?
Book an SWB van when your load is one standard pallet, loose freight up to around 800kg, or anything too big for a small van but not wide enough to need a Luton. It’s collected within 60 minutes on a dedicated vehicle, with one fixed price agreed before the driver leaves.
The SWB van, short for short wheelbase, is the size most same day bookings in the UK actually need. Think Transit Custom or Vivaro. It swallows one full pallet or around 800kg of loose freight, cruises a motorway run without drama, and still threads down a tight London side street. New medium van registrations fell 20.7% to 51,639 units across 2025, according to SMMT’s 2025 van market figures, yet this shape remains the backbone of same day work nationwide. Not sure it’s right for your load? Keep reading.
Load Dimensions & Payload
| Specification | Typical capacity |
|---|---|
| Load length | Approx. 2.4–2.6m |
| Load width | Approx. 1.7m (1.2m between wheel arches) |
| Load height | Approx. 1.4m |
| Payload | Up to approx. 800–900kg |
| Pallet capacity | 1 standard UK pallet (1200×1000mm) |
| Best for | Single pallets, engine and gearbox parts, machinery components, bulk boxes and small removals |
Why Controllers Reach for the SWB First
Across the UK, palletised goods are the single most common way freight moves by road, making up 27% of all journeys, according to the Department for Transport’s 2025 road freight statistics. Route it through a network and your pallet queues at a regional hub, gets grouped with other people’s freight, and might land a day or two later. Send it on an SWB van instead and it’s loaded once at your bay, driven straight there by the same driver who collected it, and signed for the same afternoon. That’s why it’s usually the first van a controller offers when you call about a same day pallet delivery.
Built for the Jobs a Small Van Can’t Handle
Around 2.5 metres of load length gives an SWB van room for shelving units, doors, worktops and flat-pack furniture that simply won’t go in anything smaller. Machine parts, engine blocks and gearboxes travel strapped down and protected rather than rattling around loose. Need a second or third pallet, or a longer load? Step up to the LWB van. Loading without a forklift or a dock? The tail-lift Luton takes the lifting out of it.
Who Books an SWB Van
Manufacturing sites send engines, gearboxes and machine parts on this van every day, often with a production line waiting on the other end. Print and media teams use it for proofs, reels and event signage that has to land before a deadline. Retailers and ecommerce sellers book it too, moving a full pallet of stock between a warehouse and a store overnight or the same morning. Automotive is the same story. Garages and dealers rely on it for time-critical car parts courier runs when a vehicle is off the road and every hour on the ramp costs money.
Booking, Insurance and What Happens Next
Call or request a quote online and a controller confirms your price before anything moves, with no hidden extras added later. Your driver is dispatched and collects within 60 minutes, then drives your load direct to its destination on a dedicated run, not a shared one. Every job runs under hire and reward insurance alongside separate goods in transit cover, so your freight is protected as well as the vehicle. You’ll get proof of delivery the moment it’s signed for. A real person answers the phone around the clock if you need an update.
Not Sure It Fits? We’ll Confirm It
Send a photo and rough measurements and a controller will confirm the right vehicle with a fixed price on the same call.
Compare With the Rest of the Fleet
From a single envelope to five pallets, we match the vehicle to your consignment, so you never pay for space you don’t need.
Small Van
Boxes, parts and fragile items up to roughly 400kg, quick through town and easy on the wallet.
SWB Van
Up to one standard pallet or around 800kg, the workhorse van most same day jobs run on.
LWB Van
Up to three pallets, 4m loads and roughly 1,200kg for long, awkward or multi-pallet freight.
Luton Van (Tail Lift)
Up to five pallets or 1,000kg with tail-lift loading, so no forklift is needed at either end.
Compare All Vehicles
Load lengths, payloads and pallet capacities side by side, so you can pick the right van in seconds.
Compare and Explore
SWB Van Courier: Frequently Asked Questions
Can an SWB van carry a full pallet?
Yes. An SWB van takes one standard 1200 x 1000mm UK pallet, loaded by forklift, pump truck or with driver assistance depending on what’s available at your site. It’s the most common single-pallet booking on the fleet.
What’s the maximum weight an SWB van can carry?
Payload tops out at around 800 to 900kg. Give the controller an accurate weight when you book, because it keeps the vehicle legal and your fixed price accurate from the start.
What’s the longest item an SWB van can carry?
Around 2.4 to 2.6 metres internally. Anything longer, or a second and third pallet, needs the LWB van instead, and a controller will steer you to the right one when you call.
Do I need a forklift to load an SWB van?
Not always. A forklift or loading dock makes a pallet easy, but the driver can assist with hand-loadable freight. For a heavy pallet with no forklift on site, the tail-lift Luton is the better choice.
Do I need special insurance to book an SWB van courier?
No, that’s on us. Every SWB van booking runs under hire and reward insurance plus separate goods in transit cover, so both the vehicle and your freight are protected for the whole journey.
How is SWB van courier pricing worked out?
You get one fixed, all-inclusive price agreed before collection, not a per-mile rate that can move once you’re committed. Same day courier pricing varies enormously across the market by distance and vehicle size, which is exactly why we quote the job itself before your driver leaves.
“A pallet of components from Croydon to Coventry, booked at 8am, delivered by 12.30pm. Our line never stopped.”
— Buyer, engineering firm, Croydon
Need It There Today? Speak to a Courier Now
No call centres and no queues. You speak directly to the person handling your delivery, with a fixed quote in minutes and collection inside the hour.