Box truck types: the body, cab and axle choices explained

Most lists of box truck types mix three different things together: what the body is made for (dry, refrigerated), how the cab is built (cutaway, cab-over) and what is underneath (axles, floor height). A buyer chooses each of those separately, and every combination is its own truck. This guide splits them apart, explains each type of box trucks with a real published example where one exists, and shows who each one suits.

The three choices behind every box truck

Size sits across all three. Every type below comes in several lengths, and the box truck sizes chart covers those. This page is about style.

Body types

Dry box

The standard type of box truck: an uninsulated box with aluminum or composite walls, a wood or composite floor and a roll-up or swing door at the back. It carries anything that just needs to stay dry and locked up: furniture, appliances, parcels, palletized goods.

• Suits: general freight, moves, final mile delivery.
• Watch: the door opening is smaller than the box. U-Haul's 26 ft truck is 8 ft 3 in tall inside, but its door opening is 6 ft 10 in high.

SOURCE:U-Haul (page snapshot 2026-09-28, Internet Archive), OCT 2026

Refrigerated box

An insulated box with a refrigeration unit, often mounted on the front wall above the cab. It holds a set temperature for food, flowers and other perishables. Insulation takes up inside space, and the unit and its fuel add weight, so a reefer box carries less than a dry box of the same length.

• Suits: food service, grocery, floral, pharmaceuticals.
• Watch: the unit needs its own maintenance schedule, and temperature records matter to receivers. See refrigerated box truck and box truck reefer unit.

Curtain side

A box with fabric sides that slide open along a track, so a forklift can load from the side. It suits freight that is loaded from a yard or warehouse floor rather than a dock.

• Suits: building materials, beverages, palletized freight loaded by forklift.
• Watch: fabric is less secure against theft and weather than a hard wall. See curtain side box truck.

Cab and chassis types

Cutaway

A van front with the rear body removed, so a box can sit right behind the cab. Cutaways are light-duty, and small boxes are commonly built on them.

• Example: U-Haul's 10 ft truck is rated 8,600 lb, and Penske's 12 ft truck up to 9,900 lb.
• Suits: small moves, local delivery, trades.
• Watch: lower payload and a shorter box than medium-duty chassis. See cutaway box truck.

SOURCE:U-Haul (page snapshot 2026-09-28, Internet Archive), OCT 2026;Penske Truck Rental, OCT 2026

Conventional (hood in front)

The engine sits ahead of the cab under a hood, as on a pickup. Many medium-duty box trucks, the 22 to 26 ft builds, use a conventional chassis. Freightliner, for example, lists its M2 106 for pick-up and delivery and food and beverage work in classes 6 to 8, with GVWR up to 66,000 lb.

• Suits: heavier and longer boxes, regional work.
• Watch: the hood adds length, so the truck is longer overall than the box suggests.

SOURCE:Freightliner, OCT 2026

Cab-over

The cab sits on top of the engine, with a flat front and no hood. For the same box, the truck is shorter overall, and the driver sits higher with a clear view of the street. Enterprise rents a 16 ft cab-over box truck listed at 960 cubic feet and up to 7,500 lb of payload on a 14,500 lb rating, against 800 cubic feet and 4,300 lb for Penske's 16 ft box.

• Suits: tight city streets, multi-stop routes, maximum box for a short wheelbase.
• Watch: getting in and out is a climb, and engine access means tilting the cab.

SOURCE:Enterprise Truck Rental, OCT 2026;Penske Truck Rental, OCT 2026

Crew cab

A four-door cab with a second row of seats, so a crew of three or more rides with the truck. Freightliner offers its M2 106 in day, extended and crew cab versions. The longer cab eats into the length left for the box.

• Suits: movers, installers, delivery teams with helpers.
• Watch: a longer truck for the same box. See crew cab box truck.

SOURCE:Freightliner, OCT 2026

Running gear and floor options

Single or dual rear axle

A typical box truck runs one rear axle with dual wheels. A tandem (dual) rear axle spreads a heavier load across two axles and carries a higher rating, but it costs more to buy, adds tires to maintain and can push the rating past 26,000 lb, which means a CDL driver. See dual axle box truck.

SOURCE:eCFR, 49 CFR 383.5, OCT 2026

Low deck or dock height

Rental moving trucks tend to sit low so people can load by hand or with a ramp: U-Haul's decks run 29 to 35 inches off the ground. Freight trucks are often built dock high so pallet jacks roll straight in from a loading dock. Penske lists a floor height of about 46 to 50 inches for its 22 to 26 ft box, and Enterprise describes its 24 ft trucks as dock high. See dock height box truck.

SOURCE:U-Haul (page snapshot 2026-09-28, Internet Archive), OCT 2026;U-Haul (page snapshot 2026-09-28, Internet Archive), OCT 2026;Penske Truck Rental, OCT 2026;Enterprise Truck Rental, OCT 2026

Liftgate, side door, sleeper

• Liftgate: a powered platform for deliveries without a dock. Budget and Penske list 3,000 lb liftgates on their 26 ft trucks. See liftgate truck.
• Side door: a curbside door for multi-stop routes. See box truck with side door.
• Sleeper: a sleeper cab or berth for long runs. See box truck with sleeper.

SOURCE:Budget Truck Rental, OCT 2026;Penske Truck Rental, OCT 2026

Box truck types compared

Box truck models and makes

The body builder and the chassis maker are often different companies: the chassis comes from a truck manufacturer, and a body company mounts the box. That is why the same box type turns up on many makes, and why a listing's box truck make and model tells you about the chassis, not the body. Rental fleets name some of theirs: Enterprise lists an International MV607 "or similar" for its 24 ft railgate truck. Our box truck brands guide covers the makers and model lines, and the medium duty box truck guide covers where the heavier chassis start.

SOURCE:Enterprise Truck Rental, OCT 2026

Choosing a type for the work you want

Pick the body from the freight, then the cab and running gear from your routes, docks and drivers:

1. Freight: dry, cold or side-loaded?
2. Weight: typical load against payload, and whether you want to stay non-CDL.
3. Where you load: docks argue for dock height; homes and stores argue for a liftgate.
4. Streets: tight city work favors a cab-over or a shorter conventional.
5. Crew: more than two people riding means a crew cab.

The truck size calculator helps with the size side of the decision.

SOURCE:Enterprise Truck Rental, OCT 2026;Freightliner, OCT 2026;Enterprise Truck Rental, OCT 2026;Penske Truck Rental, OCT 2026;Budget Truck Rental, OCT 2026;U-Haul (page snapshot 2026-09-28, Internet Archive), OCT 2026;U-Haul (page snapshot 2026-09-28, Internet Archive), OCT 2026;Penske Truck Rental, OCT 2026;Penske Truck Rental, OCT 2026;eCFR, 49 CFR 383.5, OCT 2026;Enterprise Truck Rental, OCT 2026

Questions box truck owners ask

Q-01What are the different types of box trucks?

By body: dry box, refrigerated and curtain side. By cab: cutaway (van front), conventional (hood in front), cab-over (cab above the engine) and crew cab (four doors). By running gear: single or tandem rear axle, low deck or dock-height floor, with or without a liftgate or side door. Any one truck is a combination of these.

Q-02What is a cab-over box truck?

A box truck whose cab sits on top of the engine, with no hood out front. That shortens the truck for the same box length and gives the driver a high view over the road. Enterprise's 16 ft cabover rental lists 960 cubic feet and up to 7,500 lb of payload on a 14,500 lb rating.

Q-03What is the difference between a cutaway and a box truck?

A cutaway is the chassis: a van front with the rear body cut away so a box can be mounted. Put a box on it and it is a cutaway box truck. Bigger box trucks use a conventional or cab-over chassis instead, which carries more weight and a longer box.

Q-04What box truck makes and models are there?

Box bodies go on chassis from several truck makers, in light, medium and heavy duty. One example: Freightliner lists its M2 106 for pick-up and delivery work in class 6 to 8, with day, extended or crew cabs. Our box truck brands guide compares the makers and their model lines.

Q-05Which box truck type is best for a new business?

The one that matches your freight and your drivers. For general freight to businesses and homes, a dry box with a liftgate covers the most work. For food, a refrigerated body. If anyone without a CDL will drive, keep the rating at or under 26,000 lb GVWR, whichever type you choose.