Van trucks are usually cheaper than flatbed trucks due to availability. There could be a significant price difference between the two especially during peak season (April to September) Flatbed trucks are easier to unload compared to van trucks. You would only need to provide a forklift with a flatbed. With a van truck, in addition to the forklift, you would also need to provide a pallet jack in order to move the crates and pallets to the back of the truck.
For loads heavier than 20,000 lbs, we use either a van truck or a flatbed truck. A van truck can handle up to 45,000 lbs (about 3000 sqft of travertine pavers) and flatbed truck can handle 48,000 lbs (about 3200 sqft of travertine pavers). Sometimes the when truck has a lot of fuel in both tanks the weight of the truck may increase and it could end up receiving a ticket for being overweight. In this case trucks will more than likely return to our warehouse in order to lighten the load.