A commercial vehicle can be anything from a bus to an articulated truck or even a tractor or a harvester. Commercial vehicles are often defined by their weight, or in the case of passenger vehicles, how many passengers they carry.

Some vehicles destined for commercial use are specially equipped according to the purpose for which they are to be used. A refrigerated truck is a good example of this, as are catering trucks which have been equipped to contain and transport food and other perishables like ice. Garbage trucks, ice cream trucks, limousines and hearses are all examples of commercial vehicles because they are used for a commercial purpose.

Some commercial vehicles require a special driver’s licence if they exceed a certain weight and size. This is because the driver needs special skills to operate such a large vehicle. For instance, large commercial vehicles do not have the same turning circle as an ordinary car and tend to be unwieldy. As you can imagine, it is no easy feat to turn and manoeuvre such a large vehicle into and out of a loading dock, and the driver needs to have an accurate perception of the dimensions of the vehicle so as to be able to make turns and reverse without bumping into anything.

Then there is the light commercial vehicle (LCV) which bridges the gap between ordinary cars and heavy commercial vehicles. These are hardy machines that have been designed to assist with commercially-related transportation within an urban environment.

Many makes of sport utility vehicle and four-wheel-drives fall into the category of LCV, yet are not necessarily used for commercial purposes. One of the advantages of an LCV is that it is adaptable, meaning that it can be used for light commercial purposes but it does not have to be. Lots of people simply like the feeling of driving a rugged vehicle with a powerful engine such as a double-cab 4x4 and use it for personal rather than commercial purposes. In a vehicle like this, the driver is situated relatively high above the road and has good visibility.

As you can see, commercial vehicles come in a wide variety of types and can be used for many purposes within the commercial environment or even outside of it as in the case of LCVs.