A van and truck video is a narrated walkaround of a commercial vehicle for sale, built from its listing's photos and facts: body type, payload, gross vehicle weight, wheelbase and roof height, axle configuration, mileage and price. Each body type, from panel van to tractor unit, gets its own photo order and facts card, and weights are said exactly as listed. Ex-fleet batches run from one stock list, each van with its own stock number, mileage and photos. Videngine renders captioned 9:16 and 16:9 cuts for review.
What van and truck buyers decide on
A commercial vehicle buyer decides first whether the vehicle carries the load and fits the job, so a commercial vehicle video leads with payload, weights, size and body, then mileage and price.
Why every stock unit earns a video, the walkaround order and price wording are in the car dealer video guide. Its commercial-vehicle table names the fields; this one says where each comes from in a used van or HGV listing, and how to check it.
| Fact | Where it comes from in the listing | What to check in review |
|---|---|---|
| Payload | A spec field, or only the description on some listings | Figure and unit as listed; never worked out or rounded up |
| Gross vehicle weight | A field written GVW, MAM or “3.5t”, or a weight plate photo | Title, field and plate photo agree |
| Wheelbase and roof height | The variant name or a code, such as LWB or L3H2 | Codes expanded only as the listing expands them |
| Load space | Load length, width between the arches, height | Each figure with its unit as listed |
| Body type | The title, the body field and the photos | Every photo shows this body |
| Axle configuration | A spec field on trucks, such as 4x2, 6x2 or 8x4 | 6x2 read as “six by two”; axles visible in the side photo |
| Cab and seats | Day cab, sleeper or crew cab; seats | Seats as listed; a sleeper is shown |
| Racking or conversion | The description or equipment list | Each item photographed and named as listed |
| Tail lift | The equipment list, with capacity if given | Shown lowered; capacity as listed |
| Mileage | The mileage field and the odometer photo | The two agree; never rounded down |
| Service history, MOT or annual test | The description, only if listed | In the listing’s words, dates as listed |
Read the emissions standard (such as Euro 6) as listed, but do not say a vehicle is exempt from a clean air zone charge: point buyers to GOV.UK’s clean air zone checker, which works from the number plate; London’s zones have their own checker, linked from that page.
A scene set for each body type
Each body type needs its own scene set, because a buyer looks at the body before the cab: the tipper’s ram, the fridge unit, the tail lift, the fifth wheel.
In every set the front three-quarter opens, the facts card follows, and the odometer, any marks, the branch and the stock number close.
| Body type | Facts card adds | Photo order after the opening shot |
|---|---|---|
| Panel van | Payload, gross vehicle weight, wheelbase and roof, load length, racking or lining | Side profile, sliding door open; rear doors open on the load area; floor and lining; each racking unit; cab |
| Crew cab van or double cab pickup | Seats; load length or bed size; payload; towing capacity only if listed | Rear seats, doors open; load area, or bed with the tailgate down; any hardtop; tow bar; cab |
| Luton or box van with tail lift | Box dimensions, payload, gross vehicle weight, tail lift type and capacity | Three-quarter showing the box and Luton peak; shutter or doors open; inside the box; tail lift lowered; cab |
| Tipper | Body material, tipping direction (rear or three-way), cage or high sides, payload | Body raised, if photographed; ram and hinge pins; body floor; tailgate; cab |
| Dropside | Bed length and width, side material, headboard, payload | Sides down; bed floor; headboard; hinges and catches; cab |
| Curtainsider | Body length, axle configuration, gross vehicle weight, tail lift if fitted | Curtains closed, then open on the deck; rear doors; tail lift; side profile for the axles; cab |
| Refrigerated body | Fridge unit make and model; temperature range and standby only if listed | Fridge unit; controller display; inside the body and door seals; any bulkhead; cab |
| Tractor unit | Axle configuration, cab type, engine power and gearbox as listed, fifth wheel | Side profile for the axles; fifth wheel and catwalk; chassis and tyres; cab and bunk |
Give each fitted item, such as racking or a tow bar, its own field and scene, and add any conversion builder or fridge maker the listing names to the lexicon. If a body photo is missing, such as a curtainsider never shown open, ask the yard for it rather than borrow another unit’s. Plant has its own guide: machinery video.
Weights, dimensions and licence wording
Say every weight and dimension exactly as the listing gives it, with its unit, and leave driving entitlement out of the narration unless your compliance lead has approved wording taken from GOV.UK.
- Same figure, same unit. 1,250 kg is “one thousand two hundred and fifty kilograms”, not “over a tonne”. Convert nothing the listing does not convert. Add lexicon entries for kg, mm, GVW, LWB, roof codes such as L3H2 and axle codes such as 6x2.
- Do not mix up the weights. GOV.UK’s vehicle weights explained page defines maximum authorised mass, also known as gross vehicle weight, as the weight including the maximum load that can be carried safely, normally shown on a plate or sticker on the vehicle. Payload is a different figure. A card that reads the gross weight as payload is a specification defect; where the listing has a plate photo, check against it.
- A licence line is a claim about the buyer. GOV.UK’s driving licence categories page says category B covers vehicles up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass for petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles, and 4,250kg for zero-emission electric or hydrogen vehicles; C1 covers 3,500kg to 7,500kg. Entitlement depends on the buyer’s own licence, and tests passed before 1 January 1997 follow different rules. By default, state the gross vehicle weight and leave entitlement out; put phrasings such as “drive it on a car licence” on the banned-phrases list.
- MOT or annual test. GOV.UK lists petrol, diesel and hybrid goods vehicles with a gross weight of more than 3,500kg among those needing an annual test, and zero-emission goods vehicles of 3,501kg to 4,250kg design gross weight as needing a class 7 MOT. Name the test as the listing does, and query a truck listing that says “MOT”.
- Mileage against the record. GOV.UK’s MOT history service shows the mileage recorded at each test, from the registration: for vans since 2005, for HGVs only since 2018. A reviewer can check a listed mileage there.
This is practical guidance, not legal advice.
Ex-fleet batches: telling near-identical vans apart
In an ex-fleet batch every video must be unmistakably one van: its stock number on screen, its registration where the listing shows it, its own mileage and its own photos.
The bus and coach guide sets out that rule for bus fleets, and dealer social video covers posting a batch as one video. For lease returns and remarketing stock, watch four things.
- Registrations. Some listings show the plate and some hide it. Use the registration only where the listing gives it, never read off a photo.
- Photos taken in a row. Lease returns are often photographed side by side. Check that the plate or fleet number in frame is this van’s and no sister van is in shot.
- Fitted equipment. Two vans from one fleet can differ in racking or tow bar. Each row carries its own equipment, so nothing is inherited.
- Condition. Damage noted at return goes in that van’s condition scene, in the listing’s words.
Backfill a fleet in one batch
A fleet backfill is one CSV with a row per van; each row becomes its own video with its own script. Batch runs from CSV or JSON start on Growth, and bulk video creation from a CSV covers validating rows. Illustrative columns for a fictional batch of panel vans:
| Column | Illustrative value | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| stock_number | VN30412 | File name (VN30412_16x9_v1.mp4), opening and closing scenes |
| registration | As listed, or blank | Facts card, only when filled |
| listing_url | The van’s own listing | Its photos and full facts |
| body_type | Panel van | Which scene set the row uses |
| wheelbase_roof | LWB, high roof | Facts card, as listed |
| gvw / payload | 3,500 kg / 1,250 kg | Facts card, figure and unit as listed |
| mileage | 68,410 miles | Facts card, checked against the odometer photo |
| equipment | Nearside racking; tow bar | One scene per item |
| condition | Scuff on the offside rear door | The condition scene |
| status | Available | Filter out reserved and sold rows before the run |
Pilot three units first: the highest mileage, one with racking, one with damage. Then run the rest, reviewing every unit. On the Custom plan, from 1,500 videos a month, a backfill of existing inventory is quoted once.
From stock list to approved videos
Every unit goes from stock list to an approved 9:16 and 16:9 pair by the same steps; review is where weights and bodies are checked.
- Pick the stock. Have Videngine read your sitemap and pick listings, paste one listing URL, or export your stock list as a CSV.
- Assign a scene set. Map each body type to its set; hold any unit without one.
- Set the voice rules. Makes, codes, units and branch towns go in the lexicon; ruled-out licence or condition phrases in banned phrases.
- Pilot one unit per body type, and listen to each draft.
- Run the batch and review. Check each facts card against the listing. A rejection gets a defect code: specification for a wrong weight, photo for another unit in frame, pronunciation for a misread code.
- Approve. A workspace can require an approver other than the builder. The ledger records each version, builder, reviewer, status and defect code.
Price changes and sold units
- Price change. Re-render against the updated listing, or leave the price out; the rebuild is saved as _v2 and the same video re-rendered in the same month is free. For prices shown plus VAT, see the lead guide’s notes on price and VAT.
- Sold, singly or as a lot. A trade buyer may take several ex-fleet units at once. Retire each video by stock number the day it sells, and check the ledger’s CSV export against the stock list weekly.
Where the videos go
- Your own stock pages. The 16:9 cut belongs on the vehicle’s own page; see video on the vehicle detail page.
- Listing portals. Each portal sets its own rules; see video on listing portals.
- Your team and systems. Google Drive delivery (Growth, rolling out) adds a sheet with links to both cuts per unit, and the read-only API (Growth) looks up the approved video by stock number.
When Videngine is the wrong tool for van and truck video
Videngine turns a listing’s photos and facts into a narrated video; it does not film the vehicle moving, loaded or live.
| Job | Why Videngine does not fit | Better fit |
|---|---|---|
| A loaded road test | It creates no footage, so it cannot show how the vehicle drives with weight on | Film the drive, and link it from the listing |
| A conversion builder’s showcase film | Scene sets are built for consistency across stock, not one-off creative | The builder’s own film of the work |
| A walkaround filmed live on the forecourt | It has no live video and no presenter | A salesperson on a video call, or filming on a phone for that buyer |
| A tail lift or tipper shown working | Stills cannot show it moving | Film a short clip in the yard; footage you supply can be a scene |
| A van photographed as its sister vehicle | The pictures come from the listing | Reshoot that van, then render |
Use both: a filmed clip where a buyer must see it work, and a listing video for every other unit.
Questions van and truck dealers ask about listing video
How do I make a video for every van in stock?
Start from the listings you already publish, or a CSV export of your stock list. Videngine turns each van into a vertical and a landscape cut with narration and captions, using its body type's scene set, queued for review. Batch runs from a CSV start on Growth.
What should a used van video include?
Body type, payload, gross vehicle weight, wheelbase and roof height, load space, any racking, conversion or tail lift, mileage, price policy and how to enquire, each as listed. Show the load area before the cab.
Can a van video say it can be driven on a car licence?
Only with care. GOV.UK says category B covers vehicles up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass for petrol and diesel vehicles, and 4,250kg for zero-emission electric or hydrogen vehicles, but entitlement depends on the buyer's own licence. By default, state the gross vehicle weight as listed and leave entitlement out.
How do I make videos for a batch of identical ex-fleet vans?
Put the batch in one CSV with a row per van: stock number, registration where listed, mileage, equipment, condition and price. Each row becomes its own video. Review every unit against its own odometer photo.
Should a truck video say MOT or annual test?
Name the test as the listing does. GOV.UK lists petrol, diesel and hybrid goods vehicles with a gross weight of more than 3,500kg among the vehicles that need an annual test, so query a truck listing that says MOT before it is narrated.
Choose your next step
Go back to the vertical guide, or run the same workflow for other commercial stock.
Start with one van and one truck.
Bring a panel van, a truck with a special body and their photos. Agree the scene sets, weight wording and stock list columns, then run the fleet as a batch.
Join the waitlist ↗Published by Videngine, a video rendering product built and run by Wall & Fifth. External links refer to the original documentation or product descriptions; examples are illustrative unless stated otherwise.