Work Truck Week 2024: Ford Transit Wins Commercial Van of the Year

The 2024 Ford Transit was named Commercial Van of the Year in the award's first year. The trophy was presented to Ford on March 5 at Work Truck Week 2024, held in Indianapolis.

Readers of Work Truck Magazine and Automotive Fleet chose Ford Transit as the top commercial van based on its dependability, reliability, and ability to meet real-world fleet requirements. 

"Congratulations to Ford for winning the first-ever Commercial Van of the Year award. This recognition is well-deserved and a testament to Ford's commitment to quality and innovation. The Ford Transit is a reliable vehicle that meets commercial fleet requirements. We look forward to seeing what Ford has in store for the future and wish them continued success," said Lauren Fletcher, executive editor of fleet, trucking, and transportation at Bobit and Work Truck.

“On behalf of the entire Ford Pro global team, I would like to thank all the fleet managers who voted the Ford Transit as Work Truck’s Commercial Van of the Year," said Ray Eyles, chief program engineer of Ford Transit Brands. "This is an incredible honor, especially this year as we celebrate ten years of Transit in America. We’ve sold over 1.2 million since we began production in Claycomo, Missouri, ten years ago, thanks to the hardworking designers, engineers, builders and UAW employees supporting this important product that more industries use than any other van. Roughly 99% are still operational today, a true testament to our commitments in quality and durability for our customers to get the job done.”

Ford Transit History

Born out of a partnership between Germany and the United Kingdom’s branches of Ford Motor Company, the Transit van became the first Ford product to be developed for the entirety of Europe. The Ford Transit commercial van debuted in the U.K. in 1965.

Versions included the Transit Supervan, an early 15-seat Custom bus model based on the GT40 racecar with a top speed of 150 miles per hour, motorhomes built on the Transit chassis, and van names such as Tourneo, Connect, Courier, Kombi, depending on application.

In 1976 Ford produced its one-millionth Transit. The four millionth Transit was produced in 2000. In 1997, Ford began production of the Transit in China in partnership with Jiangling Motors.

Ford brought the van to North America in 2014 for the 2015 model year.

Ford Transit Versatility

A prime reason for Transit’s wide use in fleets is its hundreds of option combinations.

Transit configurations include cargo, crew, and passenger vans, cutaway, or chassis cab, low-, medium-, and high-roof, two wheelbases, three lengths, rear-wheel or all-wheel-drive, and single- or dual-rear wheels.

Ford offers numerous options packages (Builders Prep, Parcel Delivery, Adventure, and more) to streamline the ordering process.

The dual rear-wheel Transit cargo van models offer a maximum GVWR of 11,000 lbs.

The two engine choices are the standard 3.5-liter PFDi V-66 and the 3.5-liter V-6 EcoBoost gas engine, both paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission.

The E-Transit offers an electric alternative.

Ford Transit Safety

All Transit models come standard with basic driver-assistance features, and Ford's Sync 4 infotainment system is available with a 12.0-inch display screen.

Standard driver-assist features include Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Warning, Post-Collision Braking, Lane-Keeping System, and auto high-beam headlamps.

Transit passenger van XLT is equipped with Ford Co-Pilot360, which adds the Blind Spot Information System with trailer coverage and cross-traffic alert, as well as the reverse and side sensing system.

Additional available features include adaptive cruise control, front and rear split-view camera, and Enhanced Active Park Assist to simplify maneuvering into parallel or reverse perpendicular parking spots.

A new digital rearview mirror is available on certain 2023 versions.