Buying a used stretcher van: cot mounts, the paperwork, and state approval

What a used stretcher van really is

A used stretcher van is three purchases in one: a chassis, a conversion, and a cot securement system. Each has its own maker, its own paperwork, and its own recalls. Have a mechanic check the chassis, and check the cot system yourself against the makers’ papers. Most of what follows is about that part and about the state approval, which never comes with the van.

A used stretcher van may be a former NEMT van or a retired ambulance. A retired ambulance brings its own rules on lights and markings, covered in the used ambulance guide. The checks for a plain wheelchair van, from the lift cycle test to converter recalls, are in the used wheelchair van guide. This page adds what is specific to stretcher work.

Check the cot mount before anything else

The mount decides whether the van can carry your cot legally and safely. Find out who made it, which model it is, and which cot it was built and crash tested with, then compare that to the cot you will use. Three things to check:

• Whether the mount meets the crash standard at all. Ferno sells its PRO 28Z chair cot for two fasteners: the iNLINE system, which is SAE J3027 compliant with a compatibility kit, and the ratchet-style Model 173, which Ferno marks as not SAE compliant. Ask which one the van has before you price it.
• Whether a powered loader still works. A Stryker Power-LOAD system weighs 211.5 pounds in total and runs on a 12-volt battery, so cycle it through a full load and unload with your cot and check the battery.
• Whether a universal dock has your bracket. Q’Straint’s AMBULOK fits NEMT vehicles with Q’Straint’s OMNI Floor and holds each cot through a bracket made for that model. A van sold with the dock but no bracket for your cot is not ready to work.

Some states narrow the choice further. New York, for one, requires the cot retention device to come from the cot’s own maker. The stretcher van equipment guide lists each state’s mount rule and the maker pairings.

If the seller includes a cot, check its age against the maker’s service life. Stryker lists a 7-year service life for the Performance-PRO XT and 5 years for the MX-PRO Bariatric Transport cot. Search the FDA medical device recall database by the cot’s name. Upkeep after purchase is covered in stretcher cot maintenance.

Floor, doors, and headroom

A cot that fits the mount still has to fit the van, with your crew inside it. Take your own cot to the inspection, roll it in and out through the loading door, lock it in the mount, and have the second crew member sit where they will ride. A tape measure misses things a dry run catches: a door that clears the cot only at its lowest height, or an attendant seat with no view of the rider’s face. State rules on crew space, such as Illinois’s requirement that the crew can watch the stretcher rider directly, are collected in the dual-purpose van guide along with cot sizes.

The floor itself tells you how the van was used. Illinois wants a flat, unencumbered, non-skid floor that is easy to clean, and a patient area built from non-porous surfaces that can be sanitized. On a used van, look for:

• Old mounting holes or patched track. A mount that was moved, or removed and refitted, should come with the installer’s papers for its current position.
• Soft or stained flooring around the mount. Fluids that soaked in under the floor covering are a sanitation problem as well as a strength question.
• Leftover hardware in the doorway. Brackets from an old layout can block the entry or trip the crew. Virginia’s rule on extra stretcher hardware is in the dual-purpose van guide.

The papers to ask for

State inspectors check the cot, the mount, and the van against their lists, so collect these papers before you pay:

1. The conversion labels and the modifier’s document. Read the alterer and modifier labels as you would on any converted van; the used wheelchair van guide explains each one. A shop that modified the van under 49 CFR 595.7 must keep a copy of the owner’s document for at least five years, so if the seller lost it, ask the shop named on the label.
2. The cot mount’s crash statement. The maker and model of the mount, the cot it was tested with, and the standard, such as SAE J3027 or Virginia’s AMD 004 pull test.
3. A roof certification, where required. Minnesota requires every special transportation van to meet FMVSS 216 or 220 for roof crush or rollover protection, with a certification tied to the VIN. When the roof was raised, the statement must come from whoever altered it and name the test lab and test date.
4. Service records. Minnesota providers keep service records for each vehicle and wheelchair lift, with the date, odometer reading, and work done, for three years. A seller who kept records like these is easier to trust.

State approval does not come with the van

The seller’s permit, inspection sticker, or certificate belongs to the seller. Three examples show how states treat a van that changes hands:

• Illinois. The IDPH stretcher van license is issued for the vehicles named on the provider’s application and is not transferable. A new vehicle may not go into service until the provider applies, pays $25 per vehicle, and passes an inspection. The license lasts four years with an annual inspection.
• Virginia. The broker inspects each vehicle before it carries members and again every six months. The sticker carries the plate and VIN, and a van that fails is pulled from the program until the problems are corrected.
• Rhode Island. For vehicles added since July 31, 2024, the EOHHS policy sets a ceiling at the first inspection of four model years of age and 150,000 miles. A van that passes can work until it reaches 250,000 miles, and the whole fleet must be dedicated to NEMT riders.

Ambulances converted to stretcher vans have extra steps. Virginia requires every ambulance marking, red or amber light, and flashing light to be removed before the van works under its program. Check the Illinois, Virginia, or your own state guide before you sign.

Recalls on the chassis, the conversion, and the cot

Run the title, odometer, and recall checks you would on any used van before money changes hands; the used wheelchair van guide covers the federal title history report and the odometer rule. Check recalls in three places, because each part has its own maker:

1. The chassis. NHTSA publishes recall campaigns by make, model, and year. As an example, a query for the 2023 Chrysler Voyager, one of the chassis BraunAbility converts into its rear-entry NEMT minivan, returns seven campaigns. Ask the seller for proof that each open recall on the VIN was fixed.
2. The conversion and lift. Search again under the converter and the lift or ramp maker, since a conversion company can file its own campaign.
3. The cot. FDA classifies a wheeled stretcher as a Class II medical device (21 CFR 880.6910), so cot recalls sit in the FDA’s device recall database, not NHTSA’s.

Price it against a new build

A used van saves money only if it can earn for long enough after the extra costs. Public purchase records give a reference point for new. In federal fiscal year 2026, GSA paid between $73,750 and $84,375 for full-size vans listed as three wheelchair positions, one cot, and a curbside lift, and $64,974 to $77,853 on its priced orders for full-size vans with two wheelchair positions and a rear lift.

Against that, add up what the used van still needs:

• A mount or bracket that matches your cot. Budget for one if the van’s mount was built for a different cot.
• Time off the road. The van earns nothing while your state and broker approve it, since the seller’s permit does not carry over.
• Years left under age and mileage limits. A state or broker cap, such as Rhode Island’s four model years at entry, sets how long the van can work.
• Repairs without a warranty. BraunAbility’s Century 2 lift warranty, for one, applies only to the first purchaser and cannot be transferred, so budget as if a used lift or conversion is yours to repair.

If you would rather convert a newer used chassis, the converter sets its own limits. BraunAbility converts its rear-entry Chrysler NEMT minivan only on 2023 to 2026 chassis with 50,000 miles or fewer that have never been in an accident, and charges $200 for a customer-supplied chassis.

Adding the van to your fleet in HealthRide

When the van joins your fleet in HealthRide, you set what it can carry, such as stretcher capable, wheelchair accessible, and its seat count, so stretcher trips only land on vans that can take a cot. Its permit, registration, insurance, and inspection dates are tracked with their expiration dates; HealthRide sends reminders ahead of time and flags anything expired during assignment. The fleet page shows how it works.