Road vehicle types
Also known as: Truck types · Trailer types · Road freight vehicles
A side-by-side comparison of the trucks and trailers used in road freight: load space, payload, volume, pallet places, loading method, and typical cargo.
Comparison table
Typical figures — they vary by manufacturer and by country rules on weights and sizes.
| Type | Load space L × W × H (mm) | Max payload | Capacity | Euro pallets (1200 × 800 mm) | Loading | Typical cargo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tilt trailer / CurtainsiderTilt · Tilt trailer · Curtainsider · Curtain-sider | 13,600 × 2,480 × 2,700 | 24,000 kg | 91 m³ | 33 | Rear · Side · Top | Palletised general cargo: textiles, food and drinks, packaged goods, building materials, machine parts, and groupage loads. |
| Mega trailerMega · Mega trailer · Mega tenteli · Low-deck trailer | 13,600 × 2,480 × 3,000 | 24,000 kg | 100 m³ | 33 | Rear · Side · Top | Light and bulky goods: automotive parts in cages, packaging, insulation, furniture, white goods, and stackable pallets. |
| Jumbo / Road trainJumbo · Road train · Truck and trailer · Drawbar combination | 15,400 × 2,480 × 3,000 | 22,000 kg | 115 m³ | 38 | Rear · Side | Very light, bulky goods: furniture, insulation, paper and packaging, plastics, and automotive parts. |
| Rigid truck7.5 tRigid truck · Box truck · Lorry · Straight truck | 6,200 × 2,450 × 2,400 | 2,800 kg | 36 m³ | 15 | Rear · Side | Part loads, groupage deliveries, retail and food distribution, furniture deliveries, and building materials for small sites. |
| Rigid truck12 tRigid truck · Box truck · Lorry · Straight truck | 7,200 × 2,450 × 2,500 | 5,500 kg | 44 m³ | 18 | Rear · Side | Part loads, groupage deliveries, retail and food distribution, furniture deliveries, and building materials for small sites. |
| Rigid truck18 tRigid truck · Box truck · Lorry · Straight truck | 7,700 × 2,480 × 2,600 | 9,000 kg | 50 m³ | 18 | Rear · Side | Part loads, groupage deliveries, retail and food distribution, furniture deliveries, and building materials for small sites. |
| Reefer trailer (Frigo)Frigo · Reefer trailer · Refrigerated trailer · Frigorifik | 13,400 × 2,460 × 2,600 | 22,000 kg | 86 m³ | 33 | Rear · Side | Fresh and frozen food: fruit and vegetables, meat, fish, dairy products, ice cream, flowers, and pharmaceuticals. |
| Flatbed trailerFlatbed · Flat trailer · Platform trailer · Acik kasa | 13,600 × 2,480 × — | 26,000 kg | — | 33 | Side · Top · Rear | Steel products, pipes, timber, building materials, prefabricated parts, machinery, and cargo loaded by crane. |
| Extendable trailerExtendable · Telescopic trailer · Stretch trailer · Uzayabilir dorse | 13,600–25,000 × 2,550 × — | 30,000–40,000 kg | — | — | Side · Top | Very long items: steel and concrete beams, pipes, poles, wind turbine parts, and long structural elements. |
| Low-loader (Lowbed)Semi-low-loaderLowbed · Low-loader · Lowboy · Semi-low-loader | 9,000–11,000 × 2,550 × — | 30,000–45,000 kg | — | — | Rear · Top | Construction machines (excavators, bulldozers, cranes), tractors, industrial machinery, transformers, and other tall or heavy items. |
| Low-loader (Lowbed)Low-loaderLowbed · Low-loader · Lowboy · Semi-low-loader | 6,000–9,000 × 2,550 × — | 40,000–80,000 kg | — | — | Rear · Top | Construction machines (excavators, bulldozers, cranes), tractors, industrial machinery, transformers, and other tall or heavy items. |
| Modular Trailer (HMT)HMT · Hydraulic Modular Trailer · Modular trailer · Modular axle lines | — × 3,000 × — | — | — | — | Top · Rear | Transformers, heavy machinery, refinery and plant parts (reactors, columns, vessels), bridge beams, and other very heavy indivisible loads. |
| SPMTSPMT · Self-Propelled Modular Transporter · Self-propelled trailer | — × 2,430–3,000 × — | — | — | — | Top | Very heavy modules and plant parts, ship sections, bridge sections, offshore structures, and loads that must be placed with great precision. |
| TipperTipper · Dump truck · Dumper · Tipping trailer | — | 25,000–30,000 kg | 24–40 m³ | — | Top | Loose bulk goods: sand, gravel, stone, soil, coal, grain, fertiliser, scrap, and wood chips. |
| TankerTanker · Tank trailer · Tank truck · ADR tanker | — | 24,000–30,000 kg | 25–43 m³ | — | Top | Fuels, chemicals, food liquids (milk, oils, juices, wine), liquefied gases, and powders such as cement, flour, and plastic granules. |
| Container chassisChassis · Skeletal trailer · Container trailer · Sase | 12,192 × 2,438 × — | 28,000–32,000 kg | — | — | Top | Shipping containers of all types — dry, reefer (with a genset), open top, flat rack, and tank — on the road leg of sea freight. |
| Car carrierCar transporter · Car carrier · Auto carrier · Car hauler | — | 12,000–18,000 kg | — | — | Rear | New and used passenger cars, small vans, and SUVs; sometimes small machinery on wheels. |
Names in other languages
- English
- Road vehicle types
- Türkçe
- Kara yolu araç tipleri
- فارسی
- انواع وسایل حمل جادهای
- Русский
- Типы автотранспорта
- 简体中文
- 公路车辆类型
- العربية
- أنواع مركبات النقل البري
In plain words
Most palletised cargo travels in a tilt or curtainsider trailer, with mega trailers and jumbos for lighter, bulkier goods and reefer trailers for temperature-controlled goods. Flatbeds, extendable trailers, and low-loaders carry long, wide, and heavy items, and modular trailers and SPMTs move the heaviest loads. Tippers and tankers carry bulk goods, container chassis move sea containers, and car carriers move vehicles.
To choose, think about the weight, the volume, how the cargo is packed, and how it will be loaded and unloaded at both ends. Weights and sizes are limited by the rules of each country on the route, so the right vehicle for one route may not be allowed on another. All figures in the table are typical — they vary by manufacturer and country rules.
Example from real shipping
A company has three shipments: 30 pallets of food at +4 °C, 110 m³ of light furniture, and a 35-tonne excavator. The table points to a reefer trailer, a jumbo, and a low-loader, and the forwarder checks the rules for each country on the route before booking.
All pages in this section
- Car carrierA car carrier (car transporter) is a truck and trailer with two decks and hydraulic ramps. It usually carries 7 to 10 passenger cars.
- Container chassisA container chassis is a semi-trailer frame built to carry shipping containers. Twist-locks at the corners hold the container in place; there is no floor or body of its own.
- Tilt trailer / CurtainsiderThe standard European semi-trailer: a 13.6 m loading area covered by a tarpaulin. It can be loaded from the rear, the sides, or the top.
- Extendable trailerAn extendable trailer is a flatbed or low-loader whose deck can slide out (telescope) to carry very long loads, then close again for the trip back.
- Flatbed trailerA flatbed is an open semi-trailer with a flat deck and no roof or fixed sides. Cargo is loaded from any side or from above by crane.
- Jumbo / Road trainA jumbo is a rigid truck with its own load body that pulls a drawbar trailer. Together they give about 15.4 m of loading length and around 115 m³ — the most volume on the road.
- Low-loader (Lowbed)A low-loader is a trailer with a very low deck, so tall and heavy machines can be carried without going over the height limit. Many have ramps so vehicles can drive on.
- Mega trailerA mega trailer is a tilt or curtainsider trailer with a low deck and small wheels, so it has about 3 m of inside height and about 100 m³ of space.
- Modular Trailer (HMT)A modular trailer is built from axle lines that are coupled end to end and side by side. Hydraulic suspension keeps the load level, and the capacity grows with every axle line — up to hundreds of tonnes.
- Reefer trailer (Frigo)A reefer trailer is an insulated box trailer with its own cooling unit. It keeps chilled or frozen cargo at a set temperature for the whole road journey.
- Rigid truckA rigid truck has its cargo body fixed on the same chassis as the cab — there is no separate trailer. It is used for smaller loads and city or regional deliveries.
- SPMTAn SPMT is a modular platform with its own engine and drive. It needs no tractor unit, is steered by remote control, and can move extremely heavy loads over short distances.
- TankerA tanker is a truck or semi-trailer with a fixed tank for liquids, gases, or powders in bulk. It is filled and emptied through valves and hoses.
- TipperA tipper (dump truck or tipping trailer) has an open body that a hydraulic ram lifts to tip the cargo out at the rear. It carries loose bulk goods.
Related terms
- CMRA CMR is the standard transport document for international road freight. It shows that the carrier received the goods, and it travels with the truck.
- TIR CarnetA TIR Carnet is an international customs document that lets a sealed truck carry goods across several countries with customs checks mainly at the start and the end of the journey.
- OOGOOG cargo is cargo that sticks out beyond the normal outside size of a container — too high, too wide, or too long. It usually travels on a flat rack, open top, or platform.
- Chargeable weightChargeable weight is the weight the carrier uses to calculate the price. It is the actual weight or the volumetric weight, whichever is higher.
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Request a QuoteThis glossary is general information, not legal or customs advice. Rules, fees, and practice can differ by carrier, port, and country.