Truck Types: 24 Different Truck Types with Infographic (2023)

Trucks (American English) or Lorry (British English) are motor vehicles designed in various variants primarily for commercial use, as opposed to cars and buses intended for public and passenger transport. Diesel engines were first used in trucks around the world in the 1920s and 1930s, and since then diesel has been the fuel of choice for even the most modern trucks.

Trucks can be divided into 5 categories.:

• light truck:It is used for short-distance transportation of light goods. They are the lightest and smallest trucks ever.
• light trucks:Trucks with a total weight of up to 6,350 kg (14,000 lb) belong to the light truck category
• Medium Trucks:Truck weight between 6,351 and 11,793 kg (14,001 - 26,000 lb)
• heavy trucks:They are heavier than medium trucks, weighing from 11,794 to 14,969 kg (26,001 to 33,000 lb).
• Very heavy trucks:They are not intended for road traffic without special permission and are the biggest and heaviest trucks of all.

Here is the detailed list of popular truck types around the world.

small trucks

Trucks that fall into the "small" category are:

1. Mini Truck:These handy trucks are mainly used in Asia and are also known asMicrocamiones.You are using an engine rated less than 1000cc.

• UseLight cargo delivery such as couriers and devices.
• Examples:Suzuki Carry, Tata Ace.

2. Small commercial vehicle:Unlike mini trucks, these small utility vehicles may have passenger seats but have the same displacement.

• Use:Transportation of goods or people.
• Examples:Big ship, fire magic.

light trucks

Trucks weighing up to 6,350 kg (14,000 lb) are:

3. Truck:Pickup trucks are extremely popular in the United States and consumers buy them primarily for lifestyle reasons.

• Use:Although designed for commercial use, pickup trucks are very popular.passenger cars.
• Examples:Ford F:150, Nissan Titan, Toyota Tundra.

4. Sport utility vehicle:SUVs have become more of a personal use vehicle, but they are still considered light trucks due to their mass and dimensions.

• Use:Passenger/passenger SUV
• Examples:Range Rover, Lexus LX.

5. Minibuses:Minivans are very similar to small commercial vehicles in terms of utility, but they have two or more rows of seats and are larger and more massive.

• Use:Use as a passenger transport vehicle.
• Examples:Toyota Siena, Kia Sedona.

6. Van:Panel vans do not have back seats or rear compartment windows, but are fully paneled. Vans can also be classified asespresso cupydashboard.

• Use:small van
• Examples:Ram ProMaster City.

7. Crane:Tow trucks, also known as recovery vehicles, come in a variety of sizes but are commonly referred to as light trucks.

• Use:To move/retrieve illegally parked, disabled or damaged vehicles.
• Examples:Extrator lateral Miller SP800.

medium trucks

Trucks weighing between 6,351 and 11,793 kg (14,001 - 26,000 lbs.).

8. Delivery truck:Vans are the vehicles with the widest variety of uses. They are generally road vehicles used in urban environments.

• Use:Ambulance, police transport, courier services, equipment delivery, student transport.
• Examples:Mercedes Benz Sprinter, FSC Lublin 3.

9. Van:Vans, also known as vans or cubes, have an enclosed rectangular cargo area and the cabin is often separated by a door/window or wall.

• Use:Moving furniture, delivery of large household appliances.
• Examples:Chevrolet Express Cutaway-Van.

10. Medium Truck:Medium trucks used for various business and service purposes are known as medium trucks.

• Use:Transportation of oil/water/other liquids, such as open container, trailer.
• Examples:Ford F-650, F-750.

11. Cutaway-Van-Chassis:This category includes a wide range of trucks. The name is unique and means you can use a variety of bodies on the same truck chassis.

• Use:Ambulances, minibuses, leisure buses (campers).
• Examples:Chevrolet G30, Ford E350 SRW.

12. Firefighters:A fire truck (also known as a fire engine) is a unique addition to this group as it has many subcategories such as:

• revolving staircase:They are used to reach victims in high places, such as a multi-story building.
• platform truck:A flatbed truck transports an AWP/EWP (Aerial/Lifting Work Platform). AWP/EWP is used to give engineers or firefighters temporary access to elevated areas.
• water supply:Its main purpose is to transport large volumes of water to the fire zone for its extinction.
• Conventional fire truck:The traditional fire truck is the widely used truck that transports firefighters, water supplies, and equipment for traditional firefighting scenarios.

Examples of firefighting vehicles are Rosenbauer International, Magirus GmbH.

13. Platform truck:As the name suggests, a flatbed truck is a medium-sized truck in which the entire body is flat except for the cab.

• Use:Easy and fast loading and transport of heavy goods, not susceptible to environmental influences such as rain or snow, as well as transporting logs.
• Examples:Ford F-650 platform, Guy Big J4 platform.

Check a100 largest trucking companieson here.

heavy trucks

Trucks are in the weight class of 11,794 to 14,969 kg (26,001 to 33,000 lb)

14. Cement/Concrete Mixer:These trucks are equipped with a huge drum that can be loaded with dry material and water, and the spiral blade does the mixing process.

• Use:Concrete/cement mixing and conveying.
• Examples:Kayaba-Rakete, Terex Advance.

15. Tipper truck:Tipper trucks are equipped with an open bed/container. The convertible container is articulated to the rear bed and equipped with hydrants to lift the front of the container.

• Use:Discharges of sand, rubble, coal, etc.
• Examples:Mercedes-Benz Arocs, Ashok Leyland Comet.

16. Mobile crane: A heavy truck equipped with a crane. A crane is a strong construction machine equipped with wire ropes, hoisting cables and pulleys, used for lifting or lowering heavy objects.

• Use:Lifting and carrying heavy objects.

17. Garbage truck:Garbage/garbage trucks operate in urban areas. These trucks are equipped with large lidded bins.

• Use:Collection and disposal of solid waste in the community or urban areas.
• Examples:Scania front loader, Lodal Evo T-28.

18. Refrigerated truck:Refrigerated trucks have huge, completely covered containers that are either frozen, have mechanical refrigeration systems or use CO2 as a refrigerant in the form of dry ice.

• Use:Transport of perishable cargo at lower temperatures.
• Examples:Refrigerated Truck G-3 Resources LLC.

19. Tank truck:Tank trucks have a large cylindrical hopper with a typical capacity of 20,800 - 43,900 l (5,500 - 11,600 gallons). These cylindrical tanks rest horizontally on the truck body and are available in various specifications (pressurization, acid resistance, cooling capacity, etc.)

• Use:Transport of liquids or gases by road.
• Examples:Shell aviation tank truck.

20. Tractor head:There is a very large variety of semi-trailer tractor heads. They are very robust, sometimes have off-road capabilities and even accommodate 6x6s.

• Use:Towing trailers, military equipment.
• Examples:Leyland T-45 com cabine, Renault Trucks T-460.

very heavy trucks

Trucks heavier than heavy trucks are

21. Ballast Car/Tractor:These 6x4 or 6x6 powertrain trucks are designed to tow heavy or exceptionally heavy loads on the drawbar.

• Use:Loading of large modules such as oil rigs, bridge sections, buildings, ship sections and industrial grade generators and turbines.
• Examples:Hayes WHDX 70-170 6 × 6 trator.

22. ALMA-Transporter:These trucks are designed for a very specific function of transporting ALMA (Greater Atacama millimeter arrangement).

• Use:ALMA is basically a large telescope used as a high-frequency radio. ALMA transporters transport this heavy equipment into the Atacama Desert.

23. Heavy truck:Heavy trucks are specially designed to transport large loads. Even a weight of 100 tons is common for heavy haulers.

• Use:With very large transformers, huge boilers, turbines and even wooden houses.
• Examples:Heavy transport MAN SE.

24. Carrier:Isheavy transporterThey are rigid dump trucks that are not made for highways. They are designed for special environments such as construction and mining.

• Use:Transport of construction and mining machinery.
• Examples:Liebherr T 282B, Terex 33-19 Titán.

last words

We cover all types of conventional and unconventional trucks with an infographic. I hope this has been informative and helpful. Please leave a comment or contact us if you have any suggestions or questions.