{"id":1931,"date":"2016-04-04T07:00:36","date_gmt":"2016-04-03T21:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.driverknowledgetests.com\/resources\/?p=1931"},"modified":"2026-03-11T07:55:22","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T20:55:22","slug":"types-of-trucks-and-trailers-and-what-they-carry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.driverknowledgetests.com\/resources\/types-of-trucks-and-trailers-and-what-they-carry\/","title":{"rendered":"Types of trucks and trailers and what they carry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Trucks are either rigid, rigid in combination (short, medium or long) or prime movers (tractor units) in short or multi-combination. If you’re looking for a job driving a truck check this article<\/a>. The types of loads and trailers they haul are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Automotive haulage:<\/strong> transport cars on a car transporter. Specific skills are required for loading and operation of this type of trailer. You may be expected to help valet the cars at the other end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"car<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When a car is imported, it will arrive at a port either in a container or as roll-on, roll-off (RoRo). This could be at Port Kembla<\/a>, for example. Empty car transporters will meet the cars (Australia doesn’t export cars), and then will transport them to holding yards and\/or car dealers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rollback tow truck:<\/strong> The rollback tow truck is used for transporting vehicles which are broken down with a bad engine or transmission, have a flat tyre, are out of fuel, or even in a car accident. Typically, in the case of a powertrain issue, the tow truck driver will take the vehicle to the best local mechanic for that specific job. For example, if the transmission were to fail while you were driving along the highway, the rollback driver might take your vehicle to a local shop that can replace it with a quality rebuilt transmission<\/a>. Furthermore, rollback tow trucks are the best for any vehicle that is broken down because of the ramp design and ability to pull the stationary vehicle onto it at a nearly 45 degree angle with the help of a heavy-duty winch. All in all, the rollback tow truck has been one of the best innovations in the evolution of the tow truck industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Boat haulage: <\/strong>small boats can often be transported pulling them with a small truck or even a car, but larger boats require specialised low trailers (“lowboy” or “drop deck”) and may need to have pilot vehicles and a transportation plan to avoid low bridges if they are oversized. The lowboy trailers allow extra height in the load.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dry goods: <\/strong>the majority of freight is dry goods hauled in a box body or curtainsider (tautliner) small or medium rigid truck, or using a container truck or articulated curtainsider<\/a> semi-trailer, often with a tail lift<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rigid
Rigid delivery truck with rear hoist<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Flat-bed or flat-deck:<\/strong> a flat truck, trailer or semitrailer often used to carry other vehicles or large bulky items like concrete pipes and water tanks. Specialised flat-bed trailers are used for forestry. Some flat-bed trailers tilt to allow vehicles to get on from the rear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Flat-bed
Flat-bed semitrailer carrying a wind turbine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Flat-bed trucks are flexible for shipping equipment across country<\/a>. Some come with stanchions to support poles. The decks can be all metal (as shown below), or primarily wood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Flat deck truck and trailer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Some flat-bed trailers have specific purposes such as carrying super-heavy loads and oversized equipment such as cranes and mining equipment. Machinery relocation experts<\/a> are often brought in to ensure the move is safe and efficient. These professionals coordinate everything from load securement to route clearances, reducing the risk of delays or damage during transport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lowboy
Flat-bed trailer with mining equipment on the back<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Furniture:<\/strong> also called Luton peak bodies, these are box vans with an additional section over the top of the cab. The interior of these trucks has many anchor points for tying down the furniture. Some furniture trucks are large and articulated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Furniture truck showing rails for tying ropes and straps, plus carpeted buffers to help avoid damage to furniture.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Livestock:<\/strong> trucks that carry live animals such as sheep and cattle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Livestock
Livestock truck carrying sheep<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Reefers or refrigerated containers and trucks: <\/strong>these haul frozen, refrigerated or temperature-sensitive goods. Reefers<\/a> can be semitrailers, b-trains, or a box truck and come in hard-side and curtainside variants. They can be called refrigerated vans, even if they are in semi-trailer configuration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Refrigerated
Refrigerated box truck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Specialist trucks: <\/strong>trucks such as tow trucks, cement mixers, cranes, mining trucks, airport trucks, road maintenance vehicles, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dump
Dump truck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Concrete
Concrete mixer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Airport
Airport tug ready to push a plane out<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tankers:<\/strong> tankers carry liquids like milk, petrol and chemicals, as well as dry, easy-flowing bulk materials such as sugar, flour and cement.  You may need special certifications (e.g. hazardous goods), depending on which type of products you transport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Tanker
Large tanker truck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Water
Small water tanker truck used to keep dust down during road works<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tippers or dump trailers:<\/strong> tipper trucks usually transport building materials such as aggregates and sand. They can tip backwards or sideways depending on their configuration. Drivers might be expected to know how to jackknife the trailer in order to tip a truck and trailer. Tipper trailers are available for truck and trailer combinations. A popular and very common use for these types of trucks is road base transportation, such as where if a road is being built through the middle of Waco, Texas, the contractor will need a tipper or dump trailer from a Waco Texas aggregate hauler<\/a> to deliver all of the necessary road base before the rest of the road construction can continue.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Tipper
Tipper truck delivering its load<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
A truck and trailer in jackknifed position for tipping out of the front bin.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bottom dumpers<\/strong>: Bottom dumpers are like a hopper where material is fed in from the top and can be dumped out the bottom. This is easier to control and safer than spreading from a tipper (spreading from a tipper with a raised bin is a rollover risk<\/a>. They can carry aggregates<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As well as those specific types of trailer<\/a>, there are delineations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n