Vehicles are used to transport goods from one point to another in a constrained time frame with zero damage to goods. Different vehicles have different capacities in terms of weight, size and quantity of goods. There are various types of vehicles used in logistics industry. Selection of vehicle in logistics industry is characterized by type and quantity of goods to be transported. Vehicle selection is very critical decision, as under utilization increases operating cost and reduces profit margin.

Understanding different types of vehicle being used is important from warehouse design perspective. Type of different vehicles being used directly affects warehouse design in terms of yard design, access roads to warehouse, dock design and staging capacity.

Types of vehicle:

• Box truck vehicle

Box trucks are also called as close body truck. Most commonly used type of vehicle in logistics industry.  A straight truck can carry cargo on the same chassis that has the cab and the power unit. But box truck can be loaded only from the back. These trucks can be used for loose loading or pallet loading. They are commonly used to transport stuff like furniture and other small items. Box truck come in different size and weight capacity, basis the requirement. However, number of pallets per truck will be anywhere between 14 to 18 with single stacking configuration and load capacity of 8 to 16 ton.

• Trailer truck vehicle

Trailer truck has different chassis for driving unit and loading unit. Major advantage of trailer truck is it can be back loaded, side loaded or top loaded, enabling faster loading and unloading. These trucks are suitable for pallet loading option. Trailer truck vehicles are commonly used to transport palletized inventory for long distance journey. Trailer truck can accommodate 20 to 30 pallets with single stacking configuration and load capacity of 24 ton.

• Flatbed truck vehicle

Flatbed trucks are also called open body truck with flat level bed with no sides or roof. Flat bed trucks are normally used for transporting over sized goods such as industrial equipment, construction parts of fleets of cars. It has loading capacity of 15 to 25 ton and can be loaded from back, side or top. Flat bed trucks are used for long distance transportation of heavy goods.

• Pick up vehicle

A pickup truck or pickup is light duty truck having an enclosed cab and an open cargo area with low sides. Pick ups are suitable for smaller order size and short distance transit. The goods transported using pick up vehicles are light weight and smaller in sizes. The weight carrying capacity is up to 2 ton of load.

• Refrigerated truck vehicle

Refrigerated trailers are used to transport products in a frozen or chilled state. These types of trucks feature a temperature-controlled unit that allows you to control the temperature inside the trailer irrespective of outside temperature. Refrigerated trailers are special as in they transport sensitive and perishable products such as pharmaceuticals, food or dairy products. They are however more expensive than standard trailers since they use extra fuel to keep the temperature control system running.

Dimensions of various types of vehicle can be found in this article and detailed glossary of vehicles logistics terminology can be found in this article.