How to choose a vehicle for your cargo: weight, volume and size

Weight or volume

There are two limits: how many kilograms the vehicle can carry and whether the cargo fits in the body. Soft furniture, boxes and packaging are light but take volume. Metal, cement and tiles are the opposite: little space, but the weight fills up fast. Always check both numbers.

A simple selection table

• Cargo car: up to 500 kg, 3 m3. A few boxes, small appliances.
• Pickup: up to 1 ton, 4 m3. Tools, small construction items.
• Small van: 1.5 tons, 9 m3. A one-room flat, a furniture set.
• Large van: 2 tons, 16 m3. A two-room flat, goods for a shop.
• 3 tons: 18 m3. An office, a medium volume of building materials.
• 5 tons: 30 m3. A three-room flat, palletised cargo.
• 10 tons: 45 m3. Large volumes of materials, industrial cargo.
• Semi-trailer: 20 tons, 86 m3. A full intercity load.

Dimensions matter too

For a sofa, a door, a window or a long pipe, look at the body length. A small van is about 3 metres inside, a 3-ton truck 4.2 metres, a 5-ton truck 6 metres. If the cargo is longer, you need a flatbed or a long body.

What a wrong choice costs

A second trip almost always doubles the first: the vehicle drives again, loaders wait, time is lost. If in doubt, take one size up.

Enter the weight in the order form: the system disables unsuitable vehicles and shows only realistic options.