A sideloader trailer is typically a skeletal trailer with two crane modules for self-loading. The majority of sideloader work is loading containers, but they can be used for freight on container platforms, too. Some sideloaders have fixed crane positions, while…
A skeletal trailer is a lightweight semitrailer most commonly used for transporting one or two shipping containers. Shipping containers are intermodal – they can be loaded onto a ship, unloaded using a crane, moved using a forklift, empty container handler,…
Tanker trucks are a convenient way to move around bulk liquids, gases and powders. Sizes are variable, from small fuel trucks and biohazard waste trucks up to large b-trains and semitrailers. The tank can either be attached to the truck…
A semitrailer or ‘semi’ is a combination vehicle comprising a tractor unit towing a trailer via a fifth wheel coupling. The trailer only has wheels at the back (hence being called a semitrailer rather than a full trailer), and the…
There are three main vehicle combination types in New Zealand: A B-train is a tractor unit towing a semitrailer that has a dolly with a fifth wheel on the back of it, to which another semitrailer is attached. It’s called…
The flat deck refers to the area of the truck or trailer that the goods are loaded onto – it’s a large uniformly flat area which items can be placed on and secured. Trailers can be heavy or light, and…
A full trailer, sometimes called a pull trailer, is a heavy trailer which has at least one axle at each end of the trailer and is pulled using a drawbar. The front axle pivots to allow steering. Contrast this with…
Utes, also called pick-up trucks and utility vehicles, are the vehicle of choice for tradespeople and farmers, plus people who get out into the rugged wilderness as either part of their job or for their hobbies. From single-cab to double-cab,…
An electric truck is a delivery vehicle powered solely by batteries that drive an electric motor as opposed to a diesel engine. Feasible truck sizes are small and medium-sized curtainsiders, hardside delivery vans and tippers; it’s not yet feasible to…
A mobile crane is a wheeled, self-propelled vehicle with either a cable-controlled or hydraulic-powered telescoping boom crane. A mobile crane has three key benefits: Flexibility to drive on-road to the lift location High capacity Fast setup The largest mobile cranes…
A curtainside truck or trailer has canvas curtains on rails down the side that can be drawn back to allow easy loading and unloading by a forklift from either side. Behind the curtains is a flat deck truck. The roof…
A truck loader crane, truck-mounted crane, HIAB or ‘crane truck’ is a crane that is mounted to a truck, either just behind the cab or just behind the deck. It’s designed to lift goods on and off the truck and…
To be able to transport temperature-sensitive products, trucks and trailers must be able to keep a consistent temperature regardless of the outside weather and windchill. In hot weather, a unit must be able to cool, while in very cold weather…
A container spec forklift truck is one that can operate inside a standard shipping container – i.e. it can drive into the shipping container and pick up a load on a pallet that’s inside the container without the roof of…
