Commercial Truck Types & Payload Capacities in India (2026 Guide)

Mini trucks & pickups (0.75–1.5 tonnes)

For intra-city deliveries, e-commerce last mile and small shop replenishment, mini trucks are the workhorses. The Tata Ace class carries about 750 kg, while a Bolero-style pickup handles around 1,500 kg. They are nimble in dense urban lanes and cost-efficient for short hops.

• Tata Ace (mini truck): ~750 kg payload; ideal for parcels and quick city moves
• Bolero pickup (1.5 T): ~1,500 kg; hardware, wholesale goods, mandi crates

Medium trucks (4–8 tonnes)

When loads grow beyond a pickup, medium rigid trucks take over for warehouse shuttles, white goods, textile rolls and factory batches. A 14 ft Eicher-class truck carries about 4 tonnes, a 17 ft truck roughly 6 tonnes, and a 20 ft multi-axle around 8 tonnes.

• 14 ft truck (4 T): ~14ft × 6.5ft × 6.5ft body; warehouse shuttles, spares
• 17 ft truck (6 T): medium linehaul, component batches
• 20 ft multi-axle (8 T): steel products, machinery, FMCG cartons

Containers, reefers & trailers (15–28 tonnes)

For long-haul FMCG, temperature-controlled cargo and oversized industrial goods, the heavy classes come in. A 32 ft multi-axle container moves 15–20 tonnes of national linehaul freight, a 14 ft reefer keeps cold-chain loads between roughly −20°C and +8°C, and a 40 ft flatbed trailer carries up to about 28 tonnes of pipes, steel or project cargo.

• 32 ft multi-axle container: 15–20 T; national FMCG linehaul
• 14 ft reefer: ~3,500 kg, temperature-controlled for vaccines & frozen food
• 40 ft flatbed trailer: ~28 T; structural steel, pipes, oversized cargo

How to pick the right truck

Match the vehicle to your heaviest constraint — weight or volume — not just the average load. Under-booking risks a second trip; over-booking wastes money on unused capacity. Light but bulky cargo (foam, packaging) is volume-limited, while dense cargo (steel, tiles) is weight-limited. When in doubt, get an indicative estimate for two adjacent classes and compare.