A lorry (or ‘truck’ as in some parts of the world) is a motor vehicle designed for transporting goods from one point to another. You might have seen plenty on them on the road, but have you ever stopped to wonder about their numerous uses? As it turns out, lorries are used in more applications you thought. One common type which you might be familiar with is the lorry crane.
Here are the common types of lorries you see in everyday life.
- Cargo haulers
This is perhaps the most common ones seen on the road. Cargo lorries are used to transport personal and commercial cargo from one point to another. They are usually identified in tons – 1 ton, 3 ton, 5 ton and 10 ton and range from 9 feet all the way to 26 feet in length.
- Container lorries
These can be thought of as a subset of cargo lorries. They are used to transport containers of cargo. You will often see them in ports; as such types of containers come to the ports often.
- Flatbed trucks
You must’ve probably seen these around too, as they are frequently used to transport construction materials like concrete segments for various construction projects.
- Tipper
Tipper lorries are used to transport materials like sand or gravel. This type of lorry derives its name from the fact that it can be tipped over for unloading the materials.
- Refrigerated trucks
These are used to transport perishable goods like fruits, vegetables, milk, meat etc. These are typically used in the food industry. However their use also expands to other sectors that require transport of temperature dependent materials, like medicine.
- Cement mixers
These are used to transport concrete mix to construction sites. You might’ve noticed the mixer constantly rotating to prevent solidifying of the material.
- Tow trucks
What would you do when your car breaks down on the road? You call a tow truck. Tow trucks are amazingly powerful and can haul vehicles even heavier than themselves.
- Garbage truck
Another indispensible part of our societies, garbage trucks are used to transport garbage from populated areas to landfills for dumping or decomposition.
- Non-road registered lorries
Trucks that have specific purposes such as aircraft tugs, airport fire response, mining trucks, some types of earthmoving equipment and some kinds of cranes might not require you to have a heavy vehicle license if they are not driven on the road. The lorry crane comes into this category of lorries.
- Tankers
Tankers carry liquid such as water, milk, petrol, and chemicals. Drivers need to be aware of the safety precautions required for the specific loads they are carrying.
These are the common types of lorries we see everyday.
