A Euro truck in cargo transportation is a tractor unit with a tented semi-trailer 13.6 meters long — these figures are used to build pallet schemes and calculate the cubic capacity for transportation within Russia and the CIS. With a semi-trailer of the same length and width, the volume of a Euro truck ranges from 82 to 92 m³ depending on the height of the sides, and the carrying capacity ranges from 20 to 24 tons.
What is called a Euro truck
A Euro truck is not a single model of a truck, but a common format of a road train: a tractor unit plus a tented semi-trailer for Euro pallets. The name stuck because the body is adjusted to a single Euro standard — a pallet of 1200 × 800 mm, the doorway and the internal geometry of most manufacturers are made according to the same grid of dimensions.
The awning provides access to the cargo from four sides — from the back through the doors, from the top after shifting the roof, from the sides after removing the curtain. That's why the Euro truck leads in сборных and full loads on the automobile section. The frame and part of the racks can be dismantled for long cargo, so the same vehicle covers both pallet and non-standard transportation without changing vehicles.
The format has a downside. The awning holds heat worse and does not protect from rain as much as the closed body of a refrigerated truck or van. That's why another type of semi-trailer is used for temperature and valuable cargo, and the Euro truck is left for dry general cargo on pallets. In the heat above 30 °C, the awning even heats the cargo inside almost like the open sun. They don't carry temperature-sensitive chemicals or medicines even with dry and lightweight cargo.
Dimensions of a Euro truck in meters
The size of a Euro truck in length and width from most manufacturers is almost the same — the main difference is the height of the body. The dimensions of a standard Euro truck look like this, and these figures coincide with the requirements of most European and Russian roads, so the car does not need to be approved separately for a typical international route.
- internal length — 13.6 m;
- internal width — 2.45 m, external width of the truck with the mirrors of the tractor — up to 2.6 m;
- internal height of the body — from 2.45 to 2.8 m, the step depends on the modification of the body;
- doorway — about 2.4 m in width and slightly lower than the internal height of the body.
The width and length of the truck hardly change from model to model. The height of the body differs. Krone, Schmitz, Kogel and Lamberet — the largest manufacturers of tent semi-trailers on the Russian market — have the same basic set of parameters: the size of a Euro truck, length, width and height. However, the real dimensions of the body of a Euro truck for a specific vehicle differ from the catalog ones by 3–5 cm due to assembly tolerances and wear, and this should be taken into account when loading cargo snugly. The width by mirrors is also important — over 2.55 m, cargo is marked as oversized and the route is approved separately.
Volume of a Euro truck and how many cubes fit in the body
How many cubes are in a Euro truck depends on the height of the sides with a constant length of 13.6 m and a width of 2.45 m. Manufacturers mark modifications by the cubic capacity of the body — from 82 to 92 m³.
- 82 m³ — standard height of a Euro truck 2.45 m, basic version;
- 86 m³ — Euro truck with a body height of 2.6 m;
- 90 m³ — height 2.7 m;
- 92 m³ — height 2.8 m, the ceiling of the body at the upper limit for a route without special permits for dimensions.
What volume a specific Euro truck has is shown in the passport of the semi-trailer, not in an average table from an article — tolerances for the sides and floor differ between series from one factory. Before booking, check the passport data with the actual dimensions of the vehicle that is submitted for loading.
The choice of body height is rarely determined only by the volume of cargo. On a route with low bridges, эстакады or ferry crossings, a vehicle with a 92 m³ body is sometimes not allowed without согласование, while the 82 m³ version passes without restrictions — this point should be checked before booking, not after the vehicle is submitted for loading.
How many Euro pallets fit in a Euro truck
The standard capacity of a Euro truck is 33 Euro pallets 1200 × 800 mm in one tier. The figure is based on the floor area of 13.6 × 2.45 m, that is, about 33 m², and on the layout in three rows across with a minimal gap at the racks. The length of the body fits 11 pallets in a row — that's where the final number comes from: 11 rows for 3 pallets in a row.
The second tier is possible only for lightweight and stackable cargo — and only in versions with a higher body height, 86–92 m³. The basic version 82 m³ has almost no запаса по высоте if the pallet with cargo is higher than 1.2 m. The exact layout for pallets and types of packaging is the subject of a separate calculation, not a general rule for all cargo. Experienced forwarders allow a запаса of 5–10 cm at the doors and do not consider this strip of the floor to be the usable area — otherwise, the back row of pallets does not fit when closing the doors.
Weight and carrying capacity of a Euro truck
Cubage is not the only limit of a Euro truck. The total weight of the road train in Russia is limited by regulations on the permissible weights of road trains — 40 tons for a five-axle unit (tractor plus two-axle semi-trailer) and 44 tons for a six-axle one. This weight subtracts the weight of the empty vehicle and gets the weight available for cargo. The limit can only be exceeded with a special permit with a pre-agreed route — without it, the vehicle will be turned away or forced to partially unload at the weighbridge.
- a tented semi-trailer weighs empty 6–7 tons;
- the tractor in the equipped state — 7–9 tons;
- the load on the axle of the tractor and semi-trailer is limited separately — up to 11.5 tons on the rear axle of the tractor and up to 8 tons on the axle of the semi-trailer.
The remainder to the maximum weight of the road train is the carrying capacity of the Euro truck — in practice, 20–24 tons, depending on the equipped weight of a specific tractor and semi-trailer. It's easy to make a mistake here. Light bulky cargo runs into the cubes of the body, heavy cargo runs into the permitted weight per axle and per route. These two limits should not be confused when calculating the load. Before departure, the vehicle is weighed at the weighbridge post — for exceeding the axle load, the carrier pays a fine, and the cargo is still removed to the norm.
Semi-trailer Euro truck — awning and its structure
The semi-trailer Euro truck rests on a frame with longitudinal longitudinal members, the floor is made of plywood 27–30 mm thick, the sides are vertical racks with an awning on a roller mechanism. The roof on most models is made sliding, so the crane or loader brings the cargo from above without disassembling the frame and without removing the side curtains.
Alongside the standard Euro truck, enlarged modifications are found on the market — Jumbo and Mega, where the body is raised to 3 m and a cubic capacity close to 100 m³ is obtained. This is a separate technique with its own route limitations, not a Euro truck under another name.
Euro truck, refrigerated truck and platform — when to use which body
The standard Euro truck covers dry general cargo on pallets and in boxes — household appliances, building materials, auto parts, products with a long shelf life. For the rest, the market offers specialized bodies on the same base of 13.6 m.
- Refrigerated truck maintains a given temperature from –20 to +20 °C and is suitable for products and medicines with a cold chain;
- an isothermal body keeps the temperature longer than a regular awning, but without active cooling — it's good for a short haul without severe heat;
- an open platform or side does not fear rain due to the tarpaulin on top or does without cover at all — it's chosen for metal, pipes and equipment that is loaded by crane from above.
The customer chooses the body according to the cargo, not out of habit. The awning saves on loading and is suitable for most palletized cargo, but for perishable or oversized cargo, overpaying for the awning on the route will cost more than renting the right body from the start. The difference in the fare between the awning and the refrigerated truck usually pays off once — on the spoiled batch, not on the rental of the vehicle.
Common mistakes when calculating dimensions
Even experienced logisticians make the same mistakes when booking a Euro truck for a specific cargo.
- they take the external length or width instead of the internal one and lose the запаса at the doors and racks;
- they consider one height of the body for all Euro trucks, although the 82–92 m³ modifications differ in height;
- they confuse volume with carrying capacity and do not check what will run out first — cubes or tons;
- they do not clarify the condition of a specific semi-trailer — dents on the walls and wear on the floor eat up some of the passport volume;
- they order the basic version 82 m³ for cargo that needs to be stacked in two tiers and lose time on loading.
Each of these mistakes is solved with one question to the carrier before the vehicle is submitted — what modification is submitted and what are the internal dimensions now, not according to the manufacturer's catalog.
Checklist before ordering a Euro truck
Before booking, check the parameters of the cargo with a specific vehicle, not with the average figures from the article.
- Measure the cargo with packaging and decide if it can be stacked in two tiers.
- Compare the height of the cargo with the internal height of the requested modification — 82, 86, 90 or 92 m³.
- Check the total weight of the batch against the available carrying capacity of a specific road train.
- Clarify the route for bridges, эстакады and ferry crossings if the body is higher than 2.7 m.
- Request a photo or passport of the semi-trailer from the carrier if the cargo is tight on dimensions.
- Record the selected modification and carrying capacity in plain text in the application, not just verbally with the manager.
If you need a vehicle for a specific cargo geometry or an international route, we will select a modification of the Euro truck and fix the parameters in the transportation application, including tolerances for height and route, taking into account bridges and crossings. More about the service — Road transportation from China.