Road
From the 3.5-tonne truck to the mega trailer: dimensions, volume, pallets and payload for the most common vehicles in Spain and Europe.
MAM (maximum authorised mass) is how much the vehicle may weigh when fully loaded. Payload is what’s left for your goods once you subtract the weight of the vehicle itself, the bodywork and equipment such as the refrigeration unit or tail lift. On light vehicles, the difference is huge.
Drawings to scale relative to each other. 1.75 m person
A 13.6 m semi-trailer with a tarpaulin cover: the standard of European road haulage.
Sliding side curtains (tautliner) so it can be loaded from the side by forklift.
More internal height for light, bulky goods.
An insulated body with a refrigeration unit for perishables.
A closed rigid body, for maximum protection of the cargo.
For regional deliveries and sites an articulated truck can’t get into.
A box body on a light chassis, often with a tail lift. It can be driven on a car licence (category B).
The same base with an insulated body and refrigeration unit: less space and less payload.
A high-volume van such as a Sprinter, Crafter or Transit, for urgent shipments.
It’s the most widely used light vehicle in distribution: you can drive it on a standard car licence (category B) and it gets into any city. But those 3,500 kg are its total weight, not what it can carry. With a box body, the real payload is usually between 500 and 900 kg.
A 13.6 m trailer takes 33 euro pallets or around 26 pallets of 1200 × 1000 on a single tier. Each euro pallet takes up about 0.4 loading metres.
A ministerial order of July 2025 amending Spain’s General Vehicle Regulations raised the maximum authorised mass for combinations with five or more axles from 40 to 44 tonnes, applicable since October 2025. A truck’s real payload depends on the specific tractor unit and trailer.
| Vehicle | Internal dimensions | Door | Volume | Pallets | Payload |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tilt trailer | 13.62 × 2.48 × 2.67 m | 2.46 × 2.65 m | ≈ 90 m³ | 33 EUR · ≈ 26 US | ≈ 24,000 kg |
| Curtainsider | 13.62 × 2.48 × 2.70 m | 2.45 × 2.67 m | ≈ 91 m³ | 33 EUR · ≈ 26 US | ≈ 24,000 kg |
| Mega trailer | 13.62 × 2.48 × 2.94 m | 2.45 × 2.90 m | ≈ 100 m³ | 33 EUR | ≈ 24,000 kg |
| Refrigerated | 13.31 × 2.48 × 2.60 m | 2.46 × 2.60 m | ≈ 85 m³ | 33 EUR | ≈ 22,000–24,000 kg |
| Box trailer | 13.62 × 2.46 × 2.70 m | 2.46 × 2.70 m | ≈ 90 m³ | 33 EUR | ≈ 24,000 kg |
| 3-axle rigid truck | ≈ 8 m | — | — | 16 EUR | — |
| 3.5-tonne truck | 4.20 × 2.10 × 2.20 m | — | ≈ 20 m³ | 6–8 EUR | 500–900 kg |
| Refrigerated 3.5-tonne truck | 3.65 × 1.90–2.05 × 1.90–1.95 m | — | 13–14 m³ | 6–7 EUR | 500–650 kg |
| Large 3.5 t van | 4.10–4.80 m | — | ≤ 15–17 m³ | 5–7 EUR | 1,000–1,400 kg |
Typical values. Dimensions and payload vary with the manufacturer, the bodywork and the vehicle’s year. Sources: DSV Spain, Eurowag, DGT (2025), BOE (RD 818/2009), Covey, Sixt, Europcar, Vanarama and Vanguide.
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