Haulage Vehicles: Rigid Lorries and Articulated Tractor Units

A rigid lorry is a single unit where the cab and the load body sit on one chassis, so the vehicle turns and reverses as one. Rigids come in 7.5, 12, 18 and 26 tonne weight classes in the UK and suit urban and regional distribution where the drops are varied and the driver needs to manoeuvre into yards, retail delivery bays and tighter streets. An articulated lorry is two units coupled together: a tractor unit at the front (the cab with the engine and the fifth-wheel coupling) and a semi-trailer at the back. The trailer pivots on the coupling, so the combination folds to turn and reverse. Artics run at 44 tonne gross train weight in the UK and suit trunking work between distribution centres, long motorway runs and high-volume palletised freight. Rigids are easier to drive in town, artics carry more per trip.

Yes, for almost any vehicle over 3.5 tonne gross vehicle weight used to carry goods on a public road in connection with a trade or business. The Goods Vehicle Operator's Licence (O-licence) is issued by the Traffic Commissioner and is separate from the driver's licence. There are two main types. A standard national O-licence covers carrying your own goods and goods for hire or reward within the UK. A standard international O-licence adds cross-border work. A restricted O-licence covers carrying your own goods only. You will need to nominate an operating centre, show financial standing, appoint a Transport Manager on standard licences and commit to keeping the vehicles roadworthy with regular safety inspections. Vehicles at 3.5 tonne and below sit outside the O-licence regime. We help new operators understand what they need before the order goes in so the licence and the vehicle arrive together.

We supply the full UK range. At 3.5 tonne, large panel vans (Transit Jumbo, Sprinter 907, Boxer L4H3) for light haulage and pallet work on a standard car licence. At 7.5 tonne, rigid chassis cab with curtainsider, box body or dropside, driven on a Category C1 licence (or a grandfathered Category B for drivers who passed before 1 January 1997). At 12 tonne and 18 tonne, larger rigids for regional distribution on a Category C. At 26 tonne, the largest rigids, typically on three axles, for heavy regional trunking. At 44 tonne, articulated combinations (tractor unit plus semi-trailer) on a Category C+E licence for national and long-distance work. We match the weight class to the payload you need to carry, the routes you run and the licence categories your drivers hold.

Yes. Tractor units are leased two ways. The first is tractor-only: the operator takes a contract hire or finance lease on the tractor and owns or hires trailers separately. This suits hauliers who already have a trailer fleet, mix between owned and pool trailers, or want the flexibility to swap trailer types (curtainsider one week, tanker the next) without touching the tractor agreement. The second is tractor-and-trailer: a single agreement covers both units, with one monthly rental and one handback at term end. This suits owner-drivers and smaller operators who want the whole rig in one deal. Tractor units come from the five major OEMs (Scania, DAF, Volvo, MAN, Mercedes Actros) with sleeper cab and day cab options, and we price both lease structures on a quote.

Yes, on rigids and trailers. Curtainsiders have sliding fabric curtains along both sides of the load bed, so a forklift can load pallets from either side at a loading dock without waiting for the rear doors. Curtainsiders are the default for palletised freight and general haulage. Box bodies have solid walls and a rear roller shutter or barn doors, giving better weather protection and security, which is why they dominate retail distribution, parcel work and anything temperature-sensitive. Refrigerated box bodies add insulation and a fridge unit for chilled and frozen goods. We specify and sign off the body build before delivery, whether that is a curtainsider on a 7.5 tonne rigid for palletised regional work or a refrigerated box on an 18 tonne chassis for food distribution.

Yes. Mixed fleets are common and the finance structures handle both. A multi-vehicle contract hire agreement can cover panel vans at one end of the fleet and rigid lorries at the other, with a single monthly rental summary and shared admin. Hire purchase on HGVs works alongside contract hire on the car-derived vans if different tax treatments suit different vehicles. We are an FCA-authorised broker with a panel of lenders, some of whom specialise in mixed van and HGV fleets, so the approval process sees the whole operation rather than dealing with van and lorry applications as separate credit checks. For fleet operators who want one monthly figure covering everything from a Transit Custom up to a 44 tonne artic, we structure the deal that way from the outset.

Yes. Used HGVs sit alongside the new stock and are often the right answer for a second, third or fourth vehicle on a growing fleet. A 3 to 5 year old rigid typically sells at roughly half the price of an equivalent new vehicle, with plenty of chassis life left, full service history and an MOT in place. Used tractor units are a mature market: fleet operators cycle tractors every 5 to 7 years, so clean low-mileage used examples from Scania, DAF and Volvo come through regularly. Every used HGV is inspected and documented before it leaves us: plated weight, MOT status, tachograph records, service history, tyre condition and any known issues are all disclosed up front. Used finance runs on hire purchase in most cases, because residual values on older HGVs are less predictable for contract hire.