Open, with tilt, crew cab or tipper: body types, payload from van to 18-tonner, pallet capacity, models and what determines the used value.
The flatbed truck is the simplest commercial vehicle there is: a cab, an open load bed and fold-down dropsides. That is exactly why it is the most widely used vehicle in the trades, in landscaping and gardening, in municipal services and in construction – from the 3.5-tonner driven on a car licence to the 18-tonner with a loader crane. What distinguishes the body types, what they carry, which models are available and what to look for when buying and selling.
A flatbed truck is a van or lorry with a flatbed body: a level load bed with side and rear dropsides that can be folded down or removed. Loading is done from three sides, by forklift, crane or hand. Unlike a box body, there is no height restriction and no closed wall – but the load needs securing against shifting, weather and theft.
The basic form: dropsides made of aluminium (light, corrosion-free) or steel (robust, heavier), dropside height usually 30 to 40 cm, load floor of wood, phenolic-coated plywood or chequer plate. For building materials, machinery, bulky goods and anything loaded by forklift or crane.
A frame (hoops) with a tilt over the flatbed protects the load from rain and prying eyes but can be opened from the side. The classic in general cargo and pallet transport; on lorries usually as a sliding tilt with an Edscha roof. Drawback: around 200 to 400 kg less payload and more wind resistance.
A second row of seats for up to seven people, at the cost of a shorter load bed. Standard for trade and installation crews, landscaping firms and municipalities. Combines passenger and material transport in one vehicle.
A flatbed with hydraulics that tips to the rear or to three sides (three-way tipper). For bulk goods, soil, gravel, green waste. What distinguishes tippers from dump trucks and hook-lift trucks is explained in the guide What is a tipper?.
A loader crane behind the cab or at the rear turns the flatbed truck into a self-loader for building materials, pallets and containers. Common on lorries from 7.5 t upwards, but depending on the crane it costs 500 to 2,000 kg of payload.
The flatbed is the lightest body, so more payload remains than with a box body. Guide values by weight class:
The binding payload is stated in the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I (registration certificate part I) as the difference between the technically permissible maximum laden mass (field F.1) and the unladen mass (field G). With vans it pays to look closely: a fully equipped 3.5-tonner with crew cab, all-wheel drive and tow bar sometimes has less than 700 kg of payload left – two pallets of paving stones are then already too much.
Up to 3.5 t gross vehicle weight, category B is sufficient; with a trailer up to 4.25 t B96 and above that BE. From 3.5 t you need C1 (up to 7.5 t) or C, and in commercial goods transport additionally the professional driver qualification; costs and categories are set out in the guide truck driving licence. Since 1 July 2024 the German truck toll applies from 3.5 t technically permissible maximum laden mass, with an exemption for craft businesses up to 7.5 t (Handwerkerausnahme).
Load securing is mandatory on an open flatbed and a checkpoint in every roadside inspection: lashing points to DIN EN 12640, lashing straps, anti-slip mats, and for bulk goods a tilt or net. The dropsides alone do not count as positive-fit securing if the load sits higher than the dropside.
Vans (3.5 to 5 t): Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, VW Crafter and MAN TGE, Ford Transit, Fiat Ducato, Peugeot Boxer and Citroën Jumper, Renault Master, Iveco Daily (up to 7.2 t, a true truck chassis with ladder frame and twin tyres – hence the highest payload in its class). Plus the pick-ups Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and VW Amarok, which run as flatbeds in landscaping.
Lorries (7.5 to 18 t): Mercedes-Benz Atego, MAN TGL and TGM, Iveco Eurocargo, DAF LF, Renault Trucks D, Fuso Canter. From 18 t usually Actros, TGS or Volvo FM with a loader crane from Palfinger, HIAB or Fassi.
Flatbed trucks hold their value well thanks to broad demand from the trades, construction, municipalities and export, but the spread is wide: a Sprinter or Daily with single cab and high payload sells much better than a heavy crew cab with all-wheel drive; on lorries, a loader crane and tilt raise the price provided the inspection log and condition are right. Value is determined by mileage, Euro standard (Euro 6 for registration in Germany, Euro 5 and older predominantly export), payload, body condition and service history. How the residual value is made up is explained in the guide value-retaining truck models; a concrete figure for your vehicle is provided by the free valuation based on real sales, after which verified dealers from over 34 countries make binding offers – sell your flatbed truck with truckoo.
Depending on model, wheelbase and equipment, about 1.0 to 1.5 t with a single cab; considerably less with a crew cab, tilt, all-wheel drive or crane. The binding figure is the difference between field F.1 and field G in the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I.
Up to 3.5 t gross vehicle weight category B, from 3.5 to 7.5 t category C1, above that category C. For trailers, B96, BE, C1E or CE apply depending on the gross combination weight.
A tipper is a flatbed with hydraulics that raises the load bed to the rear or to three sides. Every tipper is a flatbed truck, but not every flatbed tips.
On a 3.5 t van, depending on load bed length, 6 to 10 pallets; on a 7.5-tonner 12 to 17; on an 18-tonner up to 21 – each loaded crosswise at a load width of 2.45 m or more.
The flatbed is lighter, loads from three sides and by crane, has no height restriction and costs less. The box body protects against weather and theft and needs no elaborate load securing against rain. For building materials, machinery and bulky goods the flatbed; for parcels, furniture and sensitive goods the box body.
Gabriel Böhm is Managing Director of truckoo GmbH, the digital platform that is redefining commercial vehicle trade in Europe. With a passion for innovation and efficiency, he shapes the strategic direction and drives operational excellence to connect sellers and buyers smarter, faster and more transparently.
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