Choosing the right vehicle is the single biggest decision you’ll make when you book truck hire. Get it right and the job is done in one trip. Get it wrong and you’re paying for a second load, a second driver shift and a second day of downtime, or you’re standing at the loading bay with a vehicle that won’t take the pallet you’re trying to fit into it.
If you’ve never hired a truck before, the tonnage figures can be misleading. This guide explains how to work out what you actually need, and what to check before you confirm the booking.
Weight is only half the answer — volume is the other half
The “ton” in a 4-ton or 8-ton truck refers to payload: how much weight the vehicle is legally permitted to carry. It says nothing about how much space is available on the load body.
Most first-time hirers get caught out here. A load of 2 tons of scatter cushions, empty crates or insulation panels weighs almost nothing but fills a load box completely. Two tons of tiling, steel or bagged cement takes up a corner of the same body and still puts you near the weight limit.
So you need two numbers before you book:
- Total weight of the load, including pallets, crating, strapping and packaging.
- Total volume of the load in cubic metres.
To get volume, measure each item or pallet in metres — length × width × height — and add the results together. A standard SA pallet stacked 1.5 m high works out to roughly 1.8 m³. Then add about 15–20% for the space you lose to gaps, irregular shapes and the fact that you can’t stack everything.
Whichever number hits the ceiling first, weight or volume, is the number that determines the truck you need.
4-ton and 8-ton truck hire: the two most-hired sizes
The 4-ton and 8-ton classes account for the majority of our bookings, because between them they cover most small-to-large commercial and household jobs.
4-ton trucks
A 4-ton truck carries up to four tons of payload and is the workhorse of local distribution. It’s the right choice for:
- Small to medium furniture moves, a flat or a one-to-two-bedroom house
- FMCG and retail replenishment runs
- Tools, plant and site equipment
- Multi-drop courier and distribution routes around town
The 4-ton is easier to manoeuvre through suburban streets, into townhouse complexes and around tight loading bays than anything larger, which matters more than people expect. If your delivery point has a narrow gate, a low overhang or a steep driveway, the 4-ton is often the largest vehicle that will physically get in.
Where people go wrong: booking a 4-ton on weight alone. If your load is 2 tons but 30 m³, it won’t fit, you need an 8-ton, or you’re doing two trips.
8-ton trucks
The 8-ton is the most versatile vehicle in the fleet and the one we recommend when a job sits on the fence between two sizes. It handles:
- Full household moves, three bedrooms and up
- Construction materials, bricks, steel and site deliveries
- Bulk FMCG and warehouse-to-warehouse transfers
- Palletised freight where the pallet count is the limiting factor
The extra load-body length and height mean you can stack properly and secure the load rather than cramming it. For anything you’re unsure about, the 8-ton is the safer booking, the price difference between a 4-ton and an 8-ton is almost always smaller than the cost of a second trip.
The full range: 1.6-ton to 32-ton
Beyond the two most popular sizes, we also hire out 1.6-ton, 3-ton, 5-ton, 7-ton, 14-ton and 32-ton vehicles.
Size Typically used for:
3 ton: Small office moves, light FMCG, trade deliveries
4 ton: Furniture, FMCG, equipment, multi-drop distribution
5 ton: Mid-size moves and distribution where a 4-ton is marginal
7 ton: Heavier distribution, bulkier palletised loads
8 ton: House moves, construction, bulk FMCG, general freight
14 ton: Bulk materials, long-distance freight, high-volume loads
32 ton: Heavy haulage, bulk transport, full-load linehaul
Availability varies by branch and by date, so it’s worth confirming when you enquire rather than assuming a specific size is on the yard.
Body configuration matters as much as tonnage
Two 8-ton trucks with different bodies do completely different jobs. Once you’ve settled on a size, choose the configuration:
- Panel vans — fully enclosed and lockable. The default for furniture, electronics, retail stock and anything that must stay dry and secure.
- Curtain sides — enclosed on the move, but the sides open completely for forklift loading from either side. Ideal for palletised freight and busy distribution centres.
- Drop sides — open body with fold-down sides. Best for building materials, plant, steel and anything loaded by crane or forklift from above.
- Crane trucks — a truck-mounted crane for loading and offloading where there’s no forklift, no loading bay and no team on site.
- Tail lift trucks — a hydraulic platform at the rear that raises heavy items to load-bed height. Essential when you’re loading or delivering at ground level without a dock or forklift.
- Refrigerated trucks — temperature-controlled bodies for fresh produce, chilled and frozen goods, pharmaceuticals and anything else with a cold chain to maintain.
If you’re delivering to a site with no forklift and no loading dock, the tail lift or crane option is not a nice-to-have. It’s the difference between a job that works and a job that doesn’t.
Five things to confirm before you book
- Load weight and volume — the two numbers above. Get both.
- Access at both ends — gate widths, height restrictions, boom gates, driveway gradients, complex rules and whether there’s space to turn a long-wheelbase vehicle around.
- How you’re loading and offloading — forklift, loading dock, crane, or by hand? This determines the body type.
- Driver’s licence code — anything above 3,500 kg GVM needs a Code C1 licence, and larger rigids and truck-tractors need a Code C or EC. A goods vehicle over 3,500 kg GVM also requires the driver to hold a valid Professional Driving Permit (PrDP). If your own staff are driving, check their licences before the collection date.
- How long you need it — daily, weekly and monthly rates differ, and so do the kilometre allowances attached to them.
Still not sure? Ask us
If you’re not familiar with truck configurations or the hire process, the fastest route is a two-minute phone call. Tell us what you’re moving, where it’s going and how it’s being loaded, and our sales team will tell you which vehicle fits.
Call 0861 772 7826 or email info@spartantruckhire.co.za.
Spartan Truck Hire operates in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town.
