Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV): Definition, Types and Uses

A lorry (also called a truck or heavy goods vehicle) is a motor vehicle designed to carry goods by road. Lorries range from small delivery vehicles to large articulated units and are the backbone of road freight transport.

Types of lorry

• Rigid trucks: the cab and cargo body sit on one fixed chassis.
• Articulated trucks: a tractor unit pulls a separate semi-trailer, allowing higher payloads.
• Specialised trucks: tippers, tankers, refrigerated (reefer) units and curtain-siders for specific cargo.

In the UK and Europe, large trucks are often classified as heavy goods vehicles (HGV), typically those over 3.5 tonnes.

Truck weight classes (EU)

In the EU, goods vehicles are grouped by maximum authorised mass into categories N1 to N3:

Lorries in road freight

Trucks move the majority of freight across Europe over both short and long distances. Planning their routes efficiently, with truck-specific dimensions, weights and restrictions, is done with tools like the IMPARGO truck route planner.