A truck that is too big wastes money on space, and one that is too small means a second trip. This guide lists the common truck sizes in Bangladesh so you can match your load to a vehicle before you book.
Trucks in Bangladesh are described by two numbers: the length of the cargo deck in feet and the payload in tons. A 7 or 9 ft pickup carries about 1 ton (1,000 kg, or 25 maund). A 12 ft truck carries about 2 tons, a 14 ft truck about 3.5 tons, a 16 ft truck about 7.5 tons, and an 18 ft truck about 15 tons. The largest 23 ft trucks carry 15 to 25 tons.
Truck size and capacity chart
The chart below lists the sizes you can book on Truck Lagbe in 2026, based on Truck Lagbe’s Dhaka rate chart. Kilogram figures use 1 ton = 1,000 kg. Maund figures use the Bangladeshi maund (মণ) of 40 kg, so 1 ton equals 25 maund.
| Truck size | Capacity | Approx. kg | Approx. maund (মণ) | Body type | Typical loads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 ft pickup | 1 ton | 1,000 | 25 | Open | Single appliances, bachelor moves, shop deliveries |
| 9 ft pickup | 1 ton | 1,000 | 25 | Open or covered van | 1 to 2 room moves, cartons, appliances |
| 12 ft truck | 2 tons | 2,000 | 50 | Open or covered van | 2 room moves, retail stock, garments in cartons |
| 14 ft truck | 3.5 tons | 3,500 | 87.5 | Open or covered van | 3 to 4 room homes, office moves, wholesale goods |
| 16 ft truck | 7.5 tons | 7,500 | 187.5 | Open or covered van | Farm produce, cement, coal |
| 18 ft truck | 15 tons | 15,000 | 375 | Open | Bricks, stone, sand, rods |
| 23 ft covered van | 15 tons | 15,000 | 375 | Covered van | Export garments, textiles, packaged food |
| 23 ft truck | 25 tons | 25,000 | 625 | Open | Factory machinery, bulk construction material |
Capacity here means rated payload, the most weight the vehicle is designed to carry. It varies a little by make, model, and body, so check the vehicle details in the app before you load heavy goods. Fares for every size are in our Dhaka truck and pickup rate guide.
Feet and tons: space versus weight
Feet tells you the length of the cargo deck, which sets how much space you get. Tons tell you the payload, which sets how much weight the truck can safely carry. Most loads hit one of these limits well before the other, and that limit decides the truck.
Light, bulky goods run out of space first. Sofas, mattresses, plastic chairs, cotton bales and empty cartons fill a deck long before they approach its weight limit, so choose by feet.
Dense goods run out of weight first. A standard bag of cement weighs 50 kg, so a 2 ton, 12 ft truck reaches its payload at 40 bags, even though those bags cover only part of the deck. Rods, tiles, sand and stone behave the same way, so choose by ton.
If you are not sure which applies, estimate both and book for whichever limit you hit first.
Pickups: 7 ft and 9 ft
Pickups are the smallest goods vehicles on Truck Lagbe and the most practical choice for short trips inside a city. Both sizes carry about 1 ton.
7 ft, 1 ton pickup
The 7 ft pickup carries up to about 1,000 kg (25 maund) on a short open deck. It suits single heavy items such as a refrigerator, a washing machine or a motorcycle; a bachelor’s room move with a bed, a table and a few boxes; and regular shop deliveries of vegetables, fish, hardware or electronics. Truck Lagbe has set a fixed fare for this size based on three years of booking data, explained in the rate guide.
9 ft, 1 ton pickup or covered van
The 9 ft pickup carries the same 1 ton but adds about two feet of deck, which matters for bulky loads. It fits a one- or two-room move, cartons, utensils, garments, and household appliances. If your load is light but long, such as a steel almirah lying flat or a set of door frames, the extra length can save you from booking a 12 ft truck.
The 9 ft size also comes as a covered van, which keeps goods dry and out of sight. That is useful for electronics, and for anything that cannot get wet during the monsoon.
Mid-size trucks: 12 ft and 14 ft
These are the sizes most families book for a house move, and many shops use them for regular stock runs.
12 ft, 2 ton truck
A 12 ft truck carries about 2,000 kg (50 maund). It suits a two-room flat, a small shop’s stock, or garments packed in cartons. As a working example, 40 bags of cement reach its weight limit, while the furniture of a two-room home usually fills the deck before it gets close to that weight. The 12 ft truck comes open or as a covered van. Under Truck Lagbe’s booking rules, it is also the largest size that can run inside Dhaka during the day.
14 ft, 3.5 ton truck
A 14 ft truck carries about 3,500 kg (87.5 maund). It is the size Truck Lagbe recommends for moving a three- to four-room home, and it also handles office moves, wholesale stock, and heavy household items such as steel almirahs and large refrigerators in one load. It comes open or covered.
Because it is longer than 12 ft, a 14 ft truck can only be booked for trips inside Dhaka after 10:00 PM, so plan city moves around that window. One 14 ft truck often costs less than two 12 ft trips; compare both in the rate guide before you decide.
Large trucks: 16, 18 and 23 ft
Large trucks carry commercial freight between districts, ports and factories. All of them are longer than 12 ft, so for trips inside Dhaka they can only be booked after 10:00 PM.
16 ft, 7.5 ton truck
The 16 ft truck carries about 7,500 kg (187.5 maund). It is commonly used for agricultural produce such as rice, potatoes and onions, and for construction materials such as cement and coal. The covered version protects sacks of food grain from rain.
18 ft, 15 ton truck
The 18 ft open truck carries about 15,000 kg (375 maund) and is built for dense, heavy loads: bricks, stone chips, sand, cement and steel rods. These goods reach the weight limit long before they fill the deck, so it is easy to load an 18 ft truck past its limit without noticing.
23 ft covered van and 23 ft truck
The 23 ft size comes in two forms. The 23 ft covered van carries about 15 tons and is the usual choice for export garments, textiles, packaged food, and imported goods, because the enclosed body protects high-value cargo on long highway runs. The 23 ft open truck carries up to about 25 tons (625 maund) and handles factory machinery and bulk construction material.
Open truck or covered van?
Most sizes from 9 ft up come in two body types. An open truck has a flat deck with low sides and is covered, if at all, with a tarpaulin. A covered van has a fixed, enclosed box with lockable doors.
| Open truck | Covered van | |
|---|---|---|
| Weather protection | Tarpaulin only | Fully enclosed |
| Security | Goods visible and harder to secure | Lockable, goods out of sight |
| Best for | Sand, bricks, rods, machinery, tall or oddly shaped items | Garments, electronics, furniture, food, documents |
| Loading | From the sides and back | From the back doors only |
| Sizes on Truck Lagbe | 7, 9, 12, 14, 16, 18 and 23 ft | 9, 12, 14, 16 and 23 ft |
| Fare | Lower | Usually higher for the same size |
Choose a covered van when rain or dust could damage your goods. Choose an open truck for construction materials and loads too tall for van doors.
Load limits and overloading rules in Bangladesh
A truck’s rated payload is a safety limit, and Bangladesh also sets legal limits on the total weight of a loaded vehicle on its highways. Under a 2016 office order of the Road Transport and Highways Division, the allowable gross weight depends on the number of axles, as reported by the Financial Express:
| Axles | Allowable gross weight (truck plus load) |
|---|---|
| 2 | 22 tons |
| 3 | 30 tons |
| 4 | 40 tons |
| 5 | 47 tons |
| 6 | 49 tons |
| 7 | 52 tons |
These limits include the weight of the truck itself, so the cargo a truck can legally carry is always lower than the figure in the table.
At the Sitakunda axle load control station on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway, 7.76% of vehicles surveyed in 2023 were over the limit, according to a Financial Express report. Engineers quoted by the same paper estimate that a 10% overload causes about 46% more road damage. Penalties under the Road Transport Act 2018 can exceed Tk 1 lakh, so do not ask a driver to carry more than the rated payload.
How to choose the right truck in 4 steps
- Weigh the heavy items. Cement and rice sacks have their weight printed on them, and appliance weights are in the manual. If your supplier quotes in maund, multiply by 40 to get kilograms.
- Picture the bulky items on the deck. Furniture, mattresses and cartons decide the length you need. If it looks tight, go one size up.
- Check the route and time. Inside Dhaka, trucks longer than 12 ft can only be booked for trips after 10:00 PM. For a daytime move, plan for a 12 ft truck or two smaller trips.
- Pick open or covered. Anything that rain, dust or theft could damage should go in a covered van.
Here is a typical case. A family moving out of a two-bedroom flat has a double bed, two wardrobes, a fridge, a washing machine, a sofa set and a stack of cartons. Together they weigh well under 2 tons, but the furniture needs more deck than a 9 ft pickup has. A 12 ft covered van fits the load, can run in daytime and keeps everything dry.
Quick picker: which truck for which job
Start with this table, then check your pick against the four steps above.
| Job | Recommended size | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Single appliance or motorcycle | 7 ft pickup | 1 ton payload, lowest fare |
| Bachelor room move | 7 or 9 ft pickup | Few large items |
| 1 to 2 room flat | 9 ft covered van or 12 ft truck | Space runs out before weight |
| 3 to 4 room home | 14 ft truck | Full furniture sets in one trip |
| Small office move | 12 or 14 ft covered van | Protects computers and files |
| Shop or market stock | 9 or 12 ft truck | Frequent short city trips |
| Cement, rods, bricks | 16 or 18 ft open truck | Weight is the limit |
| Export garments and textiles | 23 ft covered van | Large enclosed space |
| Machinery and bulk materials | 23 ft open truck | Up to 25 ton payload |
For a full house move with packing and loading help, see our home and office shifting service. To learn how each vehicle type is built and used, read types of trucks and their uses.
Book the right size on Truck Lagbe
Once you know the size, booking takes a few minutes in the Truck Lagbe app. Choose the vehicle type and size, enter the pickup and drop-off points and the date, and verified truck owners send bids for your trip. You compare the offers and confirm one, so the fare is agreed before the truck arrives.
Businesses that move freight every week can use Truck Lagbe for Business.
Download the Truck Lagbe app to see which sizes are available for your route.
Frequently asked questions
How many tons can a 16 ft truck carry?
About 7.5 tons, which is 7,500 kg or 187.5 maunds. Open and covered versions on Truck Lagbe carry the same rated payload.
How many maunds are in 1 ton?
There are 25 maunds in 1 ton. In Bangladesh, one maund (মণ) is 40 kg, and one metric ton is 1,000 kg.
Which truck do I need for a two-bedroom flat?
A 12 ft truck or covered van usually fits. If you have heavy wardrobes, a large sofa set or a lot of cartons, a 14 ft truck lets you finish in one trip, but inside Dhaka it can only run after 10:00 PM.
Can big trucks enter Dhaka during the day?
On Truck Lagbe, trucks longer than 12 ft can only be booked for trips inside Dhaka after 10:00 PM. Pickups and 12 ft trucks can run during the day.
Can I load a truck beyond its rated tons?
No. The rated payload is the most the vehicle is designed to carry, and highway weight limits apply as well. Overloading raises the risk of accidents, damaged goods, and fines.
