Logistics guides · Vehicle classes
Pickup, van, flatbed, lowbed: matching cargo to truck class in Nigeria
The single most common over-spend on Nigerian haulage is paying for capability you didn't need. The second most common is under-specifying and getting turned away at the gate. This guide walks through every vehicle class Liftzor lists, motorcycle dispatch through 30-tonne lowbed, and tells you in plain language when each one is the right call, what it costs in rough Naira ranges, and how to avoid the mismatches that quietly waste money.
Why getting the class right matters
Each step up the vehicle ladder costs more in diesel, more in driver per diem, more in tolls, and more in wear-and-tear. A pickup running a 200 km job costs roughly a tenth of what a 30-tonne articulated truck costs for the same run. So when a shipper books a small truck for a 50 kg delivery "to be safe," that's not safety, that's an unbooked overpayment. Equally, when a shipper books a small open-back for a load that needs a sidewall body, the driver politely refuses at pickup and the day is lost.
Posting accurate weight, dimensions and handling needs takes thirty seconds and saves real money. The Naira ranges below are indicative for inter-city Nigerian lanes in 2026, will float with diesel, and assume a sensible round-trip distance. They are not commitments, actual quotes always live on your shipment post.
Motorcycle dispatch, 1 to 25 kg
The right call for documents, small parcels, light spare parts and food deliveries inside a city. Two-wheel access lets dispatch riders cut through Lagos and Port Harcourt traffic that would trap any four-wheel vehicle for an hour. Wrong call for anything fragile that needs to stay upright, anything wider than a courier box, or any cargo that can't get rained on.
Rough intra-city range: ₦1,500 - ₦6,000 depending on distance, traffic and pickup urgency.
Pickup / van, 50 kg to 1 tonne
The workhorse for small businesses moving inventory, household moves of a single room, market traders restocking, and any parcel too big or fragile for a motorcycle but too small to justify a truck. A pickup with a tarpaulin handles most general goods up to roughly 1 tonne; an enclosed van adds rain and dust protection at a small premium.
Wrong call for cargo over 1 tonne, anything taller than the cab, or fragile equipment that needs proper strapping points.
Rough intra-city range: ₦15,000 - ₦45,000. Short inter-city (under 200 km): ₦40,000 - ₦120,000.
Small box truck / sidewall, 1 to 5 tonnes
This is the right class for palletised FMCG, electronics, a full small-shop relocation, or a few hundred bags of dry goods. Sidewall bodies stop pilferage and weather damage; box bodies add lockable security. Many Liftzor jobs in this band are last-mile distribution from a regional depot to retail customers.
Wrong call for cargo that needs side-loading by forklift (you want a flatbed), or cold-chain cargo (you want a reefer).
Rough inter-city range (200 - 500 km): ₦150,000 - ₦400,000.
Reefer, temperature-controlled, 1 to 15 tonnes
The right call for pharmaceuticals, vaccines, fresh produce, dairy, frozen protein and any cargo with a temperature spec on the manifest. Insist on inspection paperwork showing the last calibration of the cooling unit, a reefer that "works most of the time" is not a reefer. Liftzor lists calibration status per vehicle.
Wrong call for anything that doesn't actually need cold chain, you'll pay a 30 - 60% premium over an equivalent box truck for capability you didn't use.
Rough inter-city range (200 - 500 km): ₦250,000 - ₦700,000.
Flatbed, 10 to 20 tonnes
The right call for 20-ft and 40-ft dry containers off the port, machinery that needs crane-loading, building materials, structural steel and bulky industrial cargo. Flatbeds dominate the Apapa-Tin Can and Onne corridors precisely because containers slide on and off them quickly.
Wrong call for weather-sensitive cargo (you want a tarpaulin or a covered body), or for cargo that doesn't need the deck space (a sidewall is cheaper for palletised loads).
Rough inter-city range (200 - 800 km): ₦350,000 - ₦1,400,000 depending on container size and distance.
Articulated truck / 30-tonne trailer, 20 to 30 tonnes
The right call for high-volume FMCG distribution, cement and aggregates, bulk produce moving from north to south, and full-trailer industrial loads. Articulated rigs are what fills the long-haul Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Onitsha, Kaduna lanes. Posting a single full trailer almost always beats two split half-loads on cost.
Wrong call for short urban runs (the rig can't manoeuvre), or for cargo well under 20 tonnes (you're paying for empty deck).
Rough inter-city range (500 - 1,000 km): ₦700,000 - ₦2,200,000.
Lowbed, oversized and project cargo, 20 to 50+ tonnes
The right call for heavy plant, excavators, generators, transformers, oil & gas equipment, prefab structures, anything tall or wide enough to need route surveys and escort vehicles. Lowbeds dominate project moves out of Onne and inland to industrial sites in Rivers, Bayelsa and beyond.
Wrong call for anything a flatbed can handle, the lowbed premium is significant and only earned when the cargo physically requires the lowered deck.
Rough inter-city range (200 - 800 km): ₦900,000 - ₦4,500,000+ depending on cargo and permits.
Quick decision shortcut
- Under 25 kg, intra-city: motorcycle.
- Under 1 tonne, urban or short inter-city: pickup or van.
- 1 - 5 tonnes, palletised, weather-sensitive: small box truck or sidewall.
- Temperature-controlled: reefer (and verify the calibration).
- Containers off the port, machinery, steel: flatbed.
- Full-trailer FMCG, bulk, cement, long-haul: articulated 30-tonne.
- Oversized or project cargo: lowbed (with route survey).
Not sure which class fits? Post your cargo and let carriers tell you
Describe what you're moving, weight, dimensions, fragility, and verified carriers will quote with the right class. Most of the payment stays in escrow until safe delivery.