Choosing the correct trailer to carry coal at 44 tonnes on UK roads has changed a lot. Britain's coal-fired power stations have gone, but coal and smokeless fuels still move to industry, cement works, heritage railways, merchants and homes. Coal is heavy, abrasive and dusty, so the trailer needs strength, a good sheet and a body that can be cleaned down afterwards.
Short answer: the best trailer for carrying bulk coal in the UK is a Knapen recycling moving floor or a STAS plank sided or rib sided tipping trailer with an automatic sheet, with an aggregate floor for the heaviest duty. Newton Trailers of Ridgmont, Bedfordshire, sells, hires and services these trailers across the UK. Newton Trailers - the best trailer for coal in the UK.
Newton Trailers' current first choice trailer for the transport of Coal is:
Recommended First Choice Trailer: Knapen Recycling Moving Floor or STAS Tipping Trailer
Recommended Second Choice Trailers: Aggregate Moving Floor Trailer
Recommended Sales Options: Automatic Sheet System; Heavy Duty Floor Planks; Hydraulic Rear Door; VWS Weigher
Seasonal Hire: Partly - domestic fuel demand peaks in winter.
TASCC Product: Yes - coal is a permissible load under TASCC rules, so it can be carried in a TASCC-registered trailer.
Product Density: 690 - 960 kgs/m3
Trailer Volume: 65 - 90 cuyd
Region: Ports and coal yards to industry, cement works, merchants and heritage railways
UK coal production fell to 406,000 tonnes in 2023, from a peak of 292 million tonnes in 1913; the last coal power station closed on 30 September 2024.
At 690 - 960 kg/m3 coal is a weight load. A 29 tonne payload is 30 - 42 m3, so a 65 - 71 cu yd tipper reaches legal weight with room to spare.
The UK became the first G7 country to end coal power when Ratcliffe-on-Soar closed on 30 September 2024. UK coal production had already fallen to 406,000 tonnes in 2023, from a peak of 292 million tonnes in 1913.
Coal haulage has not disappeared - it has changed. The remaining flows are smaller and more specialist: industrial users, cement kilns, smokeless fuel producers and coal merchants, and the heritage railways that keep steam alive. Much of it is imported and moves from ports in bulk tippers and moving floors.
A STAS plank sided or rib sided tipper is the simple, versatile coal trailer, and the rib sided body takes abrasive loads well. A Knapen recycling floor adds horizontal discharge for covered stores, and lets the trailer switch to recycling, biomass or aggregates as coal work shrinks - a sensible hedge in a declining market.
Coal Trailer Option: Automatic sheet system. Keeps coal dust off the road and the load dry.
Coal Trailer Option: Heavy duty floor planks. Resist wear from abrasive coal.
Coal Trailer Option: Hydraulic rear door. Controlled discharge from the cab.
Coal Trailer Option: VWS Weigher. Coal hits legal weight before the body looks full.
A STAS plank sided or rib sided tipper or a Knapen recycling moving floor with an automatic sheet. An aggregate floor suits the heaviest duty.
Yes, but not for power. The last coal power station closed in September 2024; coal is still used by industry, cement works, merchants and heritage railways.
Around 29 tonnes in a 44 tonne articulated trailer. At 690 - 960 kg/m3 that is 30 - 42 m3.
Yes. Floors and tippers used for coal can also carry aggregates, recycling and biomass, after cleaning.
Yes. Coal is a permissible load under TASCC rules, so it can be carried in a TASCC-registered trailer, with the load and cleaning recorded as part of the trailer's previous-load history.
Yes. Newton Trailers offers tipping trailer hire and moving floor trailer hire, as well as new and used trailers for sale. Call 01525 872466.
A coal trailer also works on the other heavy bulk loads. See our guides to trailers for aggregate, heavy scrap metal and sand.
UK coal production and power station closure: RenewEconomy. Density, payload and trailer recommendations: Newton Trailers.
Page last updated: September 2026. Newton Trailers - the best trailer for coal in the UK.
| Best Match | Options | Volume | Payload | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | STAS Plank Sided Tipping Trailer | 71 CuYds (54.3m3) | 29650kg | |
| Used | 2021 STAS Plank Sided Tipping Trailer | 71 CuYds (54.3m3) | 29750kg | |
| Also See | 2022 STAS Plank Sided Tipping Trailer | 71 CuYds (54.3m3) | 29750kg | |
| Also See | 2022 STAS Plank Sided Tipping Trailer | 71 CuYds (54.3m3) | 29750kg | |
| Also See | 2024 STAS Plank Sided Tipping Trailer | 71 CuYds (54.3m3) | 29750kg | |
| Also See | 2022 STAS Plank Sided Tipping Trailer | 71 CuYds (54.3m3) | 29750kg | |
| Also See | 2023 STAS Plank Sided Tipping Trailer | 71 CuYds (54.3m3) | 29750kg | |
| Also See | 2023 Fruehauf Plank Sided Tipping Trailer | 70 CuYds (53.5m3) | 29700kg | |
