Choosing the correct trailer to carry rock salt at 44 tonnes on UK roads means fighting corrosion. Rock salt for gritting is dense, free-flowing and one of the most corrosive loads a trailer can carry. It moves from the mines to council and highways depots all summer, then in emergency top-ups when winter bites.
Short answer: the best trailer for carrying rock salt in the UK is a STAS plank sided tipper, washed down after every load, with rib sided bathtub and square body tippers as alternatives. Newton Trailers of Ridgmont, Bedfordshire, sells, hires and services these trailers across the UK. Newton Trailers - the best trailer for salt in the UK.
Newton Trailers' current first choice trailer for the transport of Salt is:
Recommended First Choice Trailer: STAS Plank Sided Tipping Trailer
Recommended Second Choice Trailers: STAS Rib Sided Bathtub Tipper; STAS Rib Sided Square Body Tipper
Recommended Sales Options: Automatic Roll Over Sheet; Wash-Down Fittings; Hydraulic Rear Door; VWS Weigher
Seasonal Hire: Yes - depots stock up from spring to autumn, with urgent re-supply during cold snaps.
TASCC Product: Yes - salt is a permissible load under TASCC rules, so it can be carried in a TASCC-registered trailer.
Product Density: 1,900 - 2,170 kgs/m3
Trailer Volume: 26 - 35 cuyd
Region: Winsford (Cheshire), Boulby (North Yorkshire) and Kilroot (Northern Ireland) to highways depots nationwide
Winsford mine alone produces around 1 - 1.5 million tonnes of rock salt a year - around 60% of UK rock salt.
Salt is extremely dense: a 29 tonne payload is only 13 - 15 m3. Never fill the body - and a weigher is essential.
The UK has three rock salt mines: Winsford in Cheshire, the largest and oldest, Boulby in North Yorkshire and Kilroot in Northern Ireland. Winsford alone produces around 1 - 1.5 million tonnes a year, mostly for gritting roads.
Councils fill their stores long before winter. Lincolnshire, for example, stocks over 29,000 tonnes and needs more than 1,000 lorry loads of around 28 tonnes from Cheshire each season - classic long-distance tipper work.
A plank sided tipper is the standard salt trailer, and its smooth body discharges cleanly. Rib sided bodies are stronger for rougher work. Whatever the body, corrosion protection and washing are what decide trailer life on salt.
Salt attacks steel, aluminium, brakes, wiring and fixings. Wash down thoroughly - including the chassis and running gear - after every load, keep the sheet in good condition, and inspect regularly. Clean properly before any TASCC or food work.
Salt Trailer Option: Wash-down fittings. Make the essential after-load wash quicker and more thorough.
Salt Trailer Option: Automatic roll over sheet. Keeps salt dry - wet salt cakes and corrodes faster.
Salt Trailer Option: Hydraulic rear door. Controlled discharge into depot barns.
Salt Trailer Option: VWS Weigher. Salt overloads a trailer long before it looks full.
A STAS plank sided tipper, washed down after every load, with rib sided tippers as alternatives.
Three mines: Winsford in Cheshire, Boulby in North Yorkshire and Kilroot in Northern Ireland.
Yes. Salt is highly corrosive, so wash the body and chassis after every load.
Yes. Salt 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, as well as new and used trailers for sale. Call 01525 872466.
Salt trailers also run the other bulk loads. See our guides to trailers for aggregate, sand and grain.
Winsford mine production: Wikipedia: Winsford Mine. Council gritting salt supply: Lincolnshire County Council. Density, payload and trailer recommendations: Newton Trailers.
Page last updated: September 2026. Newton Trailers - the best trailer for salt in the UK.
| Best Match | Options | Volume | Payload | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | STAS Plank Sided Tipping Trailer | Door 50:50 Combi Door Remove Grain Hatch "Agrostar" |
71 CuYds (54.3m3) | 29650kg |
| Used | 2022 STAS Plank Sided Tipping Trailer | Door 50:50 Combi Door Remove Grain Hatch "Agrostar" |
71 CuYds (54.3m3) | 29750kg |
| Also See | 2023 STAS Plank Sided Tipping Trailer | Door 50:50 Combi Door Remove Grain Hatch "Agrostar" |
71 CuYds (54.3m3) | 29750kg |
| Also See | 2021 STAS Plank Sided Tipping Trailer | Door 50:50 Combi Door Remove Grain Hatch "Agrostar" |
71 CuYds (54.3m3) | 29750kg |
| Also See | 2022 STAS Plank Sided Tipping Trailer | Door 50:50 Combi Door Remove Grain Hatch "Agrostar" |
71 CuYds (54.3m3) | 29750kg |
| Also See | 2024 STAS Plank Sided Tipping Trailer | Door 50:50 Combi Door Remove Grain Hatch "Agrostar" |
71 CuYds (54.3m3) | 29750kg |
| Also See | 2022 STAS Plank Sided Tipping Trailer | Door 50:50 Combi Door Remove Grain Hatch "Agrostar" |
71 CuYds (54.3m3) | 29750kg |
| Also See | 2023 Fruehauf Plank Sided Tipping Trailer | Quicksilver Liner - Sloper 10mm Door 70:30 Barn Door Quicksilver Liner - Sloper 6mm Quicksilver Liner - Sloper 12mm Floor 8mm Step to Rear Floor 8mm Full Length Wear Plates Sidewall Interior Floor 8mm Rear 6000mm Unidoor 1 Piece |
70 CuYds (53.5m3) | 29700kg |
