Choosing the correct trailer to carry waste tyres at 44 tonnes on UK roads is about cube and clean handling. Whole tyres are light, bouncy and full of air, so a trailer fills long before it reaches legal weight. They are loaded by hand, by conveyor or by grab, and unloaded at tyre processors, cement kilns and export yards.
Short answer: the best trailer for carrying waste tyres in the UK is a Knapen biomass or side door moving floor trailer of 120 - 140 cu yd, with Knapen heavy duty waste, recycling and scrap floors for shredded tyres. Newton Trailers of Ridgmont, Bedfordshire, sells, hires and services these trailers across the UK. Newton Trailers - the best trailer for tyres in the UK.
Newton Trailers' current first choice trailer for the transport of Tyres is:
Recommended First Choice Trailer: Knapen Biomass Moving Floor Trailer
Recommended Second Choice Trailers: Knapen Heavy Duty Waste Moving Floor; Knapen Recycling Moving Floor; Knapen Scrap Moving Floor
Recommended Sales Options: Side Doors; Hydraulic Rear Door; Heavy Duty Floor Planks (shred); Automatic Roll Over Sheet System
Seasonal Hire: No - tyres are replaced year round.
TASCC Product: No - tyres are not a permissible load for TASCC-registered trailers, so keep them to non-TASCC trailers.
Product Density: 200 - 400 kgs/m3
Trailer Volume: 120 - 140 cuyd
Region: Nationwide - garages, tyre depots and collectors to processors, cement kilns and export ports
The UK produces around 40 million waste tyres a year - roughly 600,000 - 700,000 tonnes - and around 300,000 - 350,000 tonnes are exported to India.
At 200 - 400 kg/m3 whole tyres are a volume load: a big floor fills well before 29 tonnes. Shredded tyre is denser and abrasive, which is where heavy duty floors come in.
The Tyre Recovery Association estimates the UK produces around 40 million waste tyres a year. Estimates of the tonnage range from 600,000 to 700,000 tonnes, with around 300,000 - 350,000 tonnes exported to India. Whole tyres cannot go to landfill, so they are retreaded, reused, shredded and granulated for surfaces and rubber products, or used as fuel in cement kilns.
Regulation is tightening. The Environment Agency has said it intends to remove the T8 exemption that allows small tyre storage and treatment without full tonnage reporting - which should bring more tyres into permitted processing sites and more structured haulage.
A Knapen biomass floor carries the volume whole tyres need. Side doors make loading by hand or conveyor much easier and quicker, and the moving floor unloads in minutes. For shredded tyre and tyre-derived fuel, a heavy duty waste or scrap floor resists the steel wire in the shred.
Tyre Trailer Option: Side doors. Faster loading of whole tyres by hand or conveyor.
Tyre Trailer Option: Hydraulic rear door. Fast unloading at processors and kilns.
Tyre Trailer Option: Heavy duty floor planks. Resist the steel wire in shredded tyre.
Tyre Trailer Option: Automatic roll over sheet system. Keeps loads contained and dry.
A Knapen biomass or side door moving floor of 120 - 140 cu yd for whole tyres, and a heavy duty waste or scrap floor for shredded tyres.
Around 40 million a year, or roughly 600,000 - 700,000 tonnes, according to industry estimates.
Whole tyres are a volume load. Shredded tyre is denser and more abrasive.
To retreading and reuse, shredding and granulation, cement kilns as fuel, and export - especially to India.
Yes. Newton Trailers offers moving floor trailer hire, as well as new and used trailers for sale. Call 01525 872466.
A tyre floor also carries the other recycling and scrap loads. See our guides to trailers for heavy scrap metal, light scrap metal and RDF.
Tyre Recovery Association: the UK trade body for tyre collectors and processors.
UK waste tyre arisings and exports: WikiWaste. Density, payload and trailer recommendations: Newton Trailers.
Page last updated: September 2026. Newton Trailers - the best trailer for tyres in the UK.
| Best Match | Options | Volume | Payload | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | Knapen Biomass Moving Floor Trailer | 130 CuYds (99.4m3) | 27850kg | |
| Used | 2021 Knapen Biomass Moving Floor Trailer | 140 CuYds (107.0m3) | 27900kg | |
| Also See | 2015 Kraker Biomass Moving Floor Trailer | 130 CuYds (99.4m3) | 27900kg | |
| Also See | New Knapen Biomass Moving Floor Trailer | 130 CuYds (99.4m3) | 27850kg | |
| Also See | New Knapen Biomass Moving Floor Trailer | 140 CuYds (107.0m3) | 27770kg | |
| Also See | New Knapen Biomass Moving Floor Trailer | 120 CuYds (91.7m3) | 27930kg | |
| Also See | New Knapen Side Door Moving Floor | 120 CuYds (91.7m3) | 27250kg | |
| Also See | 2019 Legras Side Door Moving Floor | 120 CuYds (91.7m3) | 27200kg | |
