HaulerTrading

The Hauler is exactly what its name says: the cheapest dedicated cargo ship in the game, a tiny 14-tonne hull built to carry goods for almost nothing. Its hold is modest — around 26 tonnes — but it's near-free, lands at any outpost, and its featherweight mass gives it a surprisingly good laden jump range for shuttling cargo between nearby markets.

It is, of course, a starter and nothing more. Its cargo is tiny next to any real freighter, its defences are minimal, and it's slow. But for a brand-new commander learning to trade with no capital to risk, the Hauler does the job: buy low, jump, sell high, and watch the credits trickle in until you can afford a Type-6 and begin scaling up. The humble first rung of a trading career.

Four things define the Hauler as a trader:

• Almost free. At ~30k Cr with a trivial rebuy, it's the lowest-risk way to start trading — lose nothing if it goes wrong.
• Good laden range for its size. Its featherweight mass means it jumps well even with a hold full of goods.
• Small-pad access. Lands at any outpost — no route restrictions for a tiny trader.
• Simple and honest. A dedicated little cargo ship to learn the trade in, with nothing to distract.

Unbeatable cost and small-pad reach make it the pure starter trader, but a ~26 t hold and near-zero defences pin it to the bottom of the trading field.

The 42/100 headline is a verdict against the trading role's priority-ordered factors. Each factor carries a weight (its share of 100); this hull earns part of each based on how it performs against the whole field. The points sum to the rating.

Both tables rate ships for trading specifically. The role column is the maximum cargo capacity in tonnes — the headline number for bulk hauling.

Same class — small-pad traders

The Hauler carries the least of the small traders, but it's the cheapest by far. Almost any pricier small ship hauls more — the Hauler's sole advantage is costing nothing, making it the pure starter trader and nothing else.

Other classes — what you graduate to

The Hauler is rung zero of the trading ladder. The very next step — a Type-6 — quadruples your cargo, and it only goes up from there. Fly the Hauler to earn your first few hundred thousand credits, then upgrade and never look back.

At ~30k Cr the Hauler is almost free, with no rank gate and a trivial rebuy. There's little point heavily engineering a starter, but even A-rated it costs only a few hundred thousand credits.

It's the pure entry pick: a near-zero-risk way to learn trading and earn your first capital. The moment you can afford a Type-6, take it — the Hauler has done its job.

A minimalist starter trade fit. Initial is buy-only; A-rated is the trade baseline; Engineered is rarely worth it on a starter, but maximises range if you wish.

Buy the hull (~30k Cr) and fit the two large optionals with stock 3E cargo racks; the cores ship stock E-rated.

The hull ships with Lightweight Alloy bulkheads as standard — nothing to buy there. A trader never pays for Military Grade; keeping the plating light is exactly what you want.

Leave both utility mounts and the smaller optionals empty for now — the shield, the extra cargo racks and the scanner all arrive with the A-rated pass.

A-rate the FSD so even a full hold jumps well.

Trade in safe systems; submit and boost away from any interdiction.

A-rating priority for a starter trader:

• 1FSD → 2A — Range matters even for a tiny trader; A-rate it first. ~150k Cr
• 2Thrusters → 2A — Escape interdiction. ~100k Cr
• 3Power Plant → 2A — Run a shield and modules. ~100k Cr
• 4Shield Generator → 1A — A token buffer to flee behind; add a 0A Shield Booster up top. ~50k Cr
• 5Cargo racks & scanner — Fill the size-2 and size-1 optionals (2E/1E racks) for maximum (modest) cargo, plus a 1I Detailed Surface Scanner. cheap

Leave the bulkheads on stock Lightweight Alloy — Military Grade only adds mass and cost a trader doesn't want.

Light engineering only — the Hauler rarely warrants more. Felicity Farseer (maxed) carries the FSD; pin blueprints for remote application if you bother.

Recommended order

• 1FSD Increased Range if you want maximum jumps between markets — otherwise A-rating is enough.
• 2Lightweight non-essentials to claw back a little range.
• 3Don't sink materials into a starter you'll soon replace.

Approximate progression across the three states (figures are representative, not exact rolls):

The stock Lightweight Alloy bulkhead carries a G5 Lightweight Armour roll — it shaves ~40% off plating mass (protecting that ~36 LY laden jump) and adds a sliver of resistance, while barely touching raw armour. Defensibility stays minimal by design.

Even at its best the Hauler carries ~26t — a starter's load. It jumps well for its size and costs nothing, which is the whole point: a near-free way to learn trading and earn your first capital before stepping up to a Type-6.

• It's a stepping-stone — don't over-invest; trade your way to a Type-6 quickly.
• Trade in safe systems; the Hauler can't survive a determined pirate.
• Its good laden range is a genuine plus for a starter — A-rate the FSD.
• The moment you can afford a Type-6, upgrade — it quadruples your cargo.