An Uzbekistani cold-chain operator is moving perishable food across long inland distances where the next service point can be far away and summer heat is unforgiving. The refrigerated truck has to do two jobs at once: carry the load efficiently on a long chassis, and hold the box temperature without draining the day. The choice between a 6×2 and a 4×2 comes down to how much you carry and how far you go.

This article covers only one scenario for Uzbekistan: Cold Chain and Refrigerated transport. Two Foton models fit the brief, and they are not the same truck despite both being 22-tonne refrigerated units. Both are left-hand drive, matching Uzbekistan. Every figure below is from the listing data, with the gaps and regional notes flagged.

1. The volume hauler: Auman MA5 6×2

The Auman MA5 is a 6×2 chassis built for body volume. It runs a Dongfeng Cummins ISD6.7 of 6,700 cc, rated at 198 PS with 970 N·m of torque, through a Fast 8JS118TC-B eight-speed on a 5.286 final drive. The GVW is 22,000 kg on a 6.5 t front axle and a 13 t middle/rear group, with an 11,590 mm overall length and a 5,900 + 1,350 mm wheelbase. The fuel is a 260-litre tank and the tyres are 11.00R20 on 11 wheels. Emissions are Euro IV with SCR. The extended cab and the long wheelbase tell you this is a chassis sized for a large refrigerated box.

One gap to note: the listing names this a refrigerated truck but does not state the insulated body or refrigeration unit dimensions — the inner cargo-box figure is blank. You are buying a chassis specced for a reefer body, and the box and unit are upfit items you must confirm with the supplier. Also, the data's sales-country field reads Vietnam; verify the build matches Uzbekistan and that Euro IV is accepted locally.

Refrigerated Truck · Uzbekistan

Auman MA5 6×2 — 198 PS, 22 T, Euro IV

Dongfeng Cummins ISD6.7, 6,700 cc · 198 PS · 970 N·m · Fast 8JS118TC-B · final drive 5.286 · GVW 22,000 kg · 260 L tank

Listed at $34,300 · Fresh food and warehouse refrigerated transport

View full specification →

2. The lighter rigid: Aumark EST-M 4×2, 177 PS

The Aumark EST-M is a 4×2 on a 5,750 mm wheelbase, powered by a Yuchai YC6A240-33 of 7,225 cc, rated at 177 PS with 900 N·m of torque, through a Fast 8JS105TA eight-speed on a 4.875 final drive. The GVW is 22,000 kg on a 5.5 t front axle and a 10 t rear group, with a 200-litre fuel tank and 7 tyres of 11R22.5. The cargo body internal dimensions are 7,800 × 2,450 × 600 mm. Emissions are Euro II. The cab is a half-bench seat; the listed standard air conditioning is manual with automatic available as an option.

The bigger engine displacement but lower horsepower (177 vs 198) and the Euro II badge are the two things to weigh. Euro II is an older standard, so its acceptance for Uzbekistan registration is the first question to answer. The 7,800 mm body is actually longer than you might expect for a 4×2, which makes this a credible medium-volume refrigerated unit at a lower price point.

Refrigerated Truck · Uzbekistan

Aumark EST-M 4×2 — 177 PS, 22 T, Euro II

Yuchai YC6A240-33, 7,225 cc · 177 PS · 900 N·m · Fast 8JS105TA · final drive 4.875 · GVW 22,000 kg · 200 L tank

Listed at $23,750 · Fresh food and regional refrigerated delivery

View full specification →

3. How the two split the cold-chain work

The MA5 is the longer, higher-emission-standard, higher-priced volume chassis for dense refrigerated runs; the EST-M is the lighter, cheaper, Euro II unit for lower-volume or shorter regional work. The 6×2 also carries more axle capacity (13 t rear group vs 10 t), which matters when the box and the cooling load are both heavy.

Axle-load law and the road reality in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan follows the post-Soviet weight standard — a single-axle limit around 8 t, a tandem limit up to 24 t and gross combination weight near 40 t — enforced by the Ministry of Transport. Landlocked Uzbekistan moves cotton and minerals on its trunk network. The practical catch is that the single-axle limit is tight by regional standards, so the axle split has to be right before the load leaves the yard. The core business is cotton, gold and transit freight, and a truck that is over on any axle is held at the weighbridge until the excess is shed.

For a reefer the weight discipline matters doubly, because a refrigerated body and the diesel for the unit eat into the legal payload before the first carton goes on, and a breakdown mid-run is spoilage, not just downtime.

What Uzbek fleets already run

In Uzbekistan the fleet is a mix of Russian KamAZ and MAZ, reconditioned European trucks (MAN, Scania, Volvo), and the newer Chinese entrants — Sinotruk, Shacman and Foton — that are winning share on price and a clean bill of health. The Russian and European stock wins on familiarity and parts but loses on age and the rebuild cost that lands within a couple of years. The new Chinese truck wins on warranty, and in a market where a breakdown on a remote corridor is expensive, a fresh truck is often the cheaper bet. Foton’s pitch is that middle ground.

4.

The two chassis have very different envelopes. The MA5 is 11,590 mm long on a 5,900 + 1,350 mm wheelbase, 2,495 mm wide, on 11 tyres of 11.00R20, with a 260-litre tank and an extended cab — a long platform clearly intended for a large refrigerated box. The EST-M is 9,840 mm long on a 5,750 mm wheelbase, 2,460 mm wide, on 7 tyres of 11R22.5, with a 200-litre tank and a half-bench cab. The MA5 is the volume chassis; the EST-M is the lighter, shorter unit.

The engine choice is also a genuine fork. The MA5 uses a 6,700 cc Cummins ISD6.7 at 198 PS; the EST-M uses a 7,225 cc Yuchai YC6A240-33 at 177 PS. The Yuchai is the larger-displacement but lower-output unit, and it sits under a Euro II badge against the MA5's Euro IV. For Uzbekistan, where inland heat and long distances stress both the box and the cooling unit, the higher emission standard and the larger fuel tank on the MA5 are the arguments in its favour, while the EST-M's lower price is its case.

Both are left-hand drive to match Uzbekistan. Neither listing states the insulated body or the refrigeration unit, so the cold-chain performance you actually get depends on the upfit, not on the chassis sheet. Confirm the box, the unit and the Euro II versus Euro IV acceptance before you place the order.

Pre-order checklist

Confirm the reefer box and unit. Both are listed as refrigerated trucks but neither gives the box or refrigeration-unit spec; confirm those upfit details in writing.

Resolve the emission question. The EST-M is Euro II and the MA5 is Euro IV; verify which standard Uzbekistan requires before ordering.

Confirm market build. The MA5's sales-country field reads Vietnam and the EST-M is pitched at Africa; verify both match Uzbekistan.

Check axle and fuel against the route. 260 L vs 200 L and 13 t vs 10 t rear group decide range and payload on long inland hauls.

Both are listed as complete vehicles with named model codes. The prices shown are the published listing figures and a starting point for enquiry, not a landed cost — the reefer body, the unit, freight and duties sit on top. Choose the MA5 for volume and Euro IV, the EST-M for lower cost and lighter duty, and confirm the cold-box spec either way.