Writer:Alan Chen(Foton Auman dealer)
Around the Port of Balboa, Colón or the Cristóbal terminals, a lot of the work is not the ocean-going tractor-trailer but the shorter, busier cartage: moving containers and break-bulk between the yard, the bonded warehouse and the upcountry consolidator. For that job Panama needs a left-hand-drive rigid, and all three units listed here are LHD. This article covers exactly one scenario — port and container transport in Panama — and compares the three Foton Aumark EST-M 4×2 cargo trucks configured for it.
All three share the Dongfeng Cummins ISD6.7 six-cylinder, a 6,700 cc block, Euro III approval and left-hand drive. They are cargo rigids with flat beds, not dedicated skeleton container chassis, so they suit box and palletised port cartage and yard transfers rather than bare-container stacking. Where the listing contradicts itself, or names a market that is not Panama, that is flagged in plain text.
IDs 197 and 196 are the same truck on paper where it counts for the job: 22,000 kg GVW, a 180 PS (950 Nm) Cummins ISD6.7, a Fast 8JS105TA 8-speed, a 4.875 final drive, a 4,800 mm wheelbase and a 6,500 × 2,400 × 600 mm cargo body on a 4×2 layout with a 200 L tank and seven 10.00R20 tyres. The separation is the cab. The ID 197 is described as a half sleeper; the ID 196 is an extended "row-and-a-half" cab. For a driver doing port shifts with rest breaks, the sleeper matters; for a truck that never leaves the yard, the extended cab is wasted metal. Pick the cab to the duty, not the other way round.
The ID 235 is the different one. It is rated 18,000 kg GVW and makes 245 PS (180 kW) from the same ISD6.7, with 950 Nm, through a Fast 8JS118TA-B on a 4.556 final drive. Its wheelbase stretches to 5,150 mm and its body grows to 6,800 × 2,300 × 600 mm, on tubeless 11R22.5 tyres. The lower GVW and the taller (numerically smaller) 4.556 ratio point to a truck built for faster, lighter intercity cartage; the 22 t units, with the 4.875 ratio, are the torque-lugging yard horses. The ID 235 listing does not state a tyre count, so confirm the wheel configuration with the seller if you are standardising spares.
All three draw 950 Nm from the 6.7-litre ISD6.7, so low-end pulling is consistent across the range. The deciding number is the final drive. The two 22 t units use 4.875 — a shorter ratio that multiplies torque at the wheel and helps a full load launch from a standstill in a congested terminal. The 18 t unit uses 4.556, which trades some launch grunt for lower engine rpm and better speed on the longer upcountry leg. If your work is purely in the port fence, the 4.875 pair is the honest choice; if you run the container from the quay to a city consolidator 100 km inland, the 4.556 18 t unit will ride easier.
The ID 197 listing headline calls the truck a "High-Roof" unit, but its own roof-height field states "Standard Roof". That is a direct contradiction in one listing, so do not assume you are buying a high-roof sleeper cab — confirm the cab height and sleeper configuration in writing. Separately, all three sheets name a sales country other than Panama (Saudi Arabia for IDs 197 and 196, Peru for ID 235). The trucks are left-hand drive, which is correct for Panama, but the paperwork was written for other markets. Confirm Panama delivery, LHD registration and Euro III acceptance with the seller before you pay.
| Specification | ID 197 | ID 196 | ID 235 |
|---|---|---|---|
| GVW | 22,000 kg | 22,000 kg | 18,000 kg |
| Power | 180 PS | 180 PS | 245 PS (180 kW) |
| Torque | 950 Nm | 950 Nm | 950 Nm |
| Gearbox | Fast 8JS105TA | Fast 8JS105TA | Fast 8JS118TA-B |
| Final drive | 4.875 | 4.875 | 4.556 |
| Wheelbase | 4,800 mm | 4,800 mm | 5,150 mm |
| Body (L×W×H) | 6,500×2,400×600 mm | 6,500×2,400×600 mm | 6,800×2,300×600 mm |
| Tyres | 10.00R20 (7) | 10.00R20 | 11R22.5 tubeless |
| Fuel / emission | 200 L / Euro III | 200 L / Euro III | 200 L / Euro III |
| Listed price | $27,000 | $27,500 | $32,595 |
For a Balboa or Colón operation the deciding practical points are turnaround and body. All three are flat-bed chassis, so the box — curtain-side, panel van or reefer — is specified separately and quoted on top; budget it, because it is not in the listing price. The 6,500 mm body on the two 22 t units and the 6,800 mm body on the 18 t unit are factory flat dimensions, not finished bodies. The 4.875 final drive on the 22 t pair suits the stop-start of a terminal; the 4.556 on the 18 t unit suits the longer upcountry leg. Because all three share the ISD6.7 and the Euro III badge, driver training and spares overlap, which is a genuine advantage if you run the trio together. The one thing that does not overlap is the cab-height claim on ID 197 — resolve that before you standardise the fleet, or you will receive a mix of standard-roof and (possibly) high-roof cabs you did not plan for.
Panama applies axle-load limits drawn from the NAFTA / Central-American practice — a single-axle limit around 10 t, a tandem around 20 t and gross combination weight near 45 t — enforced by the ATTT. Panama sits on the canal, and Colón and Balboa are among the busiest trans-shipment hubs in the Americas. The practical catch is that the canal traffic sets the pace, and the port-to-depot shuttle is where an over-weight box is scaled every trip. The core business is canal trans-shipment and distribution, and a truck that is over on the mountain climb or the wet coastal road is the most common failure.
For a container tractor the real exposure is the Colón and Balboa access road: an overweight box scaled at the gate is offloaded on the spot, and there is no cheap way to recover it from the port road.
In Panama the reference vehicle is a used Japanese truck — Isuzu and Hino dominate the second-hand market — with European brands (Volvo, Scania, Mercedes-Benz) in the premium segment, Sinotruk and Shacman as the established Chinese players, and local assembly in some markets. The used Japanese truck wins on parts density but loses on age and the rebuild cost that lands within a couple of years. The new Chinese truck wins on warranty and a clean bill of health. American, Japanese and Chinese trucks mix, and the trans-shipment work favours a fresh, compliant unit. The mountain grades and long corridors are where a fresh, correctly specced truck beats a tired one, and that is Foton’s pitch.
Resolve the ID 197 roof height. The headline says "High-Roof" but the sheet says "Standard Roof". Confirm the actual cab before ordering.
Confirm Panama delivery and Euro III. All three sheets name other sales countries. Get LHD registration and Euro III acceptance in writing.
Pick the final drive to the route. 4.875 for yard work, 4.556 for the longer inland leg on the 18 t unit.
Confirm tyre counts and stock. The 18 t unit's tyre count is not stated; standardise spares if you mix all three.
Remember these are flat-bed rigids. They suit box and palletised port cartage, not bare-container chassis work — specify the body you need separately.
All three are listed as complete vehicles with named homologation figures, which is what makes per-unit import realistic. The prices above are the published listing figures and a starting point for enquiry, not a landed cost — freight, duties and any local bodywork sit on top. Start from the GVW and final drive that match your loop, then choose the cab you will actually use.
Tel：+8615960378211
Email：[email protected]
Address: Unit 8,room 704,NO.492,XingLinWan Road,Jimei District,XiaMen Fujian China
Address: Unit 8,room 704,NO.492,XingLinWan Road,Jimei District,XiaMen Fujian China
Email：[email protected]
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