Cambodia's cold chain lives or dies on the last mile from farm, fishery and processing plant to the wet market, supermarket and cross-border truck to Vietnam or Thailand. The refrigerated truck is not a glamour purchase; it is the difference between produce that arrives saleable and produce that is written off. The buyer's real question is whether the chassis carries the weight, holds the temperature, and clears the emission and width rules of the roads it will run.

This article covers exactly one scenario: cold chain and refrigerated transport in Cambodia. It examines a single listed truck — the Foton Auman MA5 6×2 22-tonne refrigerated / warehouse chassis — and works through the numbers that decide whether it fits the job: the 198 PS Dongfeng Cummins, the 22,000 kg GVW, the 5.286 final drive and the Euro IV rating. Every figure below is from the published homologation sheet; nothing is estimated.

1. Why a 6×2 for refrigerated work, and what 22 T GVW gives you

The MA5 is a 6×2 — three axles, one driven. On a refrigerated body that layout is a deliberate choice: it keeps the chassis lighter and the load floor lower than a 6×4 would, and it reduces tyre scrub on tight city and market turns. The declared GVW is 22,000 kg, with a 6.5-tonne front axle and a 13-tonne middle/rear axle group. After you subtract the chassis, cab and a refrigerated box, that leaves a realistic payload in the low-to-mid teens of tonnes — appropriate for palletised fresh food, fish and dairy rather than bulk commodities.

The chassis is long: overall dimensions 11,590 × 2,495 × 2,810 mm on a 5,900 + 1,350 mm wheelbase. That length is what lets a bodybuilder fit a full-volume refrigerated van body. Note the body width is listed at 2,200 mm, while optional body combinations reference a 2,600 mm width cargo box — confirm which width your bodybuilder plans, because it changes how many pallets you carry per row.

2. The 198 PS ISD6.7 and the 5.286 final drive

The engine is a Dongfeng Cummins ISD6.7, a 6,700 cc straight-six producing 198 PS and 970 Nm of torque, through a Fast 8JS118TC-B eight-speed manual (F-8MT, with PTO option). The final drive is 5.286 — a relatively steep ratio that suits a fully laden refrigerated body starting from rest in traffic and climbing out of riverside depots, rather than cruising empty on a highway. For a distribution truck that is rarely light, the 5.286 is the right call.

The emission standard is Euro IV with SCR. SCR means there is a urea/AdBlue system to keep filled — factor that into your depot routine. Euro IV is the relevant badge for this region's import and registration; the listing's declared sales country is Vietnam, which shares the same broad regulatory space as Cambodia, but confirm the exact Cambodia clearance in writing (see the checklist).

Cargo Truck · Cambodia

Auman MA5 6×2 — 22 T refrigerated / warehouse body

Dongfeng Cummins ISD6.7, 6,700 cc · 198 PS · 970 Nm · Fast 8JS118TC-B 8-speed · final drive 5.286 · GVW 22,000 kg · extended cab · Euro IV, SCR

Listed at $34,300 · Fresh food and cold-chain transport

View full specification →

3. Cab, tyres and the driver-facing details

The cab is an extended cab with two seats and a flat roof — enough room for a co-driver or a rest space on a longer cold-chain leg. Standard body combination is central lock, power windows and a power rearview mirror. Tyres are 11.00R20 bias-ply with inner tube as standard, with optional tubeless alternatives (10.00R20, 11R22.5, 10R22.5, 295/80R22.5) — for a refrigerated truck doing city miles, the tubeless options are worth specifying for easier roadside changes. The fuel tank is a single 260 L unit, adequate for a day of distribution loops.

The chassis itself is a conventional rigid setup any local bodybuilder can work with: a 286 mm frame section, leaf-spring suspension front and rear, ABS and air brakes, and 11 tyres carrying the 6.5 T front and 13 T middle/rear axle ratings. There is nothing exotic here to complicate a refrigerated conversion, which keeps the bodybuilding quote competitive. For a refrigerated application the long 5,900 + 1,350 mm wheelbase also helps weight distribution — a heavy, top-heavy insulated box sits between the axles rather than cantilevered behind them, which steadies the truck on Cambodia's mixed urban and provincial roads.

4. One honest gap and what to confirm before ordering

The published sheet does not give inner cargo-box dimensions for this chassis — it lists the body width (2,200 mm) and optional 2,600 mm box references, but no length or height of the finished refrigerated body. That is normal for a cab-chassis sold for bodybuilding, but it means the payload volume is decided by your bodybuilder, not by the factory figure. Ask the supplier for the max body length the 5,900 + 1,350 mm wheelbase supports, and get it in writing with the refrigeration unit spec.

Also note the listing's declared sales country is Vietnam, not Cambodia. The vehicle is left-hand drive and Euro IV, which matches Cambodian conditions, but confirm in writing that this exact variant (type-approval BJ1356VRPHP-AA) is cleared for Cambodia registration.

Axle-load law and the road reality in Cambodia

Cambodia caps axle load around 10 t on a single axle and 24 t on a tandem, with gross combination weight near 40 t, enforced by the Ministry of Public Works on the main corridors. Sihanoukville is the deep-water gateway for a garment-export economy. The practical catch is that the wet season floods the roads, so a high-clearance, durable spec and the right axle split decide uptime. The core business is garment-export and port freight, and the climate and the road mix mean the axle distribution has to be right at the gate.

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 Cambodian fleets already run

In Cambodia the reference vehicle is a Japanese truck — Isuzu, Hino and Mitsubishi Fuso dominate and are often locally assembled — with Sinotruk and Shacman as the main Chinese competition. The Japanese brands win on parts density and service reach, but the new Chinese truck wins on warranty and price. Japanese reconditioned trucks and Chinese brands dominate, and Foton has to pitch on price and a clean bill of health. Foton’s pitch is a modern truck at a value price with a growing parts network.

5. Pre-order checklist for Cambodia cold chain & refrigerated

Confirm Cambodia registration for this variant. The sheet names Vietnam as sales country. Get written confirmation the BJ1356VRPHP-AA clears Cambodia, and that Euro IV/SCR is accepted.

Fix the body dimensions with your bodybuilder. No inner box dimensions are published. Specify max length/height for the 5,900 + 1,350 mm wheelbase and the refrigeration unit, in writing.

Decide tubeless vs tube tyres. 11.00R20 tube tyres are standard; tubeless options exist. For city cold-chain miles, tubeless is the easier roadside fix.

Plan for SCR/AdBlue. Euro IV with SCR means a urea system to keep filled — build it into depot routine.

This Auman MA5 is listed as a complete vehicle with a named type-approval model, ready for a refrigerated body. The $34,300 price is the published cab-chassis figure and a starting point for enquiry, not a landed cost — the refrigerated box, the unit, and freight and duties sit on top. Start from the 22 T GVW and the 198 PS Cummins, confirm the body dimensions and the Cambodia clearance, then order to your route.