A Bolivian operator servicing the ports and inland container yards around the country is not always in the market for a 90-tonne tractor. A great deal of port work is shorter, denser and done with a rigid cargo truck: shuttling empties and break-bulk between the terminal gate and a bonded warehouse, feeding a distribution centre, or moving containers that have been stripped and re-palletised. The material lists two Bolivia-spec units for this duty, and both are the Foton Aumark EST-M 22-tonne 4×2 cargo truck. This article covers that one scenario — port and container transport in Bolivia — comparing the two listings and staying strictly inside the published figures.

A straight note first: these are rigid cargo trucks, not tractor units, and the material does not list a tractor for Bolivia. If your operation needs to pull a semi-trailer chassis, neither of these is that truck — confirm with the supplier whether a tractor is available. Also, both listings name Saudi Arabia as the target or sales country, so the Benin/Bolivia approval path must be confirmed rather than assumed. Both are Euro III, which you should verify is still registrable in Bolivia.

1. The shared mechanical core: what both trucks are

Both EST-M listings share the same running gear. The engine is a Dongfeng Cummins ISDe245 30 (option code ISD6.7), a 6,700 cc diesel rated at 180 hp with 950 Nm of torque. Behind it sits a Fast Gear 8JS105TA eight-speed manual, driving through a 4.875 final axle ratio. That 4.875 is a working ratio: it keeps the engine in its torque band under a loaded body and on the gentle grades around Bolivian port and depot routes, rather than chasing top speed. GVW is 22,000 kg, with a 5.5-tonne front axle and a 10-tonne middle/rear axle, on a 4×2 with a 4,800 mm wheelbase. Tyres are tube-type radial 10.00R20 on a 7-wheel layout, and the fuel tank is 200 litres.

The cargo body is identical on paper: internal dimensions of 6,500 × 2,400 × 600 mm. That is a floor area of 15.6 m² and, at the listed 600 mm side height, a nominal cube of about 9.36 m³ before you build sides or a curtain. For port break-bulk and palletised work that is a practical, forklift-friendly platform. Overall chassis dimensions are 8,560 × 2,468 × 2,780 mm, the cab is left-hand drive with two seats, and the body width is 2,200 mm. Brakes are air brakes, front and rear drum, with ABS.

2. Where the two listings differ: the cab

The two trucks are mechanically the same truck; the difference is the cab and a small price gap. Listing id=197 is described with a Sleeper Cab (Half) on a Standard Roof; listing id=196 is an Extended Cab (Row and a Half) on a Flat Roof. For port work the practical question is rest time: if your drivers do long shifts waiting on terminal queues, the sleeper/half-cab version (id=197) gives a place to lie down; if the truck is a pure day-shift shuttle, the extended row-and-a-half cab (id=196) is the more usable of the two. Price is $27,000 for the sleeper-cab version and $27,500 for the extended-cab version — a $500 gap for the cab style.

Cargo Truck · Bolivia

Aumark EST-M 22 T — Sleeper Cab (Half), $27,000

Dongfeng Cummins ISDe245 30 (ISD6.7), 6,700 cc · 180 hp / 950 Nm · Fast 8JS105TA 8-speed · final drive 4.875 · GVW 22,000 kg · body 6,500 × 2,400 × 600 mm · Euro III

Listed at $27,000 · Port shuttle, break-bulk, regional distribution

View full specification →

Cargo Truck · Bolivia

Aumark EST-M 22 T — Extended Cab (Row & a Half), $27,500

Dongfeng Cummins ISDe245 30 (ISD6.7), 6,700 cc · 180 hp / 950 Nm · Fast 8JS105TA 8-speed · final drive 4.875 · GVW 22,000 kg · body 6,500 × 2,400 × 600 mm · Euro III

Listed at $27,500 · Port shuttle, break-bulk, regional distribution

View full specification →

3. Side-by-side: the two Bolivia EST-M listings

4. How these trucks actually run port and depot shuttles

For port and container-area work the EST-M's job is the short, dense, repetitive move: from the terminal gate to a bonded warehouse, from a stripped container to a palletising line, or from a depot to a last-mile distribution point. The 950 Nm of torque and the 4.875 final drive are what make that stop-start loading bearable, and the 200-litre tank covers a full shift of local running without a fuel stop. At 22 tonnes GVW with a 5.5-tonne front and 10-tonne rear, the axle layout is balanced for a body that is rarely loaded to its cube with dense freight — pallets and break-bulk rather than bulk aggregate.

The 6,500 × 2,400 × 600 mm body is the practical heart of the truck for this duty. At roughly 9.36 m³ nominal volume and a 15.6 m² floor, it takes standard pallets across its width and a forklift can work it from the rear and sides. For a port operation that has stripped a container and needs to move the contents a few kilometres, this is the right-size truck; for pulling the container itself on a chassis, it is not, and that distinction is the one to be honest about with your supplier.

Brakes are air brakes with front and rear drums and ABS — the durable, serviceable choice for a working truck, and the system any Bolivian regional workshop can maintain. Left-hand drive matches Bolivia, and the 2,200 mm body width keeps the unit within normal lane and yard limits. Both trucks are, in the end, a single proven platform offered in two cab styles, which is good news for spares: buying two means one parts bin.

Axle-load law and the road reality in Bolivia

Bolivia applies axle-load limits in line with regional Mercosur practice — a single-axle limit around 10–10.5 t, a tandem around 18 t and gross combination weight near 45 t — enforced by the ATT. Landlocked Bolivia hauls cargo up the Andes to the Pacific ports. The practical catch is that La Paz sits above 3,600 m, and the thin air is the quiet spec killer — a sea-level truck under-performs on the mountain grades. The core business is high-altitude mining and lithium haulage, and the terrain is the differentiator: a truck bought for flat-ground numbers loses legal capacity where the grade and the bridge limits bite.

For a container tractor the real exposure is the Arica (Chile) and Ilo (Peru) 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.

What Bolivian fleets already run

In Bolivia 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. The mountain grades and long corridors are where a fresh, correctly specced truck beats a tired one, and that is Foton’s pitch.

5. Pre-order checklist for a Bolivia port buyer

Confirm these are right for the job. Both are 22 t rigid cargo trucks, not tractor units. If your port work needs to pull a semi-trailer, ask the supplier for a tractor option; these two will not do it.

Resolve the Euro III approval. Both are Euro III. Verify with Bolivian Customs and the transport authority that Euro III is still importable and platable for a 22 t truck.

Settle the country-of-origin paperwork. Both listings name Saudi Arabia as target/sales country. Confirm the Bolivia homologation, type-approval and warranty path before paying.

Pick the cab for your shift pattern. Sleeper (id=197) suits long terminal waits; extended cab (id=196) suits day shuttles. The $500 gap is the only mechanical difference, so choose on driver comfort, not spec.

For Bolivian port and container-area distribution, the Aumark EST-M 22 t 4×2 is a single, well-understood platform offered in two cab styles. Same Cummins 6.7, same 8-speed, same 9.36 m³ body — choose the cab that fits your shift, then clear the Euro III and Saudi-origin paperwork on paper before you order.