If you plan a container haulage business in Singapore, leave the prime mover until the end. First set up a company that can own goods vehicles, then secure overnight parking LTA will accept, then hire drivers whose licence class matches the unit's unladen weight. Any one of these can stop a new prime mover from being registered or driven.
This guide takes the steps in the order they bite, quotes the government page for each rule, and ends with what ABLINK can supply and what it cannot. If you want to see the tractor units first, ABLINK lists two new prime movers on its new commercial vehicles page.
The short answer: what a haulage start-up needs, in order
It is tempting to start with the truck. The government rules start somewhere else. Here is the order that keeps money from being tied up in a vehicle that cannot yet go on the road.
| Step | What you need | Who sets the rule | When it bites |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A company, with its business profile ready | ACRA, LTA | When the vehicle is registered in the company's name |
| 2 | An overnight parking space or lodgement for each prime mover | LTA | At registration, transfer and every road tax renewal |
| 3 | Drivers with the right licence class | Singapore Police Force | The first time the unit moves |
| 4 | The prime mover and the trailers | You and your sellers | Delivery |
| 5 | Registration, COE, insurance and inspections | LTA | Before use, then every year |
| 6 | Routes that respect the container rules | LTA | Every trip |
Step 1: set up the company that will own the vehicles
Set up the company before you sign for any vehicle, so the vehicle can be registered in its name. ACRA's guide to registering a local company sets out the basics: pick and reserve the company name, name at least one director who is locally resident, and register an office address in Singapore that is open to the public three hours or more every business day. The registered office does not have to be where you park or run the trucks.
Keep one document in mind for later. When a company registers a goods vehicle itself, LTA's goods vehicle registration page asks for a printout of the company's ACRA business profile, valid for up to 14 days from issue, plus ID of the authorised person and a signed authorisation letter if that person is not named in the profile. Order the profile close to the registration date, not at the start.
Step 2: plan parking before you buy
Parking can hold up a heavy vehicle at four separate moments. LTA's heavy vehicle parking page treats a goods vehicle as heavy once its maximum laden weight passes 5,000kg. The same 5,000kg line applies to trailers of every kind, from container trailers to low loaders and flat-beds. For these, the owner has to prove there is a designated parking space each time the vehicle is registered, has its road tax renewed, changes owner or is converted. That proof is the Vehicle Parking Certificate (VPC). It cannot be transferred and must be valid for the road tax period.
The same page says leaving an idle heavy vehicle anywhere other than its designated space from midnight to 6am is an offence. You rent the space from HDB, URA or another licensed parking operator, and that operator issues the VPC.
Two changes in 2026 alter the plan, and a guide written before them will not show either:
- Trailers. Since 6 February 2026, the VPC requirement for trailers has been suspended as a two-year trial, according to LTA's release of 14 September 2026. A guide that tells you to budget a VPC for every trailer is out of date for now. Check the trial's status when you register, because it is a trial.
- Lodgement for the prime mover. Since 15 September 2026, the owner of a heavy vehicle (not a trailer) can register an overnight parking spot with LTA instead of holding a VPC, for any stretch from one day up to two years. The location must be on private premises such as an industrial facility, an authorised worksite or a commercial property, never a public road or a residential area, and you need the premises owner's written consent on company letterhead. LTA's release says each lodgement is free of fee.
For a start-up, that means the first question is no longer only "can we find a VPC lot?" It is "do we, or a customer, have private non-residential premises where the prime movers can stand overnight with written consent?" If the answer is yes, the lodgement may be the faster route. Our VPC guide walks through both routes in more detail.
Step 3: match drivers to the licence class
A prime mover pulls a trailer and has no cargo deck of its own; ABLINK's catalogue lists "no cargo space on this vehicle type" for both of its prime movers. That matters because the Singapore Police Force driving licence class list treats vehicles "not constructed to carry any load" separately from lorries:
- Class 4 covers such vehicles with an unladen weight that "does not exceed 7,250kg".
- Class 5 treats them as locomotives: light ones up to 11,500kg unladen, heavy ones above that.
- Class 4P and 5P cover the same vehicles, but only units with no clutch pedal. A P-class driver cannot take a manual unit.
So the unladen weight on the log card of the exact unit decides whether your Class 4 drivers can take it or you need Class 5. The class list describes the motor vehicle and says nothing about the trailer behind it, so confirm with the Traffic Police which class your drivers need for the combination you will run. Our Class 5 licence guide covers the route to the licence.
If you plan to hire foreign drivers, two SPF rules affect your timeline. Work pass holders who want Class 4 lessons need a declaration of support from their employer, submitted by the company through FormSG with Corppass. And since 15 September 2025, a Class 3C holder must pass a road assessment before starting Class 4 lessons.
Step 4: choose the prime mover
This is where ABLINK comes in. Its new range includes prime movers, and on 25 October 2026 its catalogue listed two:
| Model | Condition | Gearbox (catalogue) | Unladen weight in catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mitsubishi FP70 | New | AMT | Ask for the log card of the unit |
| Isuzu EXR52H | New | 7-speed manual | Not provided |
Two things follow from that table. The EXR52H is listed with a manual gearbox, so a 4P or 5P driver cannot take it. The FP70 is listed with an AMT; ask whether the delivered unit has a clutch pedal before you assign P-class drivers. In both cases, get the registered unladen weight of the unit you will receive before you hire, because that figure, not the model name, settles Step 3. You can compare the FP70 and EXR52H side by side, and the FP70 buyer's guide goes deeper on one model.
Two limits are worth knowing now. ABLINK does not list trailers: on 25 October 2026 its catalogue of 118 vehicles had no trailer category. And its used marketplace, which carries listings from more than one dealer, had 78 listings and no prime mover or trailer among them. Plan to buy the trailers from another seller, and if you want a used tractor, look elsewhere for now.
If you are still deciding between container work and general cargo, our 24ft lorry guide sets a rigid lorry against a prime mover. For what "40ft lorry" means on a job sheet, see our explainer on the 40ft lorry: prime mover and trailer.
Step 5: register, insure and keep it on the road
The paperwork after purchase follows LTA's rules for every goods vehicle:
- Registration. LTA's registration page says every goods vehicle must be registered with LTA before it is used on public roads. When you buy through a motor dealer, the dealer submits the application and you accept it on OneMotoring with Singpass 2FA. LTA caps a goods vehicle's life at 20 years; at that point it is deregistered.
- COE. LTA counts prime movers among its heavy goods vehicles, and goods vehicles fall in COE Category C, "goods vehicle and bus", on LTA's COE page. A COE gives 10 years of road use.
- Insurance. LTA's insurance page sets the floor: the unit needs cover with no gaps, with third-party cover for death and bodily injury as the minimum, running through the full road tax period before you can renew road tax.
- Road tax. To renew, the vehicle must be insured for the period, pass any inspection that is due and have no outstanding fines; heavy vehicles may have additional prerequisites, per the road tax page. For a heavy vehicle, that includes the parking proof from Step 2.
- Inspection. LTA's inspection table sets goods vehicles at once a year up to 10 years old and every six months after that. Trailers are inspected every year at any age.
- Blind-spot equipment. Heavy and very heavy goods vehicles over 12,000kg maximum laden weight registered from 1 April 2015 must carry extra blind-spot mirrors or devices, and LTA's commercial vehicles page names prime movers among them. They must meet that requirement to pass inspection.
On its motor insurance page, ABLINK says it acts as an authorised agent for two insurers and offers cover for cars, vans and lorries, and for business fleets. It does not name prime movers or trailers, so ask whether a quote can cover both.
Step 6: plan routes around the container rules
Container work has its own route limits. LTA's commercial vehicles page lists vehicles not allowed in any tunnel, including expressway tunnels. On that list: trailers carrying standard containers, and any vehicle taller than 4.5m, wider than 3m or over 13m long. The container rule applies whatever the size of the box, so plan depot-to-port routes without tunnels from the start.
Taller or wider loads go further. The same page says a vehicle over 4.5m high needs a police escort, and depending on its width and the roads used, an oversized vehicle movement permit from LTA.
Where ABLINK fits, and where it does not
To be clear about what ABLINK offers a new haulier:
- Yes: two new prime movers. Each model page invites you to message ABLINK on WhatsApp about stock, delivery timing and financing.
- Yes: a trade-in. ABLINK also buys vehicles, so a van or lorry you are retiring can go through its sell page.
- Ask: insurance through its motor insurance team, for the prime mover and the trailers.
- No: trailers, used prime movers (none listed on 25 October 2026), or a lease of a prime mover. The lease page names vans and box trucks or lorries, not prime movers.
When your company, parking and drivers are in place, open the FP70 or EXR52H page and send ABLINK your parking arrangement, your drivers' licence classes and the trailers you plan to pull. Ask for the unit's registered unladen weight and gearbox in the reply. Financing is subject to the lender's approval.
FAQ
Do container trailers still need a Vehicle Parking Certificate?
Not during the current trial. According to LTA's release of 14 September 2026, the VPC requirement for trailers has been suspended for a two-year trial that began on 6 February 2026. LTA's parking page still lists container trailers over 5,000kg laden as heavy vehicles, and the trial can end, so check the status on OneMotoring when you register each trailer. The prime mover itself still needs a VPC space or an overnight lodgement on private premises.
Which licence do I need to drive a prime mover?
It depends on the unit's unladen weight. The SPF class list puts vehicles not built to carry a load in Class 4 up to 7,250kg unladen, and in Class 5 above that, with 4P and 5P for units without a clutch pedal. Read the weight off the log card of the exact unit. Because the list does not mention trailers, confirm the class for your prime mover and trailer combination with the Traffic Police before you hire.
Does ABLINK sell or lease trailers?
No. On 25 October 2026 ABLINK's catalogue of 118 vehicles listed two new prime movers, the Mitsubishi FP70 and Isuzu EXR52H, and no trailers. The used marketplace had no prime mover or trailer either, and the lease page names vans and lorries, not prime movers. Buy trailers from a trailer seller, and ask ABLINK about the tractor unit, financing and insurance.
Rules are taken from LTA (OneMotoring), the Singapore Police Force and ACRA as at 25 October 2026. ABLINK's listings are as shown on 25 October 2026 and change; prices, availability and financing are confirmed by ABLINK on request, subject to the lender's approval.
