Hauler

Template:Quote The Hauler is a small ship produced by Zorgon Peterson. Built with a classic shuttle-style design, its relatively large cargo hold and low price make it an excellent light freighter for traders just starting their careers and seeking to upgrade from the Sidewinder Mk I. It is slow for its size, however, as well as poorly armed and armored, characteristics which place it at a severe disadvantage in combat situations and significantly reduce its effectiveness in other roles. Furthermore, despite having more cargo capacity than the Sidewinder, the Hauler still tops out at 26t, making it better suited for trading rare commodities rather than general goods due to the former's higher profit potential in small quantities. For most pilots, purchasing a Hauler is a short-term investment on the path to obtaining other, more versatile vessels.

Overview

The Hauler, as its name suggests, was designed to haul cargo for a cheap price and is the trader's equivalent to the Eagle with a capacity of 26T. While this is much better than the Sidewinder Mk I and Eagle, it is still a very low amount and makes it difficult to earn anything more than a small profit from trading runs with regular commodities.

Surprisingly, the Hauler is a standout exploration ship for pilots with very low budgets. With potential jump ranges reaching around 40 ly with engineering, it can easily become an explorer's best friend until they can trade up for something better. Attempting long-term expeditions with the Hauler make its shortcomings all too apparent, however: low compartment space means the largest Fuel Scoop it can equip is only Class 3, and combined with its small Fuel Tank, pilots can expect frequent long waits while refueling and may be unable to explore areas where fuel stars are few and far between. Furthermore, because the ship is so light, adding even a single ton will drastically reduce its jump range; engineering all internals to be low weight is a must.

The Hauler can be a decent mining ship, as it can carry more materials than a Sidewinder or Eagle; but it will mine very slowly due to the single hardpoint. It is generally advised to wait until the Adder becomes an option before mining is attempted, as the Hauler will be forced to make constant runs back to stations and is a very easy target for pirates.

In combat, the Hauler is arguably the least viable option among all ships and Ship Launched Fighters on the market. With only a single hardpoint, two utility mounts, terrible shielding, and low armor, the Hauler is incapable of defending against even a stock Sidewinder. Combined with its low Mass Lock, dodging Interdictions becomes a matter of life and death. Despite this, Pirates will occasionally fly the Hauler, but these are generally easy pickings for even beginner pilots.

File:Convergence hauler.png

Hauler hardpoint convergence

The pilots seat is situated at the front of the ship with a standard view. A single Class 1 hardpoint is located at the bottom of the nose while 2 utility slots are situated atop the rear of the ship.

The Hauler's most notable drawback is that it is only slightly less expensive than the Adder, which can carry more cargo than the Hauler while also being capable of defending itself and maintaining more varied capability. While the Adder has less jump-range, it can fit a larger Fuel Scoop and Fuel Tank, and any added mass has less impact on its jump range. It is generally more profitable and viable for traders to simply take a few extra jobs in their Sidewinder Mk I and buy an Adder instead, but explorers should pick up the Hauler as soon as possible, and combat pilots should steer clear of both and pick up the Eagle or Viper Mk III.

Purchase Locations

System	Station	Date Seen	Discount
Shinrarta Dezhra	Jameson Memorial	Always available	10% discount
Brestla	i Sola Prospect	Always available	20% surcharge
Akkadia	Calvin Lawrence	Dec. 8, 2019	15% discount
G 35-15	Cugnot Terminal	Dec. 8, 2019	15% discount
Lalande 4268	Lowry Ring	Dec. 8, 2019	15% discount
Dinda	Mount Sunday	Dec. 8, 2019	15% discount
Barnard's Star	Miller Depot	Dec. 8, 2019
Duamta	Davis Terminal	Dec. 8, 2019
Liabeze	Lyulka Beacon	Dec. 8, 2019
Cemiess	Mackenzie Relay	Dec. 8, 2019
78 Ursae Majoris	Seddon Gateway	Dec. 8, 2019
LHS 2637	Perez Ring	Dec. 8, 2019

Outfitting

Main article: Outfitting

All ships are highly customisable through the Outfitting menu of Station Services. Listed below is the default load-out for the Hauler.

Category	Default System	Default Rating	Default Class	Max Class
Small Hardpoint	Pulse Laser (L)	F	1	1
Utility Mount	Empty	--	--	0
	Empty	--	--	0
Bulkheads	Lightweight Alloys	I	1	8
Reactor Bay	Power Plant	E	2	2
Thrusters Mounting	Thrusters	E	2	2
Frame Shift Drive Housing	Frame Shift Drive	E	2	2
Environment Control	Life Support	E	1	1
Power Coupling	Power Distributor	E	1	1
Sensor Suite	Sensors	E	1	1
Fuel Store	Fuel Tank [x4]	C	2	2
Internal Compartments	Cargo Rack [x4]	E	2	3
	Cargo Rack [x4]	E	2	3
	Shield Generator	E	2	2
	Empty	--	--	1
	Advanced Docking Computer	E	1	1
	Supercruise Assist	E	1	1
	(PAS)	I	1	1

• (L) = Loaned Module
• [x#] = Capacity
• (PAS) = Reserved solely for the Planetary Approach Suite or Advanced Planetary Approach Suite

Trivia

• On the bottom of the hull, there is an unused hardpoint slot on the other side of the front landing gear.

Videos

• File:Feel Young - Elite Dangerous Hauler
• File:Elite Dangerous - The Orbis Starport
• File:The Hauler Elite Dangerous
• File:The Hauler - Existing in a Shadow -An Elite Dangerous Ship Review-
• File:Elite Dangerous - Haul Mules Life (machinima)

Gallery

• Cockpit concept
  Cockpit concept
• Hauler docked front
  Hauler docked front
• Zorgon Peterson Hauler Blueprint
  Zorgon Peterson Hauler Blueprint
• Hauler
  Hauler