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[[Category:Guides]]
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{{Industry Links}}
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[[Category:Industry]]
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'''Hauling''' is the practice of moving cargo from one place to another. Due to limited cargo hold sizes and travel times, moving things in EVE can be a time consuming and, in some places, dangerous business. Some players specialize in hauling, whether to move goods from one market to another or to bring supplies and ships to the staging ground for a null sec alliance. This can be done for its own purposes or can be done on behalf of others in exchange for ISK rewards via the contracting system. This can be a very viable way to make ISK for medium-skilled players.
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[[Category:Hauling]]
 
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{{ related class | Hauling 101 | All About Haulers }}
 
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{| align="right"
 
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|__TOC__
 
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|}
 
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== Hauling Craft ==
 
  
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This gives a rundown of the strengths and weaknesses of each type of hauling craft.
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This page describes how to carry cargo (hauling) in EVE. For specific advice on moving your own items, see [[moving your items]].
  
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=== T1 Industrials ===
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== Hauling craft ==
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There are a few classes of ships designed for hauling. Each fills a type of niche, and what ship to use depends on the type of hauling.
  
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Primary use: Small, moderately expensive freight through hisec and/or lowsec (fast transports) or bulky, less expensive freight through hisec only (bulk transports)
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=== Haulers ===
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{{main|Haulers}}
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The first hauling ships a player can use are [[Tech and meta levels|Tech 1]] Haulers. These are relatively cheap and fast and can haul a moderate amount of cargo. They are however also very fragile and can be destroyed by just one ganker if the cargo they carry is valuable enough. These ships can be sorted into three different classes:
 +
* Fast transports, which are used to move low-volume, high-value goods quickly and safely.
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* Bulk transports, which have a much higher capacity than the fast transports, but are slower and have less [[tank]]
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* Specialized transports, which are similar to bulk transports in terms of tank and agility, but have very large cargoholds that can carry only one type of item (such as ammunition or minerals)
  
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Tech 1 industrials can be divided into two classes: fast transports (those marked with a * below) and bulk transports. The fast transports can be used to move low-volume, high-value goods quickly and safely, while the bulk transports have much higher capacity but are slower and and have less tank. For example, the [[Wreathe]] can be fit to align in as little as 4 seconds while having 22k EHP, but would only have a cargo capacity of up to 4,622 m3. On the opposite end of the spectrum, a [[Bestower]] can be fit to carry up to 39k m3 but will take at least 13 seconds to align and have less than 8k EHP. To that end, fast transports can be fit to transport material through lowsec relatively safely, whereas bulk transports should be restricted to systems known to be safe unless accompanied by an escort, e.g. an OOC alt.
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Haulers have the lowest skill requirements of all hauling craft. Even [[alpha clone]]s can fly them, though they can only train the Spaceship Command skills to level I.
  
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For fitting, industrials tend to have base powergrid around the level of destroyers and quite high amounts of CPU, which is mostly used by a shield tank. The low slots are often filled with expanded cargoholds, though these can be swapped out with inertia stabilizers nanofibers for smaller hauls to increase agility, thereby decreasing align time and cutting down a little on travel time. Agility mods are especially important on fast transports operating in low security space. If looking to do a lot of distribution missions or otherwise do a lot of traveling, warp speed rigs (Hyperspatial Velocity Optimizers) can cut travel time by more than half.
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=== Blockade Runners ===
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{{main|Blockade Runners}}
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Blockade runners are Tech 2 haulers. They are the fastest and most agile hauling ship by quite a margin. They can align as quickly as a [[frigate]], are some of the fastest ships in EVE at warp speeds, and even at sub-light speeds they can fly as quickly as a fast cruiser. Additionally, they can fit covert ops [[cloaking|cloaking devices]] (and hence can warp while cloaked). This means that the only real danger to a properly fitted and flown blockade runner are the [[Tackling#Warp disruption fields|warp disruption bubbles]] in nullsec and w-space. With "The Great Escape" update, released May 18, 2021, Blockade Runners are at least somewhat protected from these, as well, by fitting an '''Interdiction Nullifier'''.
  
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Each race has its own industrials, which require their racial Industrial skill -- for example, {{sk|Amarr Industrial}}. These skills cannot be trained on a trial account and each racial skill is the prerequisite for the racial freighter skill. The Tech 1 industrials get 5% bonuses to cargo capacity and either agility (fast transports) or velocity (bulk transports) per level.
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They can carry a little less cargo than the Tech 1 fast transports, but can be fitted to carry up to about 10,000{{m3}} of cargo (enough to carry a [[Assembling and repackaging|packaged]] [[cruisers]]) at the cost of reduced agility and/or speed.
  
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The four races do not all have the same number of Tech 1 industrials, and which race's industrials will offer the highest cargo capacity depends on the amount of training time you are prepared to invest.
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=== Deep Space Transports ===
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{{Main|Deep Space Transports}}
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Deep Space Transports (DSTs) are tech 2 haulers with larger cargo capacities than their tech 1 equivalents and fleet hangars that hold 50,000{{m3}} (increased by skills). They have bonuses to active tanking, either shield resistances or armor resistances, helping them to fit substantial [[buffer]] tanks. Finally, they get a unique role bonus of 100% to overheating benefits of Afterburners, Microwarpdrives, Local Repair Modules, and Resistance Modules.
  
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'''Amarr'''<br>
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They also have a role bonus of +2 warp strength: this means they can't be tackled by just one warp disruptor or non-faction warp scrambler, though they can still be caught by bubbles, gangs of tacklers, or [[HIC]]s. The Great Escape update gave Deep Space Transports the ability to fit an '''Interdiction Nullifier''', giving temporary immunity to interdiction bubbles.
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The Bestower offers you the best potential cargo capacity for general cargo but has less than 8k EHP when fit this way. Meanwhile the Sigil is an overall poor industrial ship.
 
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*[[Sigil]] *
 
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*[[Bestower]]
 
  
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'''Caldari'''<br>
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Where blockade runners are meant to rely on speed and stealth to slip by the enemy, deep space transports are designed to bust their way through the enemy, relying on their warp strength and tanking abilities to escape. This probably won't work against a determined and well-prepared gatecamp, and using a deep space transport indicates to all and sundry that you have cargo you want to protect, so you should think carefully before deploying one.
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The Badger has the highest base cargo capacity of the fast transports. The Tayra has the least potential capacity of the bulk transports but the highest base capacity and highest tank, however it is outperformed in fast, secure hauling by the Badger and in bulk hauling by the other races' bulk transports.
 
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*[[Badger]] *
 
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*[[Tayra]]
 
  
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'''Minmatar'''<br>
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=== Freighters ===
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The Minmatar industrials are significantly faster than other industrials in the same ship class. They manage this speed without sacrificing tank or cargo capacity, making them ideal for doing distribution missions or even for lowsec hauling.
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{{main|Freighters}}
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*[[Wreathe]] *
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Freighters are the ultimate cargo carrying ships, with vast cargo holds. They are often seen flying between high sec trading hubs. All freighters have no high, mid, or rig slots but do have 3 low slots, with restrictive CPU and powergrid to limit the available modules with a role bonus to Reinforced Bulkheads. Freighters also can use Inertial Stabilizers and Nanofiber Internal Structures to increase their agility. Otherwise, a freighter pilot's only other way of enhancing their ship's performance is via [[Implants#Skill Hardwirings|hardwiring implants]].
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*[[Hoarder]], dedicated ammo bay
 
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*[[Mammoth]]
 
  
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'''Gallente'''<br>
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Use Freighters for huge cargo through high sec and very short distances into low sec. These require proper support (someone to web for faster aligns, scouts, preferably some EW).
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The Gallente have several specialized ships, while the non-specialized fast/bulk transports give good all-round performance.
 
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*[[Nereus]] *
 
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*[[Kryos]], dedicated mineral bay
 
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*[[Epithal]], dedicated planetary commodities bay
 
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*[[Miasmos]], dedicated ore bay
 
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*[[Iteron Mark V]]
 
  
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<nowiki>*</nowiki> - Can be gained free from the Industry career tutorials
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The four Tech 1 freighters are good for carrying very large amounts of cargo in high security space. They align and warp too slowly to be safely used in lowsec or nullsec. Freighters are very tough, but they are definitely ''not'' immune to suicide ganking -- organised and prepared groups of gankers can and do kill freighters.
  
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=== Blockade Runners (T2 Industrial) ===
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All four freighters get 5% bonuses to cargo capacity and velocity per level of their pilot's racial freighter skill ({{Sk|Amarr Freighter}}, {{Sk|Gallente Freighter}}, and so on). Since you must train the freighter skill to at least level 1, the base capacity of the ship is only used to calculate the actual capacity. It is worth noting that the Caldari freighters with {{Sk|Caldari Freighter|IV}} can hold more than any other freighter, even with their respective freighter skills trained to 5.
  
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Primary use: Relatively small and/or very expensive cargo through lowsec/nullsec/wspace.
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=== Jump Freighters ===
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{{main|Jump Freighters}}
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The Tech 2 versions of freighters, jump freighters, have a reduced cargo capacity but are capable of using [[cynosural field]]s to jump long distances. They are also able to use stargates like normal ships. (Since cynosural fields cannot be lit in highsec, jump freighters traveling in highsec have to use stargates.) This makes them ideal supply ships for people who live in nullsec.
  
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Both types of Tech 2 industrial require the [[Skills:Spaceship_Command#Transport_Ships|Transport Ships]] skill, and both have abilities which make them better at surviving trips to lawless space. Both also have the same two 5% per level bonuses to speed and capacity for their racial industrial skill that the Tech 1 industrials have (and you need all five levels of the racial industrial skill to fly them in the first place). Naturally, they also cost a lot.
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Jump Freighters are used to carry cargo from the high/low sec border to wherever it is needed in null sec and back again. Caldari freighters are the largest, closely followed by Gallente, then Amarr and lastly Minmatar, which is partially compensated for by lower fuel use. The difference is not large though.
  
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Blockade runners align much faster than their Tech 1 equivalents, have a bonus to 5% warp speed per level, and, most importantly, a bonus that lets them fit covert ops cloaking devices (and hence warp while cloaked). This means that even in nullsec the only dangerous moments for a properly-fitted and -flown blockade runner should be when it has to pass through stargates. The trade-off is that blockade runners carry less cargo than their Tech 1 equivalents.
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Jump freighters have much larger potential tanks than Tech 1 freighters when properly fit, but at the cost of a much reduced cargo bay. All jump freighters can exceed 500,000 EHP in tank, which makes ganking them in highsec extraordinarily difficult and expensive.
  
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Blockade runners are also one of the few classes of ship able to use the covert jump bridges opened by [[Battleship#Black Ops|black ops battleships]].
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=== Orca ===
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The {{sh|Orca}} offers 5 different cargo holds:
 +
* 30,000 m³ Cargo Hold which can be extended to 90,000+ m³ with skills and modules
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* 200 m³ Drone Bay which hold just drones
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* 40,000 m³ Fleet Hangar which can also hold assembled ships
 +
* 400,000 m³ Ship Maintenance Bay for assembled ships
 +
* 150,000 m³ Mining Hold for unrefined mining goods, with additional bonus due to ship skills ([[Mining]], [[Ice harvesting]])
  
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*Amarr : [[Prorator]] (largest with/mod cargo capacity)
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All holds, hangars and bays except the Drone Bay can be scanned by a [[Cargo scanning|Cargo Scanner]]. However, due to how cargo scanners work, modules fitted to ships in the Ship Maintenance Bay are not detectable by scanning.
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*Caldari : [[Crane]] (largest non/mod cargo capacity)
 
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*Gallente : [[Viator]]
 
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*Minmatar : [[Prowler]]
 
  
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The Gallente ''Viator'' and Amarr ''Prorator'' are the best in this category. The reason for this is that Blockade Runners can warp cloaked, and as such should never be target locked, so tank doesn't matter (as much), but cargo space does. These two can reach above 10k m3 space with a full rack of T2 cargo expanders and T1 cargo rigs. With 10k space, you can safely carry a cruiser, so you can move expensive recons, HACs, Logistics ships, HICs and T3 ships around safely. The Caldari ''Crane'' can do the same, but it requires T2 rigs to pull it off at about 90m ISK each, and the Minmatar ''Prowler'' can't do it at all. The Prowler, on the other hand, does have two high slots which allows a combo of a cloak and a probe launcher (Possibly useful in wormhole operations) or something else you may want, but for hauling, it's not particularly recommended.
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However, the Orca requires a completely different skill set than most haulers. After the Odyssey skill changes, it will take 18d 19h 6m to train. This is a significant cut in training time from the old requirements pre-Odyssey.
  
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=== Deep Space Transport (T2 Industrial) ===
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=== Other options ===
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There are situations where a small fast craft is better than a big lumbering beast. These include moving blueprints or other small volume, high value cargo. The best options at this size are nullified travel-fit Interceptors (so-called [[Travel_fits#Fleet_Interceptors|travel-ceptors]]), [[Frigates#Covert Ops|Covert Ops Frigates]], and (for highsec/lowsec) the Hecate with a [[Travel_fits#Hecate|sub-1s align time fit]]. These can provide near-perfect safety if handled correctly.
  
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Primary use: Very bulky, expensive cargo through highsec or scouted lowsec.
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As an alternative, a shuttle (all areas of space) or a fast T1 frigate (in highsec and lowsec) will work as well, but they are more susceptible to smartbombing gatecamps. Tactical bookmarks on-grid with gates ("perches") and insta-dock/insta-undock bookmarks can mitigate this risk considerably. (See [[Bookmark]] for an more in-depth explanation.)
  
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Unlike blockade runners, deep space transports have a larger capacity than their Tech 1 equivalents. They also have a fleet hanger that holds (base) 50,000m^3.  They have bonuses to active tanking, either shield resistances or armor resistances, helping them to fit substantial [[Buffer|buffer]] tanks. Finally, they get a unique role bonus of 100% to overheating benefits of Afterburners, Microwarpdrives, Local Repair Modules, and Resistance Modules.
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The {{sh|Sunesis}} is a special edition destroyer that is given out to all Omega pilots once a year. Various fitting options exist, with a sub-2s fit able to hold 1200 {{m3}} without any expensive faction modules. It is an easily accessible and cheap option for highsec and lowsec and can be used by Alpha players as well.
  
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They also have a role bonus of +2 warp strength: this means they can't be tackled by just one warp disruptor or non-faction warp scrambler, though they can still be caught by bubbles, gangs of tacklers or [[Cruiser#Heavy Interdiction Cruisers|HICs]].
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A {{sh|Victorieux Luxury Yacht}} can warp cloaked, ignores nullsec bubbles if fitted with an interdiction nullifier, can be fit with enough tank to survive smartbombs, and has very decent align time and warp speed. That is another good option for moving high-value, low-volume cargo.
  
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Where blockade runners are meant to rely on speed and stealth to slip by the enemy, deep space transports are designed to bust their way through the enemy, relying on their warp strength and tanking abilities to escape. This probably won't work against a determined and well-prepared gatecamp, and using a deep space transport indicates to all and sundry that you have cargo you want to protect, so you should think carefully before deploying one.
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=== Faction comparison ===
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Amarr have the largest capacity T1 Haulers but otherwise tend to be outperformed by other races. Minmatar haulers tend to align and fly slightly faster than other factions, but don't sacrifice cargo or tank to do it, making them arguably the best haulers overall. Caldari have the largest capacity freighters, and unquestionably the tankiest T1 haulers. The specialized Gallente T1 haulers (and to a lesser extent the Minmatar ammo hauler) are extremely convenient if you regularly haul ore/minerals/PI/ammo.
  
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*Amarr : [[Impel]]
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To maximize flexibility, it's recommended that all new haulers train Gallente and Minmatar haulers to at least 3, and from there decide which race to train to 5 depending on what exactly it is you want to do.
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*Caldari : [[Bustard]]
 
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*Gallente : [[Occator]]
 
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*Minmatar : [[Mastodon]]
 
  
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All DSTs have a base 50k m3 fleet hangar which can hold any type of cargo, even packaged battleships. As such, fitting these ships for cargo is redundant since cargo rigs and modules only affect the much smaller main cargo bay. DSTs should be fit and skilled into to play to their active tanking and overheating bonuses in order to maximize survivability, as these ships will primarily be used to transport large quantities of high-value goods.
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=== Hauler type comparison ===
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The best hauler is situational; it depends on where you are (high, low, null/WH/Pochven) combined with how large and valuable the cargo is. For example, using an Occator (DST) to move a cargo small enough to fit in a Viator (BR) is sub-optimal, as is using a Viator to move large amounts of tritanium around in high sec when you could use a Kryos (T1 hauler specialised for minerals) instead.
  
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=== Freighters===
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Below are the optimal ships for each task, assuming that the area that you're going to or through is not a place where it's clearly a bad idea to bring such a ship type <em>and</em> that the cargo value is low enough to be within the recommended limits (in highsec). This does not mean that only these ships can or should be used. (For negligible-volume hauling for example, a Shuttle will do fine in all areas of space, but using an interceptor is better because it gives you more protection against smartbombing gatecamps.) But if training up a toon specifically for hauling duties, these are good goals to work toward.
  
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Primary use: Moving massive freight through hisec, often between trade hubs
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* Cargo with near-negligible volume: Interceptor or Cov-Ops Frigate (anywhere), sub-1s Hecate (highsec/lowsec)
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* Up to 1,200 {{m3}} in highsec/lowsec: sub-2s Sunesis
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* Up to 10,000 {{m3}} (packaged cruiser size) anywhere: Blockade Runner
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* Low-value cargo up to 15,000 {{m3}} (packaged battlecruiser size) anywhere: Fast T1 Hauler
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* Low-value cargo up to 30,000 {{m3}} (two packaged battlecruisers size) in highsec: Bulk T1 Hauler, specialised T1 Haulers
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* Medium-value cargo up to 60,000 {{m3}} (packaged battleship size): Deep Space Transport (anywhere) (if Jump Freighter is not [yet] an option), Orca (highsec)
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* High-value cargo beyond 10,000 {{m3}} in highsec: Blockade Runner doing several trips (even if you may get the job done faster with a DST, getting it there slowly is better than not getting it there at all due to being ganked)
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* Huge cargo above ~60k {{m3}} and below ~300k {{m3}} anywhere: Jump Freighter (aligns faster than a Freighter and has more tank)
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* Huge cargo above ~300k {{m3}} anywhere: Freighter (requires escort in low and null, is easily caught by bubbles/gatecamps), Jump Freighter doing several trips
  
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Freighters are the ultimate cargo carrying ships, with vast cargo holds. Tech 1 freighters can sometimes be spotted on New Eden's major highsec trade routes, while the Tech 2 jump freighters are used to transport cargo out to nullsec. All freighters have no high, mid, or rig slots but with the Kronos expansion received 3 low slots, with restrictive CPU and Powergrid to limit the available modules with a role bonus to Reinforced Bulkheads. A freighter pilot's only other way of enhancing their ship's performance is via [[Implants#Skill Hardwirings|hardwiring implants]].  
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==== Comparison table for cargo ships ====
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{| class="wikitable sortable"
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Freighters are subject to certain restrictions: Assembled containers and assembled secure containers cannot be put in a freighter's cargo hold, so that pilots can't use containers to increase freighters' cargo capacity in the same way that they're used to increase the capacity of [[Industrial|industrials]]. The Retribution patch removed the previously existing restriction on jetcans.  
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|-
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! scope="col" | Name
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Use Freighters for huge cargo through high sec and very short distances into low sec. These require proper support (someone to web for faster aligns, scouts, preferably some EW). <!-- (TODO: Describe the proper support fully) --> Remember that the Uni [[Freighter Production|provides at-cost freighters]] to Uni members.
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! scope="col" | Level
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! scope="col" | Faction
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The four Tech 1 freighters are good for carrying very large amounts of cargo in high security space. They align and warp too slowly to be safely used in lowsec or nullsec. Freighters are very tough, but they are definitely ''not'' immune to suicide ganking -- organised and prepared groups of gankers can and do kill freighters.
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! scope="col" | Cargo<br><small>{{color|#AAAAAA|m³}}</small>
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! scope="col" | Velocity<br><small>{{color|#AAAAAA|m/sec}}</small>
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All four freighters get 5% bonuses to cargo capacity and velocity per level of their pilot's racial freighter skill ([[Skills:Spaceship_Command#Amarr_Freighter|Amarr Freighter]], [[Skills:Spaceship_Command#Gallente_Freighter|Gallente Freighter]] and so on). Since you must train the freighter skill to at least level 1, the base capacity of the ship is only used to calculate the actual capacity. It is worth noting that the Caldari freighters with Caldari Freighter 4 can hold more than any other freighter, even with their respective freighter skills trained to 5.
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! scope="col" | Inertia
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! scope="col" | Warp<br><small>{{color|#AAAAAA|AUs}}</small>
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With the Kronos update, freighters and jump freighters all gained 3 low slots and reductions in cargo capacity. They can be fit to surpass their pre-Kronos cargo capacities with expanded cargoholds at the expense of tank. The tendency for freighter pilots to fit for maximum isk rather than maximum tank and then proceed to autopilot their freighters between trade hubs led to [http://themittani.com/features/post-kronos-aufay-burns widespread ganking]. As such, it is strongly recommended that pilots who unwisely opt to autopilot their ships fit reinforced bulkheads instead in order to protect their investments.
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! scope="col" | Shield<br><small>{{color|#AAAAAA|HP}}</small>
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! scope="col" | Armor<br><small>{{color|#AAAAAA|HP}}</small>
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====Freighter Types====
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! scope="col" | Hull<br><small>{{color|#AAAAAA|HP}}</small>
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! scope="col" | Extra
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''Note: These statistics are outdated as of the Kronos expansion.''
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|-
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|[[Sigil]]||T1||Amarr||2100||125||0.86||4.5||780||1900||2400
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The [[Amarr]] [[Providence]] has
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|-
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*A cargo hold starting at a base of 735,000 m3 and a max of 918,750 m3
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|[[Bestower]]||T1||Amarr||4800||110||0.95||3||450||850||940
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*A velocity starting at a base of 70 m/s
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|-
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*Second most agile and second highest EHP.
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|[[Badger]]||T1||Caldari||3900||127||0.84||4.5||1440||750||2060
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+
|-
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The [[Caldari]] [[Charon]] has
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|[[Tayra]]||T1||Caldari||7300||115||0.97||3||1100||550||810
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*The largest cargo hold of the group, starting at a base of 785,000 m3 and a max of 981,250 m3
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|-
−
*The slowest velocity of the group, started at a base 60 m/s
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|[[Wreathe]]||T1||Minmatar||2900||140||0.81||4.5||1140||1000||2900
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*Least agile of the group.
+
|-
−
 
+
|[[Hoarder]]||T1||Minmatar||500||130||0.85||3||840||800||1200||41000 ammo
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The [[Gallente]] [[Obelisk]] has
+
|-
−
*A cargo hold starting at a base of 750,000 m3 and a max of 937,500 m3
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|[[Mammoth]]||T1||Minmatar||5500||120||0.91||3||640||600||935
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*A velocity starting at a base of 65 m/s
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|-
−
*Highest EHP of the group.
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|[[Nereus]]||T1||Gallente||2700||130||0.78||4.5||960||1050||2600
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+
|-
−
The [[Minmatar]] [[Fenrir]] has
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|[[Kryos]]||T1||Gallente||550||120||0.92||3||600||700||970||50000 minerals + 30000 ice
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*The smallest cargo hold of the group, starting at a base of 720,000 m3 and a max of 900,000 m3
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|-
−
*The fastest velocity of the group, started at a base 80 m/s)
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|[[Epithal]]||T1||Gallente||550||120||0.9||3||580||740||1000||45000 comodities
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*Most agile of the group.
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|-
−
 
+
|[[Miasmos]]||T1||Gallente||550||120||0.94||3||590||710||950||42000 ore
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====Freighter Capacity====
+
|-
−
 
+
|[[Iteron Mark V]]||T1||Gallente||5800||105||0.87||3||540||650||970
−
{|style="width: 90%; text-align: center;"
+
|-
 +
|[[Prorator]]||T2||Amarr||2900||170||0.52||6||800||2000||2100||cloaked
 +
|-
 +
|[[Crane]]||T2||Caldari||4300||160||0.51||6||2100||1000||1900||cloaked
 +
|-
 +
|[[Viator]]||T2||Gallente||3600||165||0.54||6||1000||1700||2700||cloaked
 +
|-
 +
|[[Prowler]]||T2||Minmatar||3500||220||0.485||6||1500||1500||1700||cloaked
 +
|-
 +
|[[Impel]]||T2||Amarr||3100||90||1.0||3.3||2000||4300||4500||50000 hangar
 +
|-
 +
|[[Bustard]]||T2||Caldari||5000||80||1.0||3.3||4300||2300||4000||50000 hangar
 
|-
 
|-
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!style="width: 28%"|Race (Freighter) !!style="width: 12%"|Base (m3)!!style="width: 12%"|Skill I !!style="width=12%"|Skill II !!style="width: 12%"|Skill III !!style="width: 12%"|Skill IV !!style="width: 12%"|Skill V
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|[[Occator]]||T2||Gallente||3900||110||1.0||3.3||2400||4000||5000||50000 hangar
 
|-
 
|-
−
|style="text-align: left;"|Amarr ([[Providence]])|| 735,000 || 771,750 || 808,500 || 845,250 || 882,000 || 918,750
+
|[[Mastodon]]||T2||Minmatar||4500||120||1.0||3.3||4000||2800||3100||50000 hangar
 
|-
 
|-
−
|style="text-align: left;"|Caldari ([[Charon]])|| 785,000 || 824,250 || 863,500 || 902,750 || 942,000 || 981,250
+
|[[Providence]]||T1||Amarr||435000||70||0.063||1.37||10000||46000||100000||freighter
 
|-
 
|-
−
|style="text-align: left;"|Gallente ([[Obelisk]])|| 750,000 || 787,500 || 825,000 || 862,500 || 900,000 || 937,500
+
|[[Charon]]||T1||Caldari||465000||60||0.063||1.37||50000||15000||77500||freighter
 
|-
 
|-
−
|style="text-align: left;"|Minmatar ([[Fenrir]])|| 720,000 || 756,000 || 792,000 || 828,000 || 864,000 || 900,000
+
|[[Obelisk]]||T1||Gallente||440000||65||0.063||1.37||14000||40000||110000||freighter
−
|}
 
−
 
 
−
=== Jump Freighters (T2 Freighter) ===
 
−
 
 
−
The Tech 2 versions of freighters, jump freighters, have a reduced cargo capacity but are capable of using cynosural fields to jump long distances. They are also able to use stargates like normal ships. (Since cynosural fields cannot be lit in highsec, jump freighters travelling in highsec have to use stargates.) This makes them ideal supply ships for people who live in nullsec.
 
−
 
 
−
Jump freighters get 5% bonuses to cargo capacity and agility per level of the pilot's racial freighter skill, and 10% bonuses to shield, armor and hull hitpoints for each level the pilot has in {{sk|Jump Freighters}}. The Jump Freighters skill also gives them a 10% per level reduction in jump fuel needs.
 
−
 
 
−
'''Jump Freighter Capacity'''
 
−
 
 
−
''Note: These statistics are outdated as of the Kronos expansion.''
 
−
 
 
−
{|style="width: 90%; text-align: center;"
 
 
|-
 
|-
−
!style="width: 28%"|Race (Freighter) !!style="width: 12%"|Base (m3)!!style="width: 12%"|Skill I !!style="width=12%"|Skill II !!style="width: 12%"|Skill III !!style="width: 12%"|Skill IV !!style="width: 12%"|Skill V
+
|[[Fenrir]]||T1||Minmatar||435000||80||0.063||1.37||48000||22000||65000||freighter
 
|-
 
|-
−
|style="text-align: left;"|Amarr ([[Ark]])|| 275,625 || 289,406.25 || 303,187.5 || 316,968.75 || 330,750 || 344,531.25
+
|[[Ark]]||T2||Amarr||135000||84||0.055||1.5||12000||55200||120000||jump
 
|-
 
|-
−
|style="text-align: left;"|Caldari ([[Rhea]])|| 294,375 || 309,093.75 || 323,812.5 || 338,531.25 || 353,250 || 367,968.75
+
|[[Rhea]]||T2||Caldari||144000||72||0.055||1.5||60000||18000||93000||jump
 
|-
 
|-
−
|style="text-align: left;"|Gallente ([[Anshar]])|| 281,250 || 295,312.5 || 309,375 || 323,437.5 || 337,500 || 351,562.5
+
|[[Anshar]]||T2||Gallente||137500||78||0.055||1.5||16800||48000||132000||jump
 
|-
 
|-
−
|style="text-align: left;"|Minmatar ([[Nomad]])|| 270,000 || 283,500 || 297,000 || 310,500 || 324,000 || 337,500
+
|[[Nomad]]||T2||Minmatar||132000||96||0.055||1.5||57600||26400||78000||jump
 
|}
 
|}
  
−
Use Jump Freighters to carry cargo from the high/low sec border to wherever it is needed in null sec and back again. Caldari freighters are the largest, closely followed by Gallente, then Amarr and lastly Minmatar, which is partially compensated for by lower fuel use. The difference is not large though.
+
[[File:IndustrialShipWarpvsCargo-r1.2021.07.26.png|frame|left]]
 +
{{Clear}}
  
−
=== Orca ===
+
== Hauling skills ==
  
−
The [[Orca]] offers 4 different cargo holds:
+
=== Ship flying skills ===
−
* 30,000 m³ Cargo Hold which can be extended to 90,000+ m³ with skills and modules
+
* {{Sk|Warp Drive Operation}}: Helps with long warps. Each skill level reduces the capacitor need of initiating warp by 10%.
−
* 50,000 m³ Ore Hold for unrefined mining goods ([[Mining]], [[Ice Mining]])
+
* {{Sk|Spaceship Command}}: Reduces align time. 2% improved ship agility for all ships per skill level.
−
* 40,000 m³ Fleet Hangar which can also hold assembled ships
+
* {{Sk|Advanced Spaceship Command}}: May reduce align time. Grants a 5% Bonus per skill level to the agility of ships requiring Advanced Spaceship Command
−
* 400,000 m³ Ship Maintenance Bay for assembled ships
+
* {{Sk|Evasive Maneuvering}}: Increases ship agility and acceleration. 5% improved ship agility for all ships per skill level.
  
−
All holds,hangars and bays can be scanned by a Cargo Scanner. However, due to how cargo scanners work, modules fitted to ships in the Ship Maintenance Bay and Fleet Hangar are not detectable by scanning.
+
=== Tanking skills ===
 +
Generally useful skills:
 +
* {{Sk|Shield Management}}: 5% extra shields per level
 +
* {{Sk|Shield Operation}}: 5% reduction in shield recharge time per level; level IV allows use of T2 shield boosters
 +
* {{Sk|Shield Upgrades}}: 5% reduction in shield upgrade powergrid needs per level; level IV allows use of T2 shield extenders and rechargers
 +
* <type-specific> Shield Compensation: 5% bonus per level for passive hardeners
  
−
However, the Orca requires a completely different skill set to most haulers. After the Odyssey skill changes, it will take 18d 19h 6m to train. This is a significant cut in training time from the old requirements pre-Odyssey.
+
Recommendation:
 +
* Get Shield Management and Shield Operation at least to IV
  
−
=== Fast Transports ===
+
Particularly useful modules:
−
 
+
* {{Sk|Power Grid Management|II}} & {{Sk|Tactical Shield Manipulation|IV}}: Allows use of Multispectrum Shield Hardener II.
−
There are situations where a small fast craft is better then a big lumbering beast. These include moving blueprints or other small volume, high value cargo. One option is a warpstab or nano-fit frigate with a propulsion mod to try and burn away from tacklers. However, the best option at this size is a [[Frigate#Covert Ops Frigate|Covert Ops Frigate]], which can provide near-perfect safety if handled correctly.
+
* {{Sk|Hull Upgrades|IV}}: Allows use of T2 Damage Control. There is a trade-off with the cargo expanders typically used by haulers, however.
−
 
+
* {{Sk|Energy Grid Upgrades|IV}}, {{Sk|Power Grid Management|II}}, and {{Sk|Science|I}}: Allows use of T2 Power Diagnostic Systems. Some shield tankers prefer these over Damage Controls for the boost in shield recharge rate (that recharge will not have time to make up for the ehp loss compared to a damage control before concord arrives, even in a 0.5 with a 13 second delay, but it can be combined with a damage control).
−
=== Faction Comparison ===
 
−
 
 
−
Amarr have the largest capacity T1 Industrial but otherwise tend to be outperformed by other races. Minmatar haulers tend to align and fly slightly faster than other factions, but don't sacrifice much cargo capacity to do it. The Minmatar Blockade Runner also has a second high slot if needed for a cloak plus a probe launcher for wormhole hauling. Caldari have the largest capacity freighters, and unquestionably the tankiest T1 industrials. The specialized Gallente T1 haulers (and to a lesser extent the Minmatar ammo hauler) are extremely convenient if you regularly haul ore/minerals/PI.
 
−
 
 
−
=== Hauler Type Comparison ===
 
−
 
 
−
The best hauler is situational; it depends on where you are (high, low, null security space) combined with how large and valuable the cargo is. For example, using an Occator to move a cargo small enough to fit in a Viator is sub-optimal, as is using a Viator to move large amounts of tritanium around in high sec.
 
−
 
 
−
Below are the optimal ships for each task, assuming that the area that you're going to/through is not a place where it's a clearly bad idea to bring such a ship type. As soon as moving through either null or low sec is required, you are strongly encouraged to switch to a Viator (blockade runner) or jump freighter.
 
−
 
 
−
The Orca is also a very interesting option for high security space. It offers cargo capacity somewhere between the T1/T2 industrials and jump freighters, while being able to travel almost as quickly as the smaller ships by fitting a 100mn micro warp drive and activating it for 1 cycle while aligning to the next gate or station.
 
−
 
 
−
* Small cargo of any value: Blockade runner
 
−
* Large cargo of low value: T1 industrial, deep space transport or Orca
 
−
* Large cargo of medium value: Deep space transport or Orca
 
−
* Large cargo of high value: Blockade runner (even if you may get the job done faster with a DST, getting it there at all is better then not getting it there due to being ganked) or Orca.
 
−
* Huge cargo below ~350k m^3: Jump freighter (it aligns faster than a Freighter)
 
−
* Huge cargo above ~350k m^3: Jump freighter or freighter depending on the environment
 
−
 
 
−
== Hauling Skills ==
 
−
 
 
−
=== Ship Flying Skills ===
 
−
 
 
−
* Warp Drive Operation: Helps with long warps. Each skill level reduces the capacitor need of initiating warp by 10%.
 
−
* Spaceship Command: Reduces align time. 2% improved ship agility for all ships per skill level.
 
−
* Advanced Spaceship Command: May reduce align time. Grants a 5% Bonus per skill level to the agility of ships requiring Advanced Spaceship Command
 
−
* Evasive Maneuvering: Increases ship agility and acceleration. 5% improved ship agility for all ships per skill level.
 
  
−
=== Tanking Skills ===
+
== Fitting considerations for hauling ships ==
  
−
Generally useful skills:
+
The best form of tanking for haulers is not getting caught in the first place. This is especially true outside of highsec: the amount of tank in lowsec/nullsec/WH/Pochven rarely makes a difference to the outcome, because a well set up gatecamp can just spend more time getting through your ship's HP or call in reinforcements from nearby friendly pilots, while in highsec the response time of CONCORD puts an upper limit to the engagement duration. Still, fitting for maximum tank after the other crucial modules are taken care of can work against less experienced and/or single pilot attackers, giving you enough time to escape tackle, rely on damage to the attacker's ship by lowsec gate guns, or successfully burn back to the gate and jump back through. (The latter won't be an option if you used any aggressive action on your part, such as activating a Burst Jammer module, because of your own weapons timer.)
−
* Shield Management: 5% extra shields per level
 
−
* Shield Operation: 5% reduction in shield recharge time per level; level IV allows use of T2 shield boosters
 
−
* Shield Upgrades: 5% reduction in shield upgrade powergrid needs per level; level IV allows use of T2 shield extenders and rechargers
 
−
* <type-specific> Shield Compensation: 3% bonus per level in <type-specific> resistance for active hardeners (but only while they are NOT active!), 5% bonus per level for passive hardeners
 
  
−
Recommendation:
+
In all areas where [[Tackling#Warp_disruption_fields|warp disruption bubbles]] may be used (nullsec, WH space, Pochven), fitting an Interdiction Nullifier module is strongly recommended; other less-optimal options are shuttles (small cargospace, vulnerable to smartbombing gatecamps, but inherently immune to bubbles), frigates fitted for high on-grid speed (to escape from both bubbles and enemy tacklers), and cov-ops cloak capable ships such as the {{Sh|Astero}} and [[Frigates#Stealth_Bombers|Stealth Bombers]] that can not fit the Interdiction Nullifier modules (but can by virtue of their cov-ops cloaking device move without speed penalty while cloaked).
−
* Get Shield Management and Shield Operation at least to IV
 
  
−
Particularly useful modules:
+
Blockade runners rely on good bookmarks, crafty use of their Covert Ops Cloak, and not fitting anything that would increase the signature radius (no shield extenders). Due to their use of a covops cloak, well-flown blockade runners can be almost impossible to catch in highsec and lowsec. They are thus a good choice for more expensive cargo runs, but being very flimsy can easily get ganked if left uncloaked at a gate or while slow-boating from outside the docking ring of a station.
−
* Power Grid Management II & Tactical Shield Manipulation IV: Allows use of Adaptive Invulnerability Field II.
 
−
* Hull Upgrades IV: Allows use of T2 Damage Control. There is a trade-off with the cargo expanders typically used by haulers, however.
 
−
* Energy Grid Upgrades IV, Power Grid Management II, and Science I: Allows use of T2 Power Diagnostic Systems. Some shield tankers prefer these over Damage Controls for the boost in shield recharge rate (that recharge will not have time to make up for the ehp loss compared to a damage control before concord arrives, even in a 0.5 with a 13 second delay, but it can be combined with a damage control).
 
  
−
== Hauler Tanking ==
+
For low-volume hauling, a ship that is fitted to align in less than 2 seconds (see [[Instant align]] for details) offers a fairly high level of protection against being intercepted by targeted warp disruption, with the added benefit that the risk your cargo is successfully scanned is also reduced. Warp disruption bubbles are still a concern however. In highsec and lowsec, the sub-1s Hecate is truly uncatchable if piloted correctly (and no game disconnects occur). For higher volumes of cargo, fit the ship to use the [[Cloak trick]] wherever possible (always on Deep Space Transports), and consider warp core stabilisers as an option if you have fitting slots to spare (highly recommended for Deep Space Transports once more, due to their innate warp core strength bonus). Outside of highsec, having a Burst Jammer module and Hornet EC-300 drones (on the few ships commonly used for hauling that have a drone bay) can work as a last-ditch effort to get yourself free from a gatecamp. Note that the Burst Jammer modules interfere with Interdiction Nullifiers, and their use in highsec is strongly discouraged due to the risk of accidentially hitting a neutral target and getting "[[CONCORD#CONCORD_mechanics|CONCORDed]]".
  
−
There are several types of tanking: buffer tanking, passive tanking and active tanking. Additionally, some buffer tanks are entirely passive (no active modules) and others include active resistances and damage control modules. The active modules must be turned on after every jump; remapping them to the F1-F8 keys makes this more convenient.
+
=== Fitting an appropriate tank for highsec hauling ===
 +
The more EHP that you have, the harder it is for the attacker to blow up your ship and steal your stuff. The calculations regarding how many ships a ganker will need to use (and lose to CONCORD) to successfully destroy your ship compared to how much value the dropped cargo will likely be are a deciding factor in most highsec ganks. Considering that a cheap T1 gank ship like the {{sh|Catalyst}} can cost as little as 2m ISK fully fitted, a common rule of thumb is to limit the value of the carried cargo plus the modules (but not rigs) fitted to the ship to less than 3000 ISK per EHP (3 million ISK per 1k EHP).
  
−
For high sec operation, the buffer tank is most common, as the goal is to survive the alpha strike (initial volley) of the attacking gankers and remain alive long enough for CONCORD to come and destroy the attacker(s).
+
There are several types of [[Tanking|tanking]]: buffer tanking, (shield) passive tanking and active tanking. For movements within highsec, the buffer tank is most common, as the goal is to survive the alpha strike (initial volley) of the attacking gankers and remain alive long enough for CONCORD to come and destroy the attackers. Some buffer tanks are entirely passive (no active modules), while others include active resistance modules. The active modules must be turned on after every jump; remapping them to the F1-F8 keys makes this more convenient. Still, relying on active modules for a significant part of your overall EHP carries with it the risk that you forget to turn them on in the heat of the moment.
  
−
T1 Industrials are typically buffer shield tanked. In most cases you will be using your low slots for cargo expander modules; so using shield modules that fit in the middle slots is the preferred route.
+
T1 haulers ships are most often shield tanked to allow the low slots to be used for Expanded Cargohold modules. You will want to fit as many medium/large shield extenders into the mid slots as possible. This should be balanced with shoring up your weak EM/thermal resist holes using Multispectrum Shield Hardener modules or Shield Resist Amplifier modules (Kinetic Shield Amplifiers in case of a fit designed specifically against the common hybrid turret Catalysts used in ganking). In cases where you need more EHP and can sacrifice cargo space, consider adding a Damage Control Unit II module, Reinforced Bulkheads, or armor resist modules. A poorly fit T1 hauler will only have 4k to 6k EHP, a well fit T1 hauler can have 10k to 20k EHP without sacrificing too much cargo space.
  
−
An example buffer tank fit would include 1x EM (or Kinetic, against Catalyst damage) Ward Ampplifier, 1x Thermic Dissipation Amplifier and 2-3x Medium Shield Extenders. One or two Adaptive Invulnerability Fields can also be used, but remember that requires capacitor to run and has to be restarted after every jump. A Damage Control II will also add a lot of buffer, but requires removing an Expanded Cargohold module.
+
Visibly active tanking (most notably the Multispectrum Shield Hardener) might discourage ganking by the discriminating ganker, but your capacitor will not allow you to keep them running at all times. Remember to turn them on when you align out of a gate and to turn them off once you are in warp. Turning them back on when you land at your destination gate is optional, but having them active as you land at a busy station like a trade hub is recommended.
  
−
For hauling, passive shield tank skills are key, followed by the ability to use a Damage Control II and Adaptive Invulnerability Field II. After that, armor tanking can be considered, but that takes away cargo space quickly as you burn up low slots with armor plates/hardeners instead of Expanded Cargohold modules. Note that specialized Gallente haulers like the [[Miasmos]], [[Epithal]] or [[Kryos]] are mostly useful for their specialized holds and as such have no use for Expanded Cargohold modules. These ships can, and should, be fitted with tanking or agiliy low slot modules.  
+
Shield tanking skills are key for the above, followed by the ability to use a Damage Control II and Multispectrum Shield Hardener II. After that, armor tanking can be considered, but that takes away cargo space quickly as you use up low slots with armor plates/hardeners instead of Expanded Cargohold modules. Note that Tech 2 Deep Space Transports and specialized Gallente haulers like the {{sh|Miasmos}}, {{sh|Epithal}} or {{sh|Kryos}} are mostly useful for their specialized holds which are unaffected by Expanded Cargohold modules. These ships can, and should, be fitted with tanking, agility, or warp speed low slot modules, making armour tanked Deep Space Transports like the {{sh|Impel}} a common sight.
  
−
Visibly active tanking (most notably the Adaptive Invulnerability Field) might discourage ganking by the discriminating ganker, but your capacitor will not allow you o keep them running at all times. Remember turn them in when you align out of a gate and to turn them off once you are in warp. Turning them back on when you land at your destination gate is optional, but having them active as you land at a busy station like a trade hub is recommended.
+
For Orcas, the standard fit is a Damage Control II and Reinforced Bulkhead II in the low slots and three Large Transverse Bulkhead II rigs. This takes your ship from about 150k EHP up to about 420k EHP. The addition of some passive shield resistance amplifiers (2x EM, 1x Kinetic, 1x Thermal) will increase the EHP to about 450k even at low shield skills. Replacing the passive Amplifiers with active Hardeners adds another bit of EHP but requires more attention. Using Cargo rigs is discouraged since you lose about 170k EHP for a low amount of additional cargohold. You should train Hull Upgrades IV and Mechanics IV (or better V) before undocking. Being able to use a Damage Control II gives a nice EHP boost, and since you are almost fully hull-tank, the extra 5% from Mechanics V are also very nice. You should also consider using a Inherent Implants 'Noble' MC (Slot 8) which increases hull HP by anything from 1% up to 6%.
  
−
For hauling in null sec, a Microwarp Drive is key for getting out of bubbles. These are best used on a Blockade Runner that can cloak.
+
Freighters and Jump Freighters have three low slots and can fit any combination of cargohold expanders, Nanofiber Internal Structures, Inertia Stabilizers, Reinforced Bulkheads, warp speed modules, and (in the case of Jump Freighters) fuel-use reducing modules. How you fit a Freighter for highsec hauling will depend on the size of the cargo: it is strongly recommended to fit Reinforced Bulkheads whenever possible and to not fit cargohold expanders unless absolutely necessary, as the expanders will reduce your overall tank substantially. For Jump Freighters, the appropriate fit is highly dependent on which part of a typical hauling journey you are in. Pilots for both Freighters and Jump Freighters will almost always carry a full set of modules for refitting to another setup in their cargohold.
−
 
 
−
=== Avoiding Ganking ===
 
  
 +
== Avoiding ganking ==
 
When hauling, you should remember the following guidelines to avoid being ganked:
 
When hauling, you should remember the following guidelines to avoid being ganked:
  
−
* Don't fly when wardecced.
+
* Don't fly when wardecced
−
* Don't fly AFK using the autopilot.
+
* Don't fly AFK using the autopilot
−
* Fit your hauler well & use the right ship.
+
* Fit your hauler well & use the right ship
−
* Don't haul expensive cargo in a flimsy ship.
+
* Don't haul expensive cargo in a flimsy ship
−
* Know your route.
+
* Know your route, and know the most dangerous ganking spots
−
* Use [[Bookmarks#Instant_Warp-Out|insta-undock bookmarks]] at busy stations.
+
* Use [[Bookmark#Common uses|undock bookmarks]] at busy stations
 +
* Consider using a contractor
 
* Other tips and tricks
 
* Other tips and tricks
 +
 +
For further information consider reading [[Suicide ganking]] for detailed ganking and anti-ganking strategies for haulers
  
 
==== Wardecced corp ====
 
==== Wardecced corp ====
−
 
+
Never fly a Hauler ship (especially not freighters/jump freighters loaded with lots of cargo) when your corp is wardecced.
−
Never fly and industrial ship (especially not freighters/jump freighters loaded with lots of cargo) when your corp is wardecced.
 
 
You will become easy prey and will quickly get turned into ashes, together with your expensive cargo.
 
You will become easy prey and will quickly get turned into ashes, together with your expensive cargo.
−
If you need to haul during wardec, drop wardecced corp temporarily and fly under NPC corp.
+
If you need to haul during a wardec, drop the wardecced corp temporarily and fly under an NPC corp, or use an out-of corp hauler: [[Creating an Alt Hauler]]
−
 
 
−
==== AFK Hauling ====
 
−
 
 
−
Flying AFK using the autopilot is the #1 way that most haulers lose their ships.  When you use the autopilot to fly you to your destination, it warps you to 15km from the next gate then you slowly approach the gate at 100-200 m/s.  At a minimum, this leaves you exposed for about a minute per gate and gives any potential attacker time to scan your ship, scan your cargo, then get ahead of you and setup a gank party.
 
−
 
 
−
If you must fly AFK, know your route and keep your cargo value very low. There are areas of space where flying AFK is reasonably safe, but the longer you do it, the higher the chances that someone will notice the pattern and try to take advantage of it.
 
−
 
 
−
==== Fit your hauler well & use the right ship ====
 
−
 
 
−
The more [[EHP]] that you have, the harder it is for the attacker to blow up your ship and steal your stuff.  In the case of low/null security space, a [[WCS]] (warp core stabilizer) may be the difference between getting away and getting blown up.
 
−
 
 
−
For T1 industrial ships, you will want to fit as many medium/large shield extenders into the mid slots as possible.  This should balanced with shoring up your weak EMP/Thermal resist holes using Adaptive Invulnerability Field modules or Shield Resist Amplifier modules. In cases where you need more EHP and can sacrifice cargo space, consider adding [[DC2]] (Damage Control II) modules, reinforced bulkheads, or armor resist modules. A poorly fit T1 industrial hauler will only have 4k to 6k EHP, a well fit T1 industrial can have 10k to 20k EHP without sacrificing too much cargo space.
 
−
 
 
−
For Orcas, the standard fit is (2) Adaptive Invulnerability Field II and (2) Large Shield Extender II, with a DC2 in the low-slot.  This takes your ship from around 60-70k EHP up to about 140k EHP.  The addition of a Reinforced Bulkhead II will boost that up to 220-240k EHP.  A fit using shield extender rigs instead of cargo rigs tops out at around 285k EHP.  Alternatively, you can fit a 100mn MWD that can be used to significantly reduce align times by activating it for 1 cycle while aligning. It does however require a powergrid fitting mod, and you likely won't be able to fit large shield extenders. The vast majority of the Orcas tank come from the hull though, so that's not a problem as long as you have a DCII.
 
−
 
 
−
Blockade runners rely on good bookmarks, crafty use of their Covert Ops Cloak, [[MWD]], and not fitting anything that would increase signature radius (no shield extenders).  Due to their use of a covops cloak, well-flown blockade runners can be almost impossible to catch in hi-sec / lo-sec.  So they are a good choice for more expensive cargo runs.  But they are also very flimsy and can easily be ganked if you leave them uncloaked at a gate.
 
−
 
 
−
Deep Space Transports, used in high-security space, should be fit for hardiness to pack as much EHP as possible into the hull while still leaving enough room for your cargo.
 
  
−
Freighters and Jump Freighters cannot fit modules / rigs. They excel at bulk loads.
+
==== AFK hauling ====
 +
Flying AFK using autopilot is the #1 way that most haulers lose their ships. When you use the autopilot to fly you to your destination, it warps you to 15km from the next gate then you slowly approach the gate at 100-200 m/s (slower in a Freighter). At a minimum, this leaves you exposed for about a minute per gate and gives any potential attacker time to scan your ship, scan your cargo, then get ahead of you and setup a gank party. At worst, it gives you time to be bumped and ganked right there.
  
−
==== Expensive Cargo ====
+
If you must fly AFK, know your route, keep your cargo value very low, and fit as much buffer tank as possible. There are areas of space where flying AFK is reasonably safe, but the longer you do it, the higher the chances that someone will notice the pattern and try to take advantage of it.
  
−
In the case of a "suicide" gank, the goal of the attacker is to trade their ship for your cargo. They do this by knowing how much ISK they will lose when their ship gets blown up by CONCORD and how much ISK your cargo is worth. Therefore your defense against a profit-minded attacker is to raise their costs while keeping the value of your cargo below the attacker's break-even point.
+
==== Use the right ship & fit your ship well ====
 +
Use the information in the other sections to make an informed decision on which ship to use, and what an appropriate fit for the intended journey is. Many ganks happen because a player is using an under-tanked or inappropriate ship for the job or has not considered the dangers along the route and at the destination. Remember: Both using evasion and fitting a tank to your ship counts as "tanking". Don't be tempted to haul expensive faction BPCs to a trade hub in a bulk T1 Hauler because you're already in that ship anyway to pick up Tritanium for your other industry jobs, do a separate trip for those in a fast-align ship.
  
−
The simple rule of thumb for the smaller industrial haulers is:
+
==== Expensive cargo ====
 +
In the case of a "suicide" gank, the goal of the attacker is to trade their ship for your cargo. They do this by knowing how much ISK they will lose when their ship gets blown up by CONCORD and how much ISK your cargo is worth. Therefore your defense against a profit-minded attacker is to raise their costs while keeping the value of your cargo below the attacker's break-even point.
  
−
3M ISK per 1k of EHP*
+
With the commonly used 3M ISK per 1k EHP guideline, if your ship has 8k EHP, you should not be carrying more than 24M ISK worth of cargo and fit modules per trip. The more that you exceed that ISK/EHP value, the more likely you are to get ganked. However, you can often get away with 4M-6M ISK per 1k EHP if you know your route, do not auto-pilot, and know the key risk factors.
  
−
This means that if your ship has 8k EHP, you should not be carrying more than 24M ISK worth of cargo and fit modules per trip.  The more that you exceed that ISK/EHP value, the more likely you are to get ganked.  However, you can often get away with 4M-6M ISK per 1k EHP if you know your route,  do not auto-pilot, and know the key risk factors. Another alternative is the 50 million isk maximum collateral for T1 industrial haulers used by eve hauling company MicroPush.<ref>[http://www.pushx.net/rates.php PushX Rates] (no endorsement intended)</ref> They will haul cargo up to 50,000,000 isk and 17,000 m3 in size using T1 industrial ships. This gives an indication of what they consider to be safe for high sec hauling in that type of ship.
+
Another alternative is the 50 million ISK maximum collateral for T1 haulers used by several hauling corporations. They will haul cargo up to 50,000,000 ISK and 17,000 {{m3}} in size using T1 haulers. This indicates what they consider to be safe for high sec hauling in that type of ship.
  
 
Key risk factors (which raise/lower the ISK/EHP calculation):
 
Key risk factors (which raise/lower the ISK/EHP calculation):
Line 290: Line 250:
 
* Location (some systems are frequently camped)
 
* Location (some systems are frequently camped)
 
* AFK traveling
 
* AFK traveling
−
* How shiny your cargo is
+
* How shiny your cargo is, and how easy it will be to carry the loot away (Having most of your value in large items such as repackaged hulls can give some less-well-set-up gankers pause, because they might not be able to carry them away if they drop as loot. Dedicated gankers will however have access to DSTs and other means of getting the loot away.)
  
−
For freighters, which have about 180-200k EHP, the benchmark value is 1B ISK (one billion). As your cargo value exceeds 1B ISK, combined with traveling through systems with a security status in the 0.5-0.6 range, it becomes more and more likely that someone will gank you for your cargo value. This is a bit of a fuzzy rule of thumb and in the quieter portions of the galaxy with routes that take you only through 0.8 and above systems, you can get away with hauling higher value cargo loads for a very long time.
+
For freighters, which have about 180-200k EHP, the benchmark value is around 1-1.5B ISK. As your cargo value exceeds this range, combined with traveling through systems with a security status in the 0.5-0.6 range, it becomes more and more likely that someone will gank you for your cargo value. This is a bit of a fuzzy rule of thumb, and in the quieter portions of the galaxy with routes that take you only through 0.8 and above systems, you can get away with hauling higher value cargo loads for a very long time.
  
−
When you have expensive cargo above 1B to be moved in a freighter, you may want to consider double-wrapping it (create courier contract for some other alt of yours and then create another courier contract from this alt to actual freighter pilot). It will hide the contents of this package (assembled containers give same result), but some gankers tend to gank double wrapped transports without knowing what's inside, so most people (including hauling corporations) consider this will increase the risk, not decrease it.
+
When you have expensive cargo above 1B ISK to be moved in a freighter, you could consider double-wrapping it (create courier contract for some other alt of yours and then create another courier contract from this alt to actual freighter pilot). It will hide the contents of this package, but some gankers tend to gank double wrapped transports without knowing what is inside, so most people (including hauling corporations) consider this to be increasing the risk rather than decreasing it. Also, most Hauling corporations will not accept double wrapped contracts any more, due to them not being able to be sub-contracted between characters - do not do this for hauling jobs you intend to contract out.
  
 +
==== Know your route ====
 +
Your best friend as a hauler in high-security space is knowledge of the local terrain. Which systems tend to be camped by gank parties. Which systems see frequent kills of haulers? Where are you likely to be cargo/ship scanned? What is the security status of the systems along the route?
  
−
*Personal opinion, and debated. Check the discussion page for further info.  This rule can vary between 3-5M depending on current prices of the ships typically used to gank industrial haulers.
+
Scouting, in low-security or null-security space, is a must-do if you are carrying anything expensive, or are not flying a blockade runner. In low-security space, a well-flown blockade runner is almost impossible to catch and it can usually get past most null-sec bubble camps.
  
−
==== Know your route ====
+
A useful in-game channel is Gank-Intel where the hauling community often shares info about frequently traveled routes. Asking about the current situation in there before embarking on a high value contract through a dangerous area can be invaluable.
  
−
Your best friend as a hauler in high-security space is knowledge of the local terrain.  Which systems tend to be camped by gank parties.  Which systems see frequent kills of haulers.  Where are you likely to be cargo/ship scanned?  The security status of the systems along the route. Scouting ahead with a fleet member.
+
==== Instant dock/undock bookmarks ====
 +
Busier market hub stations (such as Jita CNAP 4-4) will have people camping the undock 24x7, waiting for you to undock with something shiny in the cargo hold. Your #1 defense against this is to prepare an [[Bookmark#Common uses|instaundock bookmark]] ahead of time.
  
−
Scouting, in low-security or null-security space, is a must-do if you are carrying anything expensive, or are not flying a blockade runner.  In low-security space, a well-flown blockade runner is almost impossible to catch and it can usually get past most null-sec bubble camps.
+
A good bookmark will get you off the station undock and out to a safe-spot before anyone has time to lock you, scan you and gank you. They are a must-have for Blockade Runners and rather important for the slower-aligning ships like Orcas and Freighters.
  
−
==== Instant undock bookmarks ====
+
Instant docks are also essential. Occasionally when auto-docking, the game will place you outside the immediate docking radius, and you will need to slow boat into the docking radius. This is particularly problematic at Jita 4-4, where entering from Perimeter (one of the most common entry systems) will place you at the back of the station if using the "Dock" command. Several gankers make an excellent living from sitting at this area, and picking off lazy Blockade Runner pilots. Setting an Instant-Dock right as you exit the station means you are assured to warp within the docking radius and prevent an easy kill for a ganker.
  
−
Busier market hub stations (such as Jita CNAP 4-4) will have people camping the undock 23x7, waiting for you to undock with something shiny in the cargo hold. Your #1 defense against this is to prepare an [[Bookmarks#Instant_Warp-Out|insta-undock bookmark]] ahead of time.
+
==== Use a contractor ====
 +
The large hauling corporations all use contractor alts to assure op-sec. Essentially this means that one character accepts the contract, then sub-contracts it to the actual hauler, who carries the package, and then contracts it back the contractor who then completes the contract. This means that:
 +
* Without scanning every ship, no-one (neither the contract's originator nor anyone watching the contract system) can tell which Character is hauling the package - making ganking a specific contract more difficult
 +
* As the identity (and corporation) of the actual hauler is not known, wardecs are less effective
  
−
A good bookmark will get you off the station undock and out to a safe-spot before anyone has time to lock you, scan you and gank you.  They are a must-have for Blockade Runners and rather important for the slower-aligning ships like Orcas and Freighters.
+
While not strictly necessary for private haulers, this added security can sometimes be useful
  
 
==== Other tips and tricks ====
 
==== Other tips and tricks ====
 +
Do not be predictable in your hauling of expensive items. Vary the time of day. Vary the route that you use. Change your ship name frequently.
  
−
Do not be predictable in your hauling of expensive items.  Vary the time of day.  Vary the route that you use.  Change your ship name frequently.
+
== Hauling corporations ==
 +
There are several organisations in EVE which act as dedicated Hauling companies. They tend to be more reliable, more willing to take on unusual or high value requests, but also more expensive than the public contracts channel.
  
−
=== Builds ===
+
Characters in EVE can use these corporations either for their own hauling needs, or consider joining them to get access to exclusive, high value contracts. If you are considering hauling as a career, the best way to make money is as part of one of these corporations.
−
{{deprecated}}
 
−
==== Iteron V, Tank ====
 
−
(Cassius Longinus)
 
  
−
NOTE: This fit is no longer possible post Odyssey 1.1
+
While not an exhaustive list, some of the most common (in no particular order) include:
−
<pre>[Iteron Mark V, Tank]
 
−
Reactor Control Unit I
 
−
Reactor Control Unit I
 
−
Reactor Control Unit I
 
−
Expanded Cargohold II
 
−
Expanded Cargohold II
 
  
−
Large Shield Extender II
+
* [https://red-frog.org Red Frog Freight]
−
EM Ward Amplifier II
+
* [https://www.pushx.net/ Push X]
−
Explosive Deflection Amplifier II
 
−
Thermic Dissipation Amplifier II
 
−
Thermic Dissipation Amplifier II
 
  
−
[empty high slot]
+
== Hauler roles ==
−
[empty high slot]
 
  
−
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I
+
=== Market hauling ===
−
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I
+
[[Trading#Hauling|Speculative hauling]] is one way to make money from the market that's fairly easy to get into for a new player
−
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I</pre>
 
−
 
 
−
That has 15+K EHP, which should tank most solo-Battlecruiser gankers.
 
−
 
 
−
NOTE: This fit is no longer possible post Odyssey 1.1
 
−
<pre>[Iteron Mark V, Tank 2]
 
−
Expanded Cargohold II
 
−
Expanded Cargohold II
 
−
Expanded Cargohold II
 
−
Expanded Cargohold II
 
−
Expanded Cargohold II
 
−
 
 
−
EM Ward Amplifier II
 
−
Thermic Dissipation Amplifier II
 
−
Medium Shield Extender II
 
−
Medium Shield Extender II
 
−
Medium Shield Extender II
 
−
 
 
−
[empty high slot]
 
−
[empty high slot]
 
−
 
 
−
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I
 
−
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I
 
−
Medium Core Defense Field Extender I</pre>
 
−
 
 
−
This one has both more EHP and more cargo. You can swap 2 expanders for more tanking mods for the same cargo with even more EHP if desired. 2 T2 Adaptive Invulnerability Fields add an additional 5k ehp, and overheating them give 4k more on top of that.
 
−
 
 
−
==== Iteron V, General Hauling ====
 
−
(Not valid post-Odyssey 1.1)
 
−
(Scrapyard Bob)
 
−
<pre>[Iteron Mark V, 38.4km3 14.8kEHP]
 
−
Expanded Cargohold II
 
−
Expanded Cargohold II
 
−
Expanded Cargohold II
 
−
Expanded Cargohold II
 
−
Expanded Cargohold II
 
−
 
 
−
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
 
−
Medium Shield Extender II
 
−
Medium Shield Extender II
 
−
Medium Shield Extender II
 
−
 
 
−
Salvager I
 
−
Small Tractor Beam I
 
−
 
 
−
Medium Cargohold Optimization I
 
−
Medium Cargohold Optimization I
 
−
Medium Cargohold Optimization I</pre>
 
  
−
Adding a Damage Control II will boost it to 18k EHP but you'll only have 30.1k m3 of cargo space.
+
=== Alt hauling ===
 +
Setting up an [[Creating an Alt Hauler|alt hauler]] can be very useful to ship goods around during wartime when your main can't fly a hauler ship.
  
−
==== Iteron V, Mining Support ====
+
=== Courier hauling ===
 +
If you have a high amount of ISK to devote to collateral, courier contract hauling can be a very good way to make ISK for haulers, given that you have a freighter or jump freighter to haul around the usually large quantities of contracted goods. One billion ISK (1,000,000,000 ISK) is a good estimate of how much money you will need to get started taking courier hauling.
  
−
(Scrapyard Bob)
+
A courier hauler can make a lot of ISK, but it's not without risk. Ganking is one problem, contract scams are another. It's always a good idea to check the contract history of an unknown contractor before accepting anything. This information can be found by opening the 'info' window of a player, clicking the three lines in the top left corner, and selecting 'Show Contracts'.
−
This is a real pain to fit, so you're going to have to play around with shield extenders that aren't Tech II. With level V skills, you can fit T2 shield extenders. Afterburner version is recommended for mining ops support.
 
  
−
NOTE: This fit is no longer possible post Odyssey 1.1
+
If you do not have docking permissions at the player-owned structure you are delivering to be aware that you can still make the delivery. You can warp to the structure, right-click and open a "transfer" window to move cargo from your ship to your item hangar in the dock-blocked structure. Before this transfer option was added a common scam was disabling docking permission after contract acceptance.
−
<pre>[Iteron Mark V, Afterburner 38.4km3 10kEHP]
 
−
Expanded Cargohold II
 
−
Expanded Cargohold II
 
−
Expanded Cargohold II
 
−
Expanded Cargohold II
 
−
Expanded Cargohold II
 
  
−
Experimental 10MN Afterburner I
+
Another type of scam contract that appears less suspicious at a first glance involves a valuable package and overpriced collateral. These contracts are designed to make the hauler a tempting target for random gankers so the contractor can cash in on the overpriced collateral. They can be spotted by a contract history of sending the same package (same size) back and forth between two systems along a dangerous route. It could for example be between Amarr and Dodixie, which will take the hauler through both Niarja and Uedama which are both infamous for the amount of high-sec ganking going on there. For more information on scams involving courier contracts, see the page on [[Scams in EVE Online#Contract Scams|scams in EVE]].
−
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
 
−
Adaptive Invulnerability Field II
 
−
Medium Azeotropic Ward Salubrity I
 
−
Medium Shield Extender II
 
  
−
Salvager I
+
=== Mining assistance ===
−
Small Tractor Beam I
+
If you're using your hauler in a mining operation (without an Orca), consider fitting a tractor beam to bring cans to you faster, as well as a salvager to make something of the inevitable rat wrecks. In addition, putting out a Mobile Tractor Unit can make it easy to pick up cans from other miners and then haul them to station (''Make sure to have your drones on passive!''). You could also fit a mining laser, but even a good one with pilot skills won't be getting much more than 100 {{m3}} per minute.
−
 
 
−
Medium Cargohold Optimization I
 
−
Medium Cargohold Optimization I
 
−
Medium Cargohold Optimization I</pre>
 
−
 
 
−
== Hauler Roles ==
 
−
 
 
−
TODO
 
−
 
 
−
Jump Freighters and Blockade Runners should be the only things hauling stuff in or out of null sec.
 
−
 
 
−
=== Market Hauling ===
 
−
[[Trading#Hauling|Speculative hauling]] is one way to make money from the market that's fairly easy to get into for a new player
 
−
 
 
−
=== Alt Hauling ===
 
−
Setting up an [[Creating an Alt Hauler|alt hauler]] can be very useful to ship goods around during wartime when your main can't fly an industrial ship.
 
−
 
 
−
=== Courier Hauling ===
 
−
If you have a high amount of ISK to devote to collateral, [[Hauling_101#Advanced_hauling_topics|courier contract hauling]] can be a very good way to make ISK for haulers, given that you have a freighter or jump freighter to haul around the usually large quantities of contracted goods. One billion ISK (1,000,000,000 ISK) is a good estimate for how much money you will need to get started taking courier hauling.
 
−
 
 
−
=== Mining Assistance ===
 
−
If you're using your hauler in a mining operation (without an Orca), consider fitting a tractor beam to bring cans to you faster, as well as a salvager to make something of the inevitable rat wrecks. In addition, putting out a Mobile Tractor Unit can make it easy to pick up cans from other miners and then haul them to station (''Make sure to have your drones on passive!''). You could also fit a mining laser, but even a good one with pilot skills won't be getting much more than 100 m^3 per minute.
 
  
 
=== Other ===
 
=== Other ===
−
Haulers can also be used to make ISK via missioning, as described for [[Making_Money_with_Hauling_-_Level_4_Cargo_Missions|Level 4 Cargo Missions]].
+
Haulers can also be used to make ISK via missioning, as described for [[Making Money with Hauling - Level 4 Cargo Missions|Level 4 Cargo Missions]].
  
−
== References ==
+
[[Category:Hauling| ]]
−
[http://forum.eveuniversity.org/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=26392 Forum thread on hauling skills and haulers]<br>
+
[[Category:Industry]]
−
[http://forum.eveuniversity.org/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=10363&p=257187#p257187 Iterons and Suicide Ganking discussion]<br>
 
−
[http://www.eveuniversity.org/audio_classes/Disco%20Uncertainty%20-%20The%20Dark%20Side%20of%20Eve.mp3 The Dark Side of Eve]
 
−
<references/>
 

Latest revision as of 00:52, 21 August 2024

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Hauling is the practice of moving cargo from one place to another. Due to limited cargo hold sizes and travel times, moving things in EVE can be a time consuming and, in some places, dangerous business. Some players specialize in hauling, whether to move goods from one market to another or to bring supplies and ships to the staging ground for a null sec alliance. This can be done for its own purposes or can be done on behalf of others in exchange for ISK rewards via the contracting system. This can be a very viable way to make ISK for medium-skilled players.

This page describes how to carry cargo (hauling) in EVE. For specific advice on moving your own items, see moving your items.

Hauling craft

There are a few classes of ships designed for hauling. Each fills a type of niche, and what ship to use depends on the type of hauling.

Haulers

Main article: Haulers

The first hauling ships a player can use are Tech 1 Haulers. These are relatively cheap and fast and can haul a moderate amount of cargo. They are however also very fragile and can be destroyed by just one ganker if the cargo they carry is valuable enough. These ships can be sorted into three different classes:

  • Fast transports, which are used to move low-volume, high-value goods quickly and safely.
  • Bulk transports, which have a much higher capacity than the fast transports, but are slower and have less tank
  • Specialized transports, which are similar to bulk transports in terms of tank and agility, but have very large cargoholds that can carry only one type of item (such as ammunition or minerals)

Haulers have the lowest skill requirements of all hauling craft. Even alpha clones can fly them, though they can only train the Spaceship Command skills to level I.

Blockade Runners

Main article: Blockade Runners

Blockade runners are Tech 2 haulers. They are the fastest and most agile hauling ship by quite a margin. They can align as quickly as a frigate, are some of the fastest ships in EVE at warp speeds, and even at sub-light speeds they can fly as quickly as a fast cruiser. Additionally, they can fit covert ops cloaking devices (and hence can warp while cloaked). This means that the only real danger to a properly fitted and flown blockade runner are the warp disruption bubbles in nullsec and w-space. With "The Great Escape" update, released May 18, 2021, Blockade Runners are at least somewhat protected from these, as well, by fitting an Interdiction Nullifier.

They can carry a little less cargo than the Tech 1 fast transports, but can be fitted to carry up to about 10,000 m3 of cargo (enough to carry a packaged cruisers) at the cost of reduced agility and/or speed.

Deep Space Transports

Main article: Deep Space Transports

Deep Space Transports (DSTs) are tech 2 haulers with larger cargo capacities than their tech 1 equivalents and fleet hangars that hold 50,000 m3 (increased by skills). They have bonuses to active tanking, either shield resistances or armor resistances, helping them to fit substantial buffer tanks. Finally, they get a unique role bonus of 100% to overheating benefits of Afterburners, Microwarpdrives, Local Repair Modules, and Resistance Modules.

They also have a role bonus of +2 warp strength: this means they can't be tackled by just one warp disruptor or non-faction warp scrambler, though they can still be caught by bubbles, gangs of tacklers, or HICs. The Great Escape update gave Deep Space Transports the ability to fit an Interdiction Nullifier, giving temporary immunity to interdiction bubbles.

Where blockade runners are meant to rely on speed and stealth to slip by the enemy, deep space transports are designed to bust their way through the enemy, relying on their warp strength and tanking abilities to escape. This probably won't work against a determined and well-prepared gatecamp, and using a deep space transport indicates to all and sundry that you have cargo you want to protect, so you should think carefully before deploying one.

Freighters

Main article: Freighters

Freighters are the ultimate cargo carrying ships, with vast cargo holds. They are often seen flying between high sec trading hubs. All freighters have no high, mid, or rig slots but do have 3 low slots, with restrictive CPU and powergrid to limit the available modules with a role bonus to Reinforced Bulkheads. Freighters also can use Inertial Stabilizers and Nanofiber Internal Structures to increase their agility. Otherwise, a freighter pilot's only other way of enhancing their ship's performance is via hardwiring implants.

Use Freighters for huge cargo through high sec and very short distances into low sec. These require proper support (someone to web for faster aligns, scouts, preferably some EW).

The four Tech 1 freighters are good for carrying very large amounts of cargo in high security space. They align and warp too slowly to be safely used in lowsec or nullsec. Freighters are very tough, but they are definitely not immune to suicide ganking -- organised and prepared groups of gankers can and do kill freighters.

All four freighters get 5% bonuses to cargo capacity and velocity per level of their pilot's racial freighter skill (Amarr Freighter, Gallente Freighter, and so on). Since you must train the freighter skill to at least level 1, the base capacity of the ship is only used to calculate the actual capacity. It is worth noting that the Caldari freighters with Caldari Freighter IV can hold more than any other freighter, even with their respective freighter skills trained to 5.

Jump Freighters

Main article: Jump Freighters

The Tech 2 versions of freighters, jump freighters, have a reduced cargo capacity but are capable of using cynosural fields to jump long distances. They are also able to use stargates like normal ships. (Since cynosural fields cannot be lit in highsec, jump freighters traveling in highsec have to use stargates.) This makes them ideal supply ships for people who live in nullsec.

Jump Freighters are used to carry cargo from the high/low sec border to wherever it is needed in null sec and back again. Caldari freighters are the largest, closely followed by Gallente, then Amarr and lastly Minmatar, which is partially compensated for by lower fuel use. The difference is not large though.

Jump freighters have much larger potential tanks than Tech 1 freighters when properly fit, but at the cost of a much reduced cargo bay. All jump freighters can exceed 500,000 EHP in tank, which makes ganking them in highsec extraordinarily difficult and expensive.

Orca

The ORE Orca offers 5 different cargo holds:

  • 30,000 m³ Cargo Hold which can be extended to 90,000+ m³ with skills and modules
  • 200 m³ Drone Bay which hold just drones
  • 40,000 m³ Fleet Hangar which can also hold assembled ships
  • 400,000 m³ Ship Maintenance Bay for assembled ships
  • 150,000 m³ Mining Hold for unrefined mining goods, with additional bonus due to ship skills (Mining, Ice harvesting)

All holds, hangars and bays except the Drone Bay can be scanned by a Cargo Scanner. However, due to how cargo scanners work, modules fitted to ships in the Ship Maintenance Bay are not detectable by scanning.

However, the Orca requires a completely different skill set than most haulers. After the Odyssey skill changes, it will take 18d 19h 6m to train. This is a significant cut in training time from the old requirements pre-Odyssey.

Other options

There are situations where a small fast craft is better than a big lumbering beast. These include moving blueprints or other small volume, high value cargo. The best options at this size are nullified travel-fit Interceptors (so-called travel-ceptors), Covert Ops Frigates, and (for highsec/lowsec) the Hecate with a sub-1s align time fit. These can provide near-perfect safety if handled correctly.

As an alternative, a shuttle (all areas of space) or a fast T1 frigate (in highsec and lowsec) will work as well, but they are more susceptible to smartbombing gatecamps. Tactical bookmarks on-grid with gates ("perches") and insta-dock/insta-undock bookmarks can mitigate this risk considerably. (See Bookmark for an more in-depth explanation.)

The Society of Conscious Thought Sunesis is a special edition destroyer that is given out to all Omega pilots once a year. Various fitting options exist, with a sub-2s fit able to hold 1200  m3 without any expensive faction modules. It is an easily accessible and cheap option for highsec and lowsec and can be used by Alpha players as well.

A Intaki Syndicate Victorieux Luxury Yacht can warp cloaked, ignores nullsec bubbles if fitted with an interdiction nullifier, can be fit with enough tank to survive smartbombs, and has very decent align time and warp speed. That is another good option for moving high-value, low-volume cargo.

Faction comparison

Amarr have the largest capacity T1 Haulers but otherwise tend to be outperformed by other races. Minmatar haulers tend to align and fly slightly faster than other factions, but don't sacrifice cargo or tank to do it, making them arguably the best haulers overall. Caldari have the largest capacity freighters, and unquestionably the tankiest T1 haulers. The specialized Gallente T1 haulers (and to a lesser extent the Minmatar ammo hauler) are extremely convenient if you regularly haul ore/minerals/PI/ammo.

To maximize flexibility, it's recommended that all new haulers train Gallente and Minmatar haulers to at least 3, and from there decide which race to train to 5 depending on what exactly it is you want to do.

Hauler type comparison

The best hauler is situational; it depends on where you are (high, low, null/WH/Pochven) combined with how large and valuable the cargo is. For example, using an Occator (DST) to move a cargo small enough to fit in a Viator (BR) is sub-optimal, as is using a Viator to move large amounts of tritanium around in high sec when you could use a Kryos (T1 hauler specialised for minerals) instead.

Below are the optimal ships for each task, assuming that the area that you're going to or through is not a place where it's clearly a bad idea to bring such a ship type and that the cargo value is low enough to be within the recommended limits (in highsec). This does not mean that only these ships can or should be used. (For negligible-volume hauling for example, a Shuttle will do fine in all areas of space, but using an interceptor is better because it gives you more protection against smartbombing gatecamps.) But if training up a toon specifically for hauling duties, these are good goals to work toward.

  • Cargo with near-negligible volume: Interceptor or Cov-Ops Frigate (anywhere), sub-1s Hecate (highsec/lowsec)
  • Up to 1,200  m3 in highsec/lowsec: sub-2s Sunesis
  • Up to 10,000  m3 (packaged cruiser size) anywhere: Blockade Runner
  • Low-value cargo up to 15,000  m3 (packaged battlecruiser size) anywhere: Fast T1 Hauler
  • Low-value cargo up to 30,000  m3 (two packaged battlecruisers size) in highsec: Bulk T1 Hauler, specialised T1 Haulers
  • Medium-value cargo up to 60,000  m3 (packaged battleship size): Deep Space Transport (anywhere) (if Jump Freighter is not [yet] an option), Orca (highsec)
  • High-value cargo beyond 10,000  m3 in highsec: Blockade Runner doing several trips (even if you may get the job done faster with a DST, getting it there slowly is better than not getting it there at all due to being ganked)
  • Huge cargo above ~60k  m3 and below ~300k  m3 anywhere: Jump Freighter (aligns faster than a Freighter and has more tank)
  • Huge cargo above ~300k  m3 anywhere: Freighter (requires escort in low and null, is easily caught by bubbles/gatecamps), Jump Freighter doing several trips

Comparison table for cargo ships

Name Level Faction Cargo
m³ 		Velocity
m/sec 		Inertia Warp
AUs 		Shield
HP 		Armor
HP 		Hull
HP 		Extra
Sigil T1 Amarr 2100 125 0.86 4.5 780 1900 2400
Bestower T1 Amarr 4800 110 0.95 3 450 850 940
Badger T1 Caldari 3900 127 0.84 4.5 1440 750 2060
Tayra T1 Caldari 7300 115 0.97 3 1100 550 810
Wreathe T1 Minmatar 2900 140 0.81 4.5 1140 1000 2900
Hoarder T1 Minmatar 500 130 0.85 3 840 800 1200 41000 ammo
Mammoth T1 Minmatar 5500 120 0.91 3 640 600 935
Nereus T1 Gallente 2700 130 0.78 4.5 960 1050 2600
Kryos T1 Gallente 550 120 0.92 3 600 700 970 50000 minerals + 30000 ice
Epithal T1 Gallente 550 120 0.9 3 580 740 1000 45000 comodities
Miasmos T1 Gallente 550 120 0.94 3 590 710 950 42000 ore
Iteron Mark V T1 Gallente 5800 105 0.87 3 540 650 970
Prorator T2 Amarr 2900 170 0.52 6 800 2000 2100 cloaked
Crane T2 Caldari 4300 160 0.51 6 2100 1000 1900 cloaked
Viator T2 Gallente 3600 165 0.54 6 1000 1700 2700 cloaked
Prowler T2 Minmatar 3500 220 0.485 6 1500 1500 1700 cloaked
Impel T2 Amarr 3100 90 1.0 3.3 2000 4300 4500 50000 hangar
Bustard T2 Caldari 5000 80 1.0 3.3 4300 2300 4000 50000 hangar
Occator T2 Gallente 3900 110 1.0 3.3 2400 4000 5000 50000 hangar
Mastodon T2 Minmatar 4500 120 1.0 3.3 4000 2800 3100 50000 hangar
Providence T1 Amarr 435000 70 0.063 1.37 10000 46000 100000 freighter
Charon T1 Caldari 465000 60 0.063 1.37 50000 15000 77500 freighter
Obelisk T1 Gallente 440000 65 0.063 1.37 14000 40000 110000 freighter
Fenrir T1 Minmatar 435000 80 0.063 1.37 48000 22000 65000 freighter
Ark T2 Amarr 135000 84 0.055 1.5 12000 55200 120000 jump
Rhea T2 Caldari 144000 72 0.055 1.5 60000 18000 93000 jump
Anshar T2 Gallente 137500 78 0.055 1.5 16800 48000 132000 jump
Nomad T2 Minmatar 132000 96 0.055 1.5 57600 26400 78000 jump
IndustrialShipWarpvsCargo-r1.2021.07.26.png

Hauling skills

Ship flying skills

  • Warp Drive Operation: Helps with long warps. Each skill level reduces the capacitor need of initiating warp by 10%.
  • Spaceship Command: Reduces align time. 2% improved ship agility for all ships per skill level.
  • Advanced Spaceship Command: May reduce align time. Grants a 5% Bonus per skill level to the agility of ships requiring Advanced Spaceship Command
  • Evasive Maneuvering: Increases ship agility and acceleration. 5% improved ship agility for all ships per skill level.

Tanking skills

Generally useful skills:

  • Shield Management: 5% extra shields per level
  • Shield Operation: 5% reduction in shield recharge time per level; level IV allows use of T2 shield boosters
  • Shield Upgrades: 5% reduction in shield upgrade powergrid needs per level; level IV allows use of T2 shield extenders and rechargers
  • <type-specific> Shield Compensation: 5% bonus per level for passive hardeners

Recommendation:

  • Get Shield Management and Shield Operation at least to IV

Particularly useful modules:

Fitting considerations for hauling ships

The best form of tanking for haulers is not getting caught in the first place. This is especially true outside of highsec: the amount of tank in lowsec/nullsec/WH/Pochven rarely makes a difference to the outcome, because a well set up gatecamp can just spend more time getting through your ship's HP or call in reinforcements from nearby friendly pilots, while in highsec the response time of CONCORD puts an upper limit to the engagement duration. Still, fitting for maximum tank after the other crucial modules are taken care of can work against less experienced and/or single pilot attackers, giving you enough time to escape tackle, rely on damage to the attacker's ship by lowsec gate guns, or successfully burn back to the gate and jump back through. (The latter won't be an option if you used any aggressive action on your part, such as activating a Burst Jammer module, because of your own weapons timer.)

In all areas where warp disruption bubbles may be used (nullsec, WH space, Pochven), fitting an Interdiction Nullifier module is strongly recommended; other less-optimal options are shuttles (small cargospace, vulnerable to smartbombing gatecamps, but inherently immune to bubbles), frigates fitted for high on-grid speed (to escape from both bubbles and enemy tacklers), and cov-ops cloak capable ships such as the Sisters of EVE Astero and Stealth Bombers that can not fit the Interdiction Nullifier modules (but can by virtue of their cov-ops cloaking device move without speed penalty while cloaked).

Blockade runners rely on good bookmarks, crafty use of their Covert Ops Cloak, and not fitting anything that would increase the signature radius (no shield extenders). Due to their use of a covops cloak, well-flown blockade runners can be almost impossible to catch in highsec and lowsec. They are thus a good choice for more expensive cargo runs, but being very flimsy can easily get ganked if left uncloaked at a gate or while slow-boating from outside the docking ring of a station.

For low-volume hauling, a ship that is fitted to align in less than 2 seconds (see Instant align for details) offers a fairly high level of protection against being intercepted by targeted warp disruption, with the added benefit that the risk your cargo is successfully scanned is also reduced. Warp disruption bubbles are still a concern however. In highsec and lowsec, the sub-1s Hecate is truly uncatchable if piloted correctly (and no game disconnects occur). For higher volumes of cargo, fit the ship to use the Cloak trick wherever possible (always on Deep Space Transports), and consider warp core stabilisers as an option if you have fitting slots to spare (highly recommended for Deep Space Transports once more, due to their innate warp core strength bonus). Outside of highsec, having a Burst Jammer module and Hornet EC-300 drones (on the few ships commonly used for hauling that have a drone bay) can work as a last-ditch effort to get yourself free from a gatecamp. Note that the Burst Jammer modules interfere with Interdiction Nullifiers, and their use in highsec is strongly discouraged due to the risk of accidentially hitting a neutral target and getting "CONCORDed".

Fitting an appropriate tank for highsec hauling

The more EHP that you have, the harder it is for the attacker to blow up your ship and steal your stuff. The calculations regarding how many ships a ganker will need to use (and lose to CONCORD) to successfully destroy your ship compared to how much value the dropped cargo will likely be are a deciding factor in most highsec ganks. Considering that a cheap T1 gank ship like the Gallente Catalyst can cost as little as 2m ISK fully fitted, a common rule of thumb is to limit the value of the carried cargo plus the modules (but not rigs) fitted to the ship to less than 3000 ISK per EHP (3 million ISK per 1k EHP).

There are several types of tanking: buffer tanking, (shield) passive tanking and active tanking. For movements within highsec, the buffer tank is most common, as the goal is to survive the alpha strike (initial volley) of the attacking gankers and remain alive long enough for CONCORD to come and destroy the attackers. Some buffer tanks are entirely passive (no active modules), while others include active resistance modules. The active modules must be turned on after every jump; remapping them to the F1-F8 keys makes this more convenient. Still, relying on active modules for a significant part of your overall EHP carries with it the risk that you forget to turn them on in the heat of the moment.

T1 haulers ships are most often shield tanked to allow the low slots to be used for Expanded Cargohold modules. You will want to fit as many medium/large shield extenders into the mid slots as possible. This should be balanced with shoring up your weak EM/thermal resist holes using Multispectrum Shield Hardener modules or Shield Resist Amplifier modules (Kinetic Shield Amplifiers in case of a fit designed specifically against the common hybrid turret Catalysts used in ganking). In cases where you need more EHP and can sacrifice cargo space, consider adding a Damage Control Unit II module, Reinforced Bulkheads, or armor resist modules. A poorly fit T1 hauler will only have 4k to 6k EHP, a well fit T1 hauler can have 10k to 20k EHP without sacrificing too much cargo space.

Visibly active tanking (most notably the Multispectrum Shield Hardener) might discourage ganking by the discriminating ganker, but your capacitor will not allow you to keep them running at all times. Remember to turn them on when you align out of a gate and to turn them off once you are in warp. Turning them back on when you land at your destination gate is optional, but having them active as you land at a busy station like a trade hub is recommended.

Shield tanking skills are key for the above, followed by the ability to use a Damage Control II and Multispectrum Shield Hardener II. After that, armor tanking can be considered, but that takes away cargo space quickly as you use up low slots with armor plates/hardeners instead of Expanded Cargohold modules. Note that Tech 2 Deep Space Transports and specialized Gallente haulers like the Gallente Miasmos, Gallente Epithal or Gallente Kryos are mostly useful for their specialized holds which are unaffected by Expanded Cargohold modules. These ships can, and should, be fitted with tanking, agility, or warp speed low slot modules, making armour tanked Deep Space Transports like the Amarr Impel a common sight.

For Orcas, the standard fit is a Damage Control II and Reinforced Bulkhead II in the low slots and three Large Transverse Bulkhead II rigs. This takes your ship from about 150k EHP up to about 420k EHP. The addition of some passive shield resistance amplifiers (2x EM, 1x Kinetic, 1x Thermal) will increase the EHP to about 450k even at low shield skills. Replacing the passive Amplifiers with active Hardeners adds another bit of EHP but requires more attention. Using Cargo rigs is discouraged since you lose about 170k EHP for a low amount of additional cargohold. You should train Hull Upgrades IV and Mechanics IV (or better V) before undocking. Being able to use a Damage Control II gives a nice EHP boost, and since you are almost fully hull-tank, the extra 5% from Mechanics V are also very nice. You should also consider using a Inherent Implants 'Noble' MC (Slot 8) which increases hull HP by anything from 1% up to 6%.

Freighters and Jump Freighters have three low slots and can fit any combination of cargohold expanders, Nanofiber Internal Structures, Inertia Stabilizers, Reinforced Bulkheads, warp speed modules, and (in the case of Jump Freighters) fuel-use reducing modules. How you fit a Freighter for highsec hauling will depend on the size of the cargo: it is strongly recommended to fit Reinforced Bulkheads whenever possible and to not fit cargohold expanders unless absolutely necessary, as the expanders will reduce your overall tank substantially. For Jump Freighters, the appropriate fit is highly dependent on which part of a typical hauling journey you are in. Pilots for both Freighters and Jump Freighters will almost always carry a full set of modules for refitting to another setup in their cargohold.

Avoiding ganking

When hauling, you should remember the following guidelines to avoid being ganked:

  • Don't fly when wardecced
  • Don't fly AFK using the autopilot
  • Fit your hauler well & use the right ship
  • Don't haul expensive cargo in a flimsy ship
  • Know your route, and know the most dangerous ganking spots
  • Use undock bookmarks at busy stations
  • Consider using a contractor
  • Other tips and tricks

For further information consider reading Suicide ganking for detailed ganking and anti-ganking strategies for haulers

Wardecced corp

Never fly a Hauler ship (especially not freighters/jump freighters loaded with lots of cargo) when your corp is wardecced. You will become easy prey and will quickly get turned into ashes, together with your expensive cargo. If you need to haul during a wardec, drop the wardecced corp temporarily and fly under an NPC corp, or use an out-of corp hauler: Creating an Alt Hauler

AFK hauling

Flying AFK using autopilot is the #1 way that most haulers lose their ships. When you use the autopilot to fly you to your destination, it warps you to 15km from the next gate then you slowly approach the gate at 100-200 m/s (slower in a Freighter). At a minimum, this leaves you exposed for about a minute per gate and gives any potential attacker time to scan your ship, scan your cargo, then get ahead of you and setup a gank party. At worst, it gives you time to be bumped and ganked right there.

If you must fly AFK, know your route, keep your cargo value very low, and fit as much buffer tank as possible. There are areas of space where flying AFK is reasonably safe, but the longer you do it, the higher the chances that someone will notice the pattern and try to take advantage of it.

Use the right ship & fit your ship well

Use the information in the other sections to make an informed decision on which ship to use, and what an appropriate fit for the intended journey is. Many ganks happen because a player is using an under-tanked or inappropriate ship for the job or has not considered the dangers along the route and at the destination. Remember: Both using evasion and fitting a tank to your ship counts as "tanking". Don't be tempted to haul expensive faction BPCs to a trade hub in a bulk T1 Hauler because you're already in that ship anyway to pick up Tritanium for your other industry jobs, do a separate trip for those in a fast-align ship.

Expensive cargo

In the case of a "suicide" gank, the goal of the attacker is to trade their ship for your cargo. They do this by knowing how much ISK they will lose when their ship gets blown up by CONCORD and how much ISK your cargo is worth. Therefore your defense against a profit-minded attacker is to raise their costs while keeping the value of your cargo below the attacker's break-even point.

With the commonly used 3M ISK per 1k EHP guideline, if your ship has 8k EHP, you should not be carrying more than 24M ISK worth of cargo and fit modules per trip. The more that you exceed that ISK/EHP value, the more likely you are to get ganked. However, you can often get away with 4M-6M ISK per 1k EHP if you know your route, do not auto-pilot, and know the key risk factors.

Another alternative is the 50 million ISK maximum collateral for T1 haulers used by several hauling corporations. They will haul cargo up to 50,000,000 ISK and 17,000  m3 in size using T1 haulers. This indicates what they consider to be safe for high sec hauling in that type of ship.

Key risk factors (which raise/lower the ISK/EHP calculation):

  • System security
  • Location (some systems are frequently camped)
  • AFK traveling
  • How shiny your cargo is, and how easy it will be to carry the loot away (Having most of your value in large items such as repackaged hulls can give some less-well-set-up gankers pause, because they might not be able to carry them away if they drop as loot. Dedicated gankers will however have access to DSTs and other means of getting the loot away.)

For freighters, which have about 180-200k EHP, the benchmark value is around 1-1.5B ISK. As your cargo value exceeds this range, combined with traveling through systems with a security status in the 0.5-0.6 range, it becomes more and more likely that someone will gank you for your cargo value. This is a bit of a fuzzy rule of thumb, and in the quieter portions of the galaxy with routes that take you only through 0.8 and above systems, you can get away with hauling higher value cargo loads for a very long time.

When you have expensive cargo above 1B ISK to be moved in a freighter, you could consider double-wrapping it (create courier contract for some other alt of yours and then create another courier contract from this alt to actual freighter pilot). It will hide the contents of this package, but some gankers tend to gank double wrapped transports without knowing what is inside, so most people (including hauling corporations) consider this to be increasing the risk rather than decreasing it. Also, most Hauling corporations will not accept double wrapped contracts any more, due to them not being able to be sub-contracted between characters - do not do this for hauling jobs you intend to contract out.

Know your route

Your best friend as a hauler in high-security space is knowledge of the local terrain. Which systems tend to be camped by gank parties. Which systems see frequent kills of haulers? Where are you likely to be cargo/ship scanned? What is the security status of the systems along the route?

Scouting, in low-security or null-security space, is a must-do if you are carrying anything expensive, or are not flying a blockade runner. In low-security space, a well-flown blockade runner is almost impossible to catch and it can usually get past most null-sec bubble camps.

A useful in-game channel is Gank-Intel where the hauling community often shares info about frequently traveled routes. Asking about the current situation in there before embarking on a high value contract through a dangerous area can be invaluable.

Instant dock/undock bookmarks

Busier market hub stations (such as Jita CNAP 4-4) will have people camping the undock 24x7, waiting for you to undock with something shiny in the cargo hold. Your #1 defense against this is to prepare an instaundock bookmark ahead of time.

A good bookmark will get you off the station undock and out to a safe-spot before anyone has time to lock you, scan you and gank you. They are a must-have for Blockade Runners and rather important for the slower-aligning ships like Orcas and Freighters.

Instant docks are also essential. Occasionally when auto-docking, the game will place you outside the immediate docking radius, and you will need to slow boat into the docking radius. This is particularly problematic at Jita 4-4, where entering from Perimeter (one of the most common entry systems) will place you at the back of the station if using the "Dock" command. Several gankers make an excellent living from sitting at this area, and picking off lazy Blockade Runner pilots. Setting an Instant-Dock right as you exit the station means you are assured to warp within the docking radius and prevent an easy kill for a ganker.

Use a contractor

The large hauling corporations all use contractor alts to assure op-sec. Essentially this means that one character accepts the contract, then sub-contracts it to the actual hauler, who carries the package, and then contracts it back the contractor who then completes the contract. This means that:

  • Without scanning every ship, no-one (neither the contract's originator nor anyone watching the contract system) can tell which Character is hauling the package - making ganking a specific contract more difficult
  • As the identity (and corporation) of the actual hauler is not known, wardecs are less effective

While not strictly necessary for private haulers, this added security can sometimes be useful

Other tips and tricks

Do not be predictable in your hauling of expensive items. Vary the time of day. Vary the route that you use. Change your ship name frequently.

Hauling corporations

There are several organisations in EVE which act as dedicated Hauling companies. They tend to be more reliable, more willing to take on unusual or high value requests, but also more expensive than the public contracts channel.

Characters in EVE can use these corporations either for their own hauling needs, or consider joining them to get access to exclusive, high value contracts. If you are considering hauling as a career, the best way to make money is as part of one of these corporations.

While not an exhaustive list, some of the most common (in no particular order) include:

Hauler roles

Market hauling

Speculative hauling is one way to make money from the market that's fairly easy to get into for a new player

Alt hauling

Setting up an alt hauler can be very useful to ship goods around during wartime when your main can't fly a hauler ship.

Courier hauling

If you have a high amount of ISK to devote to collateral, courier contract hauling can be a very good way to make ISK for haulers, given that you have a freighter or jump freighter to haul around the usually large quantities of contracted goods. One billion ISK (1,000,000,000 ISK) is a good estimate of how much money you will need to get started taking courier hauling.

A courier hauler can make a lot of ISK, but it's not without risk. Ganking is one problem, contract scams are another. It's always a good idea to check the contract history of an unknown contractor before accepting anything. This information can be found by opening the 'info' window of a player, clicking the three lines in the top left corner, and selecting 'Show Contracts'.

If you do not have docking permissions at the player-owned structure you are delivering to be aware that you can still make the delivery. You can warp to the structure, right-click and open a "transfer" window to move cargo from your ship to your item hangar in the dock-blocked structure. Before this transfer option was added a common scam was disabling docking permission after contract acceptance.

Another type of scam contract that appears less suspicious at a first glance involves a valuable package and overpriced collateral. These contracts are designed to make the hauler a tempting target for random gankers so the contractor can cash in on the overpriced collateral. They can be spotted by a contract history of sending the same package (same size) back and forth between two systems along a dangerous route. It could for example be between Amarr and Dodixie, which will take the hauler through both Niarja and Uedama which are both infamous for the amount of high-sec ganking going on there. For more information on scams involving courier contracts, see the page on scams in EVE.

Mining assistance

If you're using your hauler in a mining operation (without an Orca), consider fitting a tractor beam to bring cans to you faster, as well as a salvager to make something of the inevitable rat wrecks. In addition, putting out a Mobile Tractor Unit can make it easy to pick up cans from other miners and then haul them to station (Make sure to have your drones on passive!). You could also fit a mining laser, but even a good one with pilot skills won't be getting much more than 100  m3 per minute.

Other

Haulers can also be used to make ISK via missioning, as described for Level 4 Cargo Missions.

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