This article is timeless and should be accurate for any version of the game.
“
A heavy duty shipping transport truck designed by Bassett Motor Society. It’s built for hauling the heaviest of equipment over long distances with ease.
„
— In-game description
The BMS - Packmule Flatbed (also known as a Flatbed Truck or Flatbed) is a logistical vehicle designed to transport various Shippables, including certain vehicles, and large amounts of crates, materials, or resources, over long distances.
The BMS - Packmule Flatbed holds one passenger and houses a crew of one soldier:
Driver (Seat 1)
Controls the movement of the vehicle, and can see the remaining fuel in the vehicle
Interacts with nearby structures - press E or Shift + E
Activates horn sound - press LMB
Passenger (Seat 2)
Can't do anything
NOTE: While the flatbed is not supposed to carry Passengers, it is capable of transporting up to six players on its back (similar to how a Barge or APC carries them).
Armament
The BMS - Packmule Flatbed is not equipped with a main armament.
Inventory
It has 1 inventory slot and a loading area that can hold 1 medium shippable.
The BMS - Packmule Flatbed has 1125 HP and is disabled under 80% health. It has "Unarmoured" resistance, even small arms fire and Flamethrowers are a danger to it. It takes 100 Basic Materials to fully repair it from 1% to 100% health with a Hammer. Its health can be instantly repaired at a Garage for 100 Basic Materials.
Interactions
The driver can interact with most structures and access their inventory and stockpile - press E or Shift + E
Pulls items from stockpiles twice as fast compared to on foot
Can pull three times the normal amount from stockpiles - press Shift + LMB
One medium shippable can be placed in the rear of the flatbed
Must be loaded/offloaded with a Crane - player must have access to the Flatbed Truck.
The BMS - Packmule Flatbed is a vital part of the logistical supply chain, either for resource collection, material transportation, or equipment transportation. Despite all this, it requires any type of crane in order to be used effectively.
Due to the importance of these vehicles, they should always be stored within a Seaport or Storage Depot, and never on the side of a road. This is especially true for the frontlines, as it allows for more targets for partisans, as well as them potentially blocking AI defenses from shooting nearby enemies. While they can carry a ton of equipment, such as crates in a Shipping Container, Flatbeds with Shipping Containers should NEVER be driven to a frontline as the crates cannot be taken out and used there.
While it is easier to destroy the vehicle in order to quickly grab the packaged equipment, this should only be done in emergency situations, either for when cranes are not available and the situation requires the held equipment immediately.
Trivia
Despite not being a passenger vehicle, when the BMS - Packmule Flatbed does not carry something in the back, it can carry up to six players (they have to drop onto the back from a higher elevation)
The BMS - Packmule Flatbed is the only vehicle in the game that makes a reversal noise when pressing S