Four changes from Transport Fever 2

  • Industries hold their own stock. The industry window shows input and output stocks plus supplier and consumer lists; a line has to carry the cargo to a consumer that uses it.
  • Line-to-line transfers need a warehouse in the catchment area of the stations. The manual states this directly; a shared platform is not enough.
  • Storage is specialized. Liquid, Bulk, Flatbed and Goods modules each hold one cargo type, load faster and freeze the delivery timer.
  • Delivery time affects the town, not the payment. Late cargo still earns full income but lowers the town’s Delivery rating.

Sources: TF3 manual · Industries and Cargo · TF3 manual · Tips and Tricks · TF3 manual · Warehouses · TF3 manual · Towns

The five warehouse types

A warehouse belongs to no line. Every vehicle stopping at a station whose catchment covers it can unload into it or load from it. Factories and town buildings cannot reach its contents.

WarehouseStoresAdvantageLimit
UniversalAny mix of all 36 cargo typesCost-efficient generic storageNo delivery-timer freeze and no specialized loading bonus
LiquidChemicals, Crude Oil, Dyes, Fuel, RubberFreezes the delivery timer; faster loading and unloadingOne cargo type per module
BulkCement, Clay, Coal, Fertilizer, Grain, Iron Ore, Sand, Sawdust, StoneFreezes the delivery timer; faster loading and unloadingOne cargo type per module
FlatbedLogs, Machines, Planks, Sheet Metal, Steel, VehiclesFreezes the delivery timer; faster loading and unloadingOne cargo type per module
GoodsBeverages, Books, Bricks, Canned Food, Clothes, Fabric, Fish, Furniture, Glass, Meat, Paper, Plastic, Tires, Tools, Vegetables, WoolFreezes the delivery timer; faster loading and unloadingOne cargo type per module

Sources: TF3 manual · Warehouses · TF3 manual · Industries and Cargo

Which warehouse each of the 36 cargo types needs

The specialization below is the official cargo category. Use the same category for the warehouse module, the terminal and the vehicle: the manual says matching specializations load faster and mismatches load slower.

CargoWarehouse / vehicle specializationRoleTown demand
BeveragesGoodsEnd ProductTown Shops
BooksGoodsEnd ProductTown Shops
BricksGoodsEnd ProductTown Industry
Canned FoodGoodsEnd ProductTown Shops
CementBulkEnd ProductTown Industry
ChemicalsLiquidIntermediate Product—
ClayBulkRaw Material—
ClothesGoodsEnd ProductTown Shops
CoalBulkRaw Material—
Crude OilLiquidRaw Material—
DyesLiquidIntermediate Product—
FabricGoodsIntermediate Product—
FertilizerBulkBooster Product—
FishGoodsRaw MaterialTown Shops
FuelLiquidEnd ProductTown Industry
FurnitureGoodsEnd ProductTown Industry
GlassGoodsIntermediate Product—
GrainBulkRaw Material—
Iron OreBulkRaw Material—
LogsFlatbedRaw Material—
MachinesFlatbedBooster ProductTown Industry
MeatGoodsRaw MaterialTown Shops
PaperGoodsIntermediate Product—
PlanksFlatbedIntermediate ProductTown Industry
PlasticGoodsIntermediate Product—
RubberLiquidRaw Material—
SandBulkRaw Material—
SawdustBulkIntermediate Product—
Sheet MetalFlatbedIntermediate Product—
SteelFlatbedIntermediate Product—
StoneBulkRaw Material—
TiresGoodsIntermediate Product—
ToolsGoodsBooster ProductTown Industry
VegetablesGoodsEnd ProductTown Shops
VehiclesFlatbedEnd ProductTown Industry
WoolGoodsRaw Material—

Sources: TF3 manual · Industries and Cargo · TF3 manual · Lines and Vehicles

Set up a truck-to-train transfer

  1. Place the truck stop and the cargo station so that their catchment areas overlap.
  2. Build the warehouse inside that overlap. It needs no road access.
  3. Add one specialized module per cargo type and choose the cargo icon, for example a Flatbed module set to Logs.
  4. Line 1: trucks from the Logging Camp to the truck stop. They unload into the warehouse.
  5. Line 2: a train from the cargo station to a station whose catchment covers the Saw Mill. It loads from the warehouse.
  6. Open the warehouse’s Stocks view. Stock should rise as trucks arrive and fall as the train leaves; each row also shows the average remaining delivery time.
Evidence note

Routebook setup sequence based on the manual’s warehouse, station and line rules.

Sources: TF3 manual · Warehouses · TF3 manual · Tips and Tricks · TF3 manual · Lines and Vehicles

Delivery timers and the Delivery rating

Each cargo item carries a delivery limit. According to the town manual, delayed cargo still provides the full income, but the on-time Delivery rating drops, and the weakest of the six authority ratings sets the town’s growth multiplier. Use the cargo satisfaction layer to find where cargo passes its limit.

Specialized warehouse modules freeze the delivery timer while cargo is stored, so a long two-leg route loses less time in storage than in a Universal warehouse. Each module also has a discard button for stale stock.

Sources: TF3 manual · Towns · TF3 manual · Warehouses

Faster loading and less overloading

  • Match specializations. Vehicle, terminal and warehouse specializations that match give a loading-speed bonus.
  • Make platforms at least as long as the train. A shorter platform slows loading and unloading, and the game shows a warning.
  • Enable alternative terminals for busy stops so several vehicles of one line can load at once.
  • Use pickup filters so a line stops loading cargo it has no destination for.
  • Add vehicles only after the warehouse and both legs are moving stock. Extra vehicles cannot fix a missing onward line.

Sources: TF3 manual · Lines and Vehicles · TF3 manual · Tips and Tricks

When cargo still will not transfer

What you seeWhat to check
Trucks arrive full and leave fullIs a warehouse inside the catchment of this stop, with a module set to this cargo?
Stock builds in the warehouse and never leavesThe onward line: does it stop at a station covering the warehouse, and does its vehicle carry this specialization?
Two cargo types, one Liquid moduleA specialized module holds one type. Crude Oil and Fuel need two modules.
Cargo reaches the town but is not acceptedThe district’s current demand: Town Shops and Town Industry want different cargo.
Cargo arrives lateThe cargo satisfaction layer; switch the storage to a specialized module to freeze its timer.

Sources: TF3 manual · Warehouses · TF3 manual · Towns

SOURCE NOTEBOOK

Where this answer comes from

Checked 2026-10-14. Each claim links to the published material it comes from. Inspection sequences are Routebook’s editorial suggestions.

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