The decision is distance × volume × terrain
Picking transport in Satisfactory is not “which is fastest.” It is which fits the distance you need to cover, the volume you need to move, and the terrain between. A belt is unbeatable inside a factory; a train wins at continent scale; a drone wins when there is no road or rail and the volume is low.
Specs at a glance (verified, v1.2)
| Mode | Solid capacity | Fluid capacity | Top speed | Needs | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belt Mk.5 | 780 items/min | — (use pipes) | fixed, no travel | nothing | 0 (belts are passive) |
| Pipe Mk.2 | — | 600 m³/min | fixed | pumps for lift | 0 (passive) |
| Truck | 48 slots | Fluid truck 3,200 m³ | 89 (in-game m/h) | paved road (Vehicle Path) | 75 MW fuel burn |
| Train (Freight Car) | 32 slots | 2,400 m³ | 120 (in-game m/h) | Railway + powered rail | 25 to 110 MW per loco |
| Drone | 9 slots (port 18+18) | via 9 slots | 50 to 100 m/s by fuel | a pair of Drone Ports | 100 MW per port, always on |
Note the unit mismatch: belts move items per minute regardless of distance, while vehicles trade capacity for speed over a route. A belt’s 780/min is a continuous pipe; a train’s 32 slots per car × roughly 13 cars is a bulk batch moved on a schedule.
When to use each
Belts — inside and between nearby buildings. They are free to run (no fuel), never bug out, and a Mk.5 line at 780/min handles almost any single production line. Their only cost is build time and the ground they cross. Use them for anything under a few hundred meters.
Pipes — the only way to move unpackaged fluids (water, oil, nitrogen, and so on) over distance. Mk.2 does 600 m³/min. They slosh by design, so avoid dead-end manifolds or use a loopback; this fluctuation is normal, not a bug.
Trucks — medium hauls where you do not want a rail line yet. One Truck Station loads and unloads a 48-slot truck automatically. The catch: trucks are heavy and buggy off-road, get stuck or launched on rough terrain, and turn poorly, so they need wide, smooth roads. The fluid truck (3,200 m³) is the easiest way to move bulk liquid without pipes.
Trains — the long-haul king. A single Electric Locomotive pulls about 13 fully loaded Freight Cars (32 slots or 2,400 m³ each) on flat track, far more than any other mode per trip. Cost: you must lay Railway and keep it powered (a locomotive cannot accelerate on an unpowered rail), plus signals if you run multiple trains. Worth it once a route is permanent and high-volume.
Drones — when there is no practical road or rail and the volume is low. A Drone Port pairs with one other port and flies a direct line; no track, no road. The limits: only 9 cargo slots, and the port draws a flat 100 MW even when no drone is docked, so switch idle ports to standby. Fuel is spent by distance, not time.
The bugs and costs that actually decide
- Trucks are the fragile option. Documented physics issues (stuck or launched on uneven ground) make them unreliable off a good road. Build the road first.
- Trains need powered rail to move. Forgetting to power the railway is the number-one “why will my train not go” mistake.
- Drone Ports idle-tax 100 MW. The always-on draw is the hidden cost; use the standby switch on unused ports so they do not silently trip your grid (see the power guide).
- Belts scale with buildings, not distance. A 2 km Mk.5 belt is 2 km of belts to maintain; past some length a train or drone is cheaper to build and run.