18:39 Feb 16, 2011 

A "huifwagen" can be opened and loaded from the side: you pull up the tarpaulin, open one (or more) of the panels on the side (hinging down) and remove the wooden (or aluminium) boards interconnecting the posts between the side panels (the posts support the roof hoops).
A curtainsider has a rigid top, front and rear (with opening doors) and side tarps that open like a curtain: hanging vertically and opening to the front or the rear.
A tautliner also has a rigid top, front and rear, but the side tarpaulin is rolled up to open up the side for loading. When the tarp is down, it is tightened down with a number of short belt straps.

15:40 Feb 16, 2011 

Until Andre gets back into this discussion and gives us more context, we're just going around in canvas circles. "Huifwagen" does indeed sound like a "covered wagon", whether modern or Wild West, but his last remark "One of those trucks you can open from the side." seems to indicate something else. Which is it, Andre?

15:30 Feb 16, 2011 

The horse-pulled cart would be called "huifkar". Nevertheless, a "huifwagen" is basically a covered flatbed trailer.

15:01 Feb 16, 2011 

This all depends very much on the context and the source of your text.

There are basically two types of "huifwagen":
1) old, horse-pulled carts with a tarp, which would translate to "covered wagon"
2) motorized truck type "huifwagen" (this is Flemish rather than Dutch), where it would be a tarp trailer.

11:10 Feb 16, 2011 

A "huifwagen" is not the same as a "gordijnwagen", curtainsider (sliding tarpaulin sides with a fixed roof, front and back) or tautliner (more or less like a curtainsider, but with straps on the lower sides to tighten the tarpaulin down).
A "huifwagen" is basically a flatbed trailer (sometimes a gooseneck) equipped with (usually) removable hoops and a tarpaulin cover (or hood). This is the basic semi-trailer in most parts of Europe and is often just called trailer. To my best knowledge this hoop and tarpaulin cover (which also exists on solo trucks and other small vehicle trailers) is called a tilt (not to be confused with a tilt bed, also called a tipping bed).

01:39 Feb 16, 2011 

Je vraag is niet helemaal duidelijk: "One of those trucks you can open from the side". Is that a guess about the meaning of a huifkar, or part of what you know, or the source?
This is another option: een huifwagen is een aanhangwagen met huif.
http://www.autotop.nl/diensten-en-services/aanhangwagenservi...

22:33 Feb 15, 2011 

I think 'huifwagen' is a synonym of 'gordijnwagen', I dunno if there's any subtle difference or not. I've translated logistics documents to Polish so I know the Polish term, maybe this can be of help:
http://pol.proz.com/kudoz/polish_to_english/transport_transp...