Star Citizen Cargo Hauling Guide | Alpha 4.10
Star Citizen Cargo Hauling Guide: How to Complete Your First Contract
A cargo hauling contract pays you to move someone else's freight. You accept a job, collect its assigned containers from a freight elevator, load them onto your ship, and deliver them to the destination in your contract. Unlike commodity trading, you don't buy the mission cargo with your own aUEC.
This guide follows a Covalex Shipping entry-level evaluation in Star Citizen Alpha 4.10 LIVE. The pickup and delivery addresses are assigned in-game, so your active contract—not a fixed route in an article—is the source of truth. The specific cargo example below comes from a 4.10.0-LIVE.12519617 mission-data snapshot; individual offers, locations, and interface prompts can differ.
Quick Answer
Open mobiGlas → Contract Manager → Hauling, then accept an evaluation or another available introductory job that your ship can carry.
Travel to the pickup location named in the contract and use its freight elevator terminal to bring out the assigned cargo.
Load the boxes into your ship with a tractor beam and secure them on its cargo grid where possible.
Fly to the specified delivery location and unload the mission boxes onto its freight elevator.
Lower the elevator, follow any remaining handover or submission prompts in your active contract, and check that the mission is complete and the reward has arrived.
The delivery isn't finished just because the boxes vanish from the platform. Check the contract's completion state.
Before You Start: Ship, Equipment, and Cargo Space
| Requirement | What to check |
|---|---|
| Cargo ship | Enough usable space for the contract's total freight. |
| Cargo access | An entrance or external grid that accommodates its largest individual container. |
| Cargo-handling tool | A suitable tractor beam; a handheld MaxLift is useful for small containers. |
| Personal equipment | Clothing or a flight suit and helmet appropriate to your pickup and delivery locations. |
| Ship condition | Sufficient fuel and a working cargo entrance before accepting a time-limited job. |
| Available contract | An evaluation or other entry-level hauling offer shown in your own Contract Manager. |
Cargo volume is measured in standard cargo units (SCU). Six separate 1 SCU containers are easier to fit through a small doorway than one larger box, even if the combined volume is the same. Check both the total SCU and the container size before accepting.
If you still need to retrieve your ship, complete that step before taking a time-sensitive job. See the official RSI Getting Started guide for the basic ship-retrieval process.
Your First Contract: The Covalex Evaluation
Look for Opportunity for Independent Cargo Hauler, Covalex Shipping's introductory evaluation. It asks you to collect an assigned shipment from one freight elevator and hand it over at another. Completing the evaluation opens access to further Covalex work. The Stanton variant in the 4.10 mission record has this configuration:
| Contract detail | Stanton evaluation record |
|---|---|
| Contractor | Covalex Shipping |
| Mission | Opportunity for Independent Cargo Hauler |
| Entry status | Introductory evaluation, before normal rank progression |
| Commodity | Quartz |
| Total cargo | 6 SCU |
| Container size | 1 SCU each |
| Pickup and delivery | Assigned dynamically in the accepted contract |
| Mission-data build | 4.10.0-LIVE.12519617 |
View the Stanton evaluation record for Alpha 4.10. Do not substitute a same-named Nyx or Pyro mission record: those regional variants can have different cargo. Also, don't assume a particular pickup station; the locations are generated for your offer.
If this evaluation is unavailable, select another currently unlocked introductory hauling mission and follow its own quantity, commodity, and destinations. Availability depends on your location and progression. If you've already passed the evaluation, an available Trainee Direct Extra Small contract is a manageable next job.
A Rookie Contract for Later
Once you've reached Rookie, a separate Covalex job called Rookie Rank – Direct Extra Small Cargo Haul provides a step up. Its Stanton Quartz record for the same 4.10 build lists 6–12 SCU, 1 SCU containers, and a 50,250 aUEC listed reward. It is not the introductory evaluation and should not be presented as a contract every new player can accept. Your in-game offer determines the actual terms and payout.
View the separate Alpha 4.10 Rookie Quartz mission record.
How to Complete Your First Cargo Hauling Contract
Step 1: Accept and Track the Contract
Open mobiGlas, enter Contract Manager, and find the Hauling category. Select the Covalex evaluation if it's available. Before accepting, read its pickup location, delivery location, commodity, total SCU, container size, and any deadline.
Accept the job, open it among your active contracts, and track its objective if the interface offers that option. Keep the mission details handy; they determine which cargo belongs to the job and where it must go. Do not buy Quartz at a trading terminal to replace the assigned mission cargo.
Step 2: Travel to the Pickup Location
Set a course for the exact pickup location displayed in your contract. Request landing where required and use the assigned hangar or designated cargo area.
Locate the freight elevator, a cargo platform operated by a nearby terminal. It is not the passenger elevator. In a hangar, the freight platform is usually within the hangar; at other facilities, follow the local cargo-area layout. If the map marker is unclear, rely on the mission's location name rather than guessing which station to visit.
Step 3: Retrieve the Mission Cargo
At the freight elevator terminal:
Find the shipment associated with your active hauling contract in the local warehouse or mission-cargo listing.
Select the required containers and stage them on the elevator.
Raise the platform so the assigned containers become physical boxes you can move.
Compare the freight on the platform with the quantity shown in the contract.
If the platform needs to be lowered before you can stage cargo, do that first. Staging cargo in the terminal is not the same as loading it into your ship. For the Stanton Covalex example, check for the assigned 6 SCU of Quartz in 1 SCU containers; follow your actual contract if its configuration differs.
Step 4: Load the Cargo Onto Your Ship
Open the ship's cargo entrance, equip your tractor beam, and move the boxes one at a time from the freight platform into the hold. Position each container on an available cargo-grid slot or appropriate external mounting point. Work from the far end of the hold toward the entrance so later boxes aren't blocked.
If a box catches on the doorway, pull it back and change its angle. A ship's published SCU capacity alone doesn't prove that every container will pass through its entrance. Before departure, confirm that all required boxes are aboard, nothing blocks the ramp or cockpit access, and the cargo entrance can close.
Step 5: Fly to the Delivery Location
Check the contract again and plot a route to its specified destination. Don't replace the mission destination with a nearby commodity market that happens to buy the same goods. After landing, open the cargo hold and find the location's freight elevator.
Step 6: Unload and Hand Over the Freight
Move the assigned mission containers from your ship onto the destination freight elevator. Use its terminal to lower the platform and transfer the cargo into local storage. Check that the mission recognizes the delivered quantity; follow any confirmation prompt shown by the freight terminal.
The handover happens through the destination's freight system. Leaving boxes on the hangar floor, or merely reaching the destination, does not complete it.
Step 7: Follow the Contract's Completion Prompt and Check Payment
Open your active hauling contract after the freight terminal accepts the cargo. Follow the completion or submission action shown in your current mission interface, if one is required. Don't look for a universal button name: the prompt and automatic completion behavior may differ between contracts or interface states.
Verify that the contract is marked completed and the reward has been credited. If it still shows outstanding freight, compare the required and delivered quantities, then check for a remaining handover or completion action. Disappearing containers alone are not proof of payment.
Common Cargo Hauling Problems and Fixes
Mission Cargo Is Missing From the Freight Elevator
Check that the correct contract is active and that you're at its exact pickup location. Look for the mission shipment in the freight terminal's warehouse listing; if present, stage it and raise the platform. If another usable freight elevator serves the same pickup area, check whether it accesses the shipment.
The Alpha 4.10 release notes list fixes for earlier problems involving no cargo at hauling pickup points, missing mission freight in terminals, and an elevator stuck on Transferring. Those are historical fixes, not proof that the same bugs are currently active on LIVE. For a persistent new failure, check the current official Known Issues and search the RSI Issue Council for the specific symptom.
The Freight Elevator Won't Move
Check whether a transfer is already in progress and whether anything blocks the platform. Try another usable terminal or freight elevator if available. Don't test a malfunctioning platform with valuable personal inventory. Avoid destructive character-recovery actions for a cargo-terminal problem.
A Container Won't Fit Inside My Ship
Compare the individual container size with the actual entrance and cargo-grid dimensions. Reorient the box rather than forcing it through. If the ship cannot accommodate it, use another suitable ship or choose a smaller-container contract next time.
The Contract Doesn't Complete After Delivery
Check the exact destination, the delivered quantity, and the active contract's remaining objectives. Make sure the freight elevator accepted the assigned cargo and that you've followed any outstanding completion or submission prompt. Don't assume ordinary Quartz bought elsewhere will replace missing mission freight. If the handover is recorded but the mission remains stuck, look for a matching current Issue Council report.
I Lost the Cargo After a Crash
RSI states that Support cannot restore or reimburse cargo lost when a ship or the game crashes; it does not offer a direct recovery workaround. Review the mission's current state before abandoning it, but don't count on recovering a vanished shipment. See RSI's Cargo Missing After Crash policy.
My Ship Won't Appear in ASOP
Resolve the retrieval problem before accepting a timed haul. RSI's Alpha 4.10 Known Issues includes missing Deliver options at some ASOP terminals and rented ships not appearing. A missing Deliver option may be helped by restarting the game or trying another location; it is not a reason to buy another ship or file an unnecessary claim.
Tips for Your Next Haul
Choose Direct jobs while learning: one pickup and one delivery are easier to track than multi-stop contracts. Check container dimensions before accepting, stage only the freight for the active mission, and keep the ramp clear when loading. Read the deadline and partial-payment terms in each contract rather than relying on another job's reward or timer.
If you want to build Covalex reputation, continue with the contracts that actually appear in your Contract Manager after the evaluation. A large advertised reward is less useful if the containers don't fit your ship or the route is impractical.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to buy cargo for a hauling contract?
No. A standard hauling contract assigns the freight. Buying commodities with your own aUEC is a separate trading activity.
Can I complete a hauling contract with a starter ship?
Yes, if it has enough usable space and can accommodate the contract's individual containers. Check the actual offer before accepting.
What does SCU mean?
Standard Cargo Unit describes cargo volume. Total SCU and individual box size both matter when choosing a ship.
Why can't I find the Covalex Rookie contract?
The Rookie job is separate from the entry evaluation. Complete the available introductory work and progress with Covalex before expecting higher-rank offers.
Can I deliver only part of the shipment?
Some Covalex contracts specify prorated payment for the proportion delivered. Whether partial delivery is accepted, and the consequences of a deadline, depend on the individual contract terms.
Do I always need to press a Submit button?
Follow your active mission's completion prompt. After the freight terminal accepts the shipment, check for any required submission step and confirm completion and payment. Don't assume every interface uses the same button.
Does completing hauling contracts increase reputation?
Yes. Completed jobs can increase standing with the issuing hauling organization and open up further contracts.
What's the difference between a Direct job and a multi-stop haul?
A Direct job has one origin and one destination. Multi-stop work adds locations and requires you to keep track of which containers go where.
Continue Your Cargo Hauling Roadmap
Once this first delivery is complete, the natural next skill is loading and unloading larger shipments. Then move on to multi-stop contracts. If you have a ship-retrieval or freight-elevator problem, troubleshoot that system separately instead of repeating the entire hauling tutorial.
