Search for material handling vehicles and you will hit four or five terms that seem to describe the same machine. Some of that is genuine overlap. Some of it is manufacturers using their own vocabulary. Here is how the categories actually break down.
Burden carrier
The broadest term. A burden carrier is any non-lift powered vehicle designed to transport loads, people, or both across a facility. If a vehicle carries on a deck rather than lifting on forks, it is a burden carrier. Stock chasers and personnel carriers are both subcategories.
Stock chaser
A burden carrier configured for order picking. The distinguishing feature is storage: shelving, bins, or totes mounted on the vehicle so a picker can accumulate items across a route without returning to a staging point. The drivetrain and chassis are usually identical to a general-purpose burden carrier — the difference is what is bolted to the deck.
If your use case is picking, ask for a stock chaser configuration. If it is general transport, the base burden carrier is the cheaper answer.
Tugger
A tugger pulls rather than carries. The vehicle tows a train of carts behind it, which is why they are also called tow tractors. Tuggers make sense when the load volume exceeds what any deck can hold — line-side replenishment with multiple carts of components, for example.
The tradeoff is maneuverability. A cart train needs turning room and cannot reverse easily. Tuggers work best on established loops with wide aisles, not ad hoc trips.
Personnel carrier
A burden carrier optimized for moving people rather than cargo. More seats, smaller deck. Common on large campuses, airports, and refineries where the primary need is getting technicians to a location rather than delivering material.
Utility vehicle
The vaguest of the terms, often used for outdoor-rated vehicles closer to a work-duty golf cart. Usually larger, usually gas or larger-format electric, usually not suited to indoor aisle work.
Which one you actually need
Start with the question of whether you are moving material, people, or both, and whether volume per trip exceeds a deck. Most facilities land on a general-purpose burden carrier because it handles both roles adequately, and mixed-use flexibility beats specialization when you are buying one or two units.
Not sure which fits? Describe your routes and we will tell you which configuration makes sense — including when the answer is a tugger we do not sell.