If you’re looking to haul your entire hangar’s worth of goods to market in one trip, there’s only one ship that fits the job: the freighter. Big, slow, and unmistakably bulky, freighters in EVE Online are the ultimate space trucks. But with great cargo capacity comes great risk—freighters are gank magnets. That’s why this guide is here: to help you fly your freighter smart, fit it properly, and use techniques that make you virtually ungankable.

Whether you’re hauling billions to Jita or just want to consolidate your logistics, here’s everything you need to know about flying a freighter safely and efficiently.

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Understanding the Freighter

Let’s start with what a freighter is. This isn’t your typical industrial hauler. Freighters are massive ships with enormous cargo holds—up to 500,000 m³, depending on the hull. For example, the Charon featured here can haul everything from a month’s worth of Level 4 mission loot to a fully stocked industrial supply chain. However, they come with a big trade-off: they’re slow, both in warp speed and alignment time, making them easy targets.

The general rule in EVE is simple: the more valuable your cargo, the bigger the target on your back. Ganking corps actively scan freighters and, if the haul looks juicy, they’ll strike. If you’re not careful, you’ll lose everything in a fiery flash before you even realize what’s happening.

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Freighter Fitting Philosophy: Inertia vs. Tank

Freighters only have low slots, and fitting them is about choosing between agility and survivability. The basic loadout choices include:

• Reinforced Bulkheads (Tank): These massively increase your EHP (Effective Hit Points) but slow your align time.
• Inertial Stabilizers (Agility): These reduce align time, letting you get into warp faster, but at the cost of EHP.

There’s no universal “best” fit—it’s a balance. A commonly used configuration is two inertia stabilizers and one bulkhead. This gives you a much faster align time (from around 50 seconds down to 30) while still having enough tank to discourage most opportunistic ganks. Adapt your fitting based on your route and risk tolerance.

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Freighter Flight Fundamentals: How to Never Get Ganked

Fitting is only part of the equation. The real key to surviving in a freighter is how you fly it. That means using travel fits, bookmarks, and smart warping habits. Here’s the complete system.

1. Create an Insta-Dock Bookmark

When undocking from a station, immediately stop your ship. Manually pilot to the front of the station’s docking ring—get as close to the docking area as you can. Then press Ctrl+B to make a bookmark. Label it something like Station Insta. This point will allow you to warp directly into docking range next time you approach the station, rather than landing too far out and exposing yourself to risk.

2. Create an Off-Station Warp-Out

After undocking, activate your prop mod and burn directly forward until you’re 150km away from the station. Then bookmark this spot as Off-Station Warp. This will give you a safe warp-out point if you need to escape quickly after undocking.

3. Make Gate-Warp Bookmarks Along Your Route

Here’s where most freighter pilots get lazy—and then get ganked. You need to make a warp-to-zero point on every gateyou travel to. Simply warp to the gate with a smaller ship, approach it manually to land exactly on top of it, stop your ship, and create a bookmark (Ctrl+B). This ensures that your freighter always lands right on the gate and can jump immediately—no drifting, no stalling.

Repeat this for every gate from your home base to your destination hub (e.g., Jita). Yes, it takes time. But it’s worth it.

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Execution: Putting It All Together

With all your bookmarks created, your travel method changes:

• Always warp to your bookmarks, not the station or gate directly.
• When arriving at a station, warp to your Station Insta and dock immediately.
• When leaving, align to your Off-Station bookmark and warp off if needed.
• For every gate jump, use your warp-to-zero gate bookmarks.

If you do this consistently, you greatly reduce your vulnerability window. The only time you’re really exposed is during alignment—and that’s where the inertia stabilizers help.

Remember, freighters warp incredibly slow (as low as 1.37 AU/s), giving gankers ample time to spot you in transit. The longer you sit on grid, the more time they have to prepare. Every second you shave off alignment or warp time is a second closer to safety.

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A Live Freighter Example

Warping in a freighter to your warp-to-zero gate bookmark should bring you within jumping distance every time. As demonstrated in the example, aligning and warping in a Charon takes around 30 seconds with two inertia stabilizers. While slow, it’s manageable—and more importantly, predictable.

You’ll never stop the warp speed, but you can minimize time in vulnerable positions. Land directly on gates. Use instadocks. Avoid autopilot like the plague.

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Final Words: You Control the Risk

Flying a freighter safely in EVE isn’t about hiding—it’s about discipline. Set up your bookmarks. Use them every time. Never warp blind. And above all, don’t stuff your freighter with everything you own unless you’re absolutely sure you can move it safely.

Is this overkill? Maybe. But if you’re hauling billions of ISK, being overly cautious isn’t just smart—it’s essential.

Follow these steps, and you’ll be one of the rare freighter pilots who can confidently say: “I’ve never been ganked.”

Until next time, fly safe—and stay out of highsec autopilot lanes.