Excellent as always Sunder.
This is less of a review of the Hull series, but as of the cargo ships as a whole.
I hope that with the Hull series being the new "bulk freight champion", CIG will be more comfortable letting the other hauling ships have their own niche.
For example:
Banu Merchantman can be the "Deep Space Trader". Faster, more armed and armored than a Hull series, it can move smaller amounts of higher valued cargo with less fear of being bothered. The storefront/trading room floor is a bonus.
Freelancer can have the best overall sensors for a cargo ship, being that its also an exploration ship. Also much faster than anything bigger than it, with enough firepower to make smaller craft think twice before engaging it. This lets it slip through "roadblocks", avoid baddies, and carry cargo more securely and quickly than a Hull A or B.
Starfarer has the unique ability to refuel in flight, and will probably be one of the only ships with the onboard refinery so you can process fuel as you gather it, unlike a hull series which is going to be strictly carrying it.
Constellation Taurus has good defense (manned turret + gimbaled guns + missiles) and an ample cargo room. I dunno a good niche for this to be honest since the Constellation is so jack of trades already.
Caterpillar can be just as modular as the Hull series with the cargo modules, with more of a focus on armor and boarding over raw cargo space.
And uhhhh thats it?