Get the Right Trailer: A Guide to Truck Trailer Types
Getting the best truck for the job is important, but so is getting the right trailer. It needs to safely provide the right benefits for whatever your cargo requires.
If you are in the market for a new truck trailer right now, you’re not alone. Sales are very high due to pent up demand from the pandemic.
Keep reading to see the reviews of various truck trailer types that are available today.
Table of Contents
Flatbed Trailers
This is one of the most common types of trailers because of its versatility. They are open-deck trailers with a standard dock height. They can easily be loaded and unloaded with a forklift or crane at a job site or warehouse.
This functionality makes them a popular choice with all kinds of large freight. Because of the open sides, you’ll have to take care to strap everything down very well. As convenient as it is for hauling large items, the open sides don’t provide much security, though.
Drop Deck Trailers
Drop deck trailers and flatbed trailers are similar truck trailer types. They both have open sides, no top, and can easily be loaded with heavy machinery. The main difference is that a drop deck trailer has two levels.
Most of the trailer is “dropped” lower than standard height. The primary advantage of this is that it makes it easier to transport very tall items. With a dropped deck, the whole load can better fit underneath bridges or other low spots.
Again, there isn’t much security with a type of trailer since everything is out in the open. But you can tie things down, or get a trailer with pins that hold a fence-like barrier in place around the trailer.
Dry Van Trailers
These are the type of semi-truck trailers that you see all the time on the road. They are enclosed on all sides and be very lengths. Oversized freight won’t fit as it does on a flatbed, but the enclosed space protects the cargo from the elements.
Since they offer such good protection the outdoor elements, most consumer goods are shipped in dry van trailers. The walls help form a good structure for packing in pallets or boxes of goods. They also provide security for whatever’s inside.
Refrigerated Trailers
These enclosed trailers might look similar to a standard dry van trailer but they have one important difference. They use diesel-powered refrigeration units to control the temperature inside the trailer.
A driver has to carefully monitor the temperature to ensure the unit is working right and to account for differences in weather across a long route. You wouldn’t be able to enjoy your favorite ice cream without these!
Truck Trailer Types
Getting the job done safely and efficiently depends on having the correct truck trailer types for the cargo you’re transporting. With people trying their best to return to business as normal, many are in the market for trailers.
Pick out the right one for your purposes and get back to work if at all possible.
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