Stuck between Great Dane or utility dry van, your opinion?

Honestly I think it’s overpriced.

For the money that trailer has a lot of use on it. You may need to keep looking.

 

That wood, the plywood is just an extra protection against careless forklift operators damaging the front wall. It is actually good to have it. By food grade, we typically mean food grade worthy; clean inside with solid, undamaged floor and walls, odorless. Some shippers may require sometimes that walls are plated, not wooden but rarely. Wooden walls may not be accepted when picking up empty cans or some rolls of paper. This front wall is ok and should not count as wooden. I think the trailer looks like it had a normal usage for its age.

 

That's not food grade.

HOWEVER you can carry cases of sodas on pallets all day long that sort of thing. Or load down boxes of popcorn etc.

IF you want food grade you have a metal floor and side rails on it a foot high so you can sanitize it.

 

The wood is a good extra layer.
Your fine.

 

I don't disagree but I think that the term "food grade" evolved into a more relaxed definition of any dry van trailer worthy hauling food. 100% of food loads that I booked that required "food grade" trailer were loaded on my trailer despite the requirement. Otherwise those brokers who post loads and want "food grade", don't know themselves what "food grade" trailer is.

 

I appreciate the update.

=( Now we take brokers to school.

 

True food grade reefers are metal flooring and so forth.

They are sanitized to the point that Kraft will accept them for loading.

That is all I know. In the past when I have beaten around with a dry van it's dog food. 48 pallets into 105 small wood. 7 layers 5 per. Disgusting. Out of Alpo in West Allentown PA.

However with medicines piles on pallets you cannot have any rips flaws or nails etc sticking out to rip into them. Some of the vials such as the antivenom etc. Are frightfully expensive. Loads routinely exceed a million in value.

They generally go into reefer trailers that are prefect inside.

 

That's a good looking Great Dane. It's exactly like my 2015 down to the skirts and Alcoas. I paid 25k a year ago for mine and it was very clean.

You won't have any trouble getting food loads with that trailer. X1Heavy has a lot more experience than most of us but I find 'food grade' on load bids to basically mean clean. I have never been questioned on mine.