Trucking in North America vs around the world

Yes..

No.

 

With the election getting closer maybe it is best if we keep the Covid debate on this thread to the bare essencials.
That will become a hot potato for both sides.
Don't want this thread shut down.

 

There is essential travel.
Returning citizen are allways allowed in.
Workers with permits are allowed to cross the border.
Hence the limited car crossing points.

 

Why do US truckers find it so important to have arch to a flatbed?
Is it embedded so deep that only a trailer with a arch is good?
EU and Aussi ( @haycarter ) trailers don't have a arch.

 

Most flatbeds I see here in Canada have a very slight arch. Very minimal. Heavy RGN trailers have more arch. I see some of these aluminum flatdecks coming out of the US and I swear they've got a 2 foot hump in the middle.

 

That way when you have three coils on the deck the wagon ain't sagging.

 

here RGN trailers (but lower than Yours, here they have decks from 5inch, maximum 10 inch, our semi low loader trailers ride starting form 29inch) have adjustable pretension mechanism .
so it can be almost flat and curved depending on weight and concentration. when you have trailers with 5+7 axle lines when they are pretensioned and empty, center of deck can be 1,5m in air and wheels of few axles not touching ground despite 2ft of suspension travel.

 

this might be interesting topic. here we load same things at curtainsider and flatbed.
having arch would not be good for overall height of empty curtainsider.
when you load something short and heavy it sags (especially berger), due long front overhang you often got overheight at this point.

there is some german tv show with police in action, someone load some machine weight 27000kg in center of trailer, height difference police measured between high and low point of trailer was 13cm.