Looking at van trailer. What's too old?

@Ridgeline

 

Some shippers require 10 years or newer. Smooth wall “plate trailers” are popular with vertical e track to secure loads. Metal roof, swing doors, tire inflation system, skirts, etc. Other then that it becomes more personal preference.

Buy as new as you possibly can, if not brand new. IMO.

 

Id say 1 in 10 is probably pretty accurate. For me I’ve been buying new ones for about 6 yrs now and won’t go back. You have to plan for it though because the lead times can get really long. Otherwise you could rent from a company like xtra while waiting on yours to be built.

First batch of new trailers I bought, I sold at the 5 year mark. This last batch I let a few go at the 3 year mark. The timing was just right for me personally. They sold for $5000 less then I bought them for, and we’re due for tires, brakes, shocks, and alignment. My cost of ownership was extremely low.

So, I’d either buy new or in that 3 to 5 yr old range at the oldest. That’s my preference but others do just fine with older equipment. Trust me my first trailer was ancient lol but I was broke and all I could afford. Hindsight is that it actually cost me a lot to own an old trailer.

Right now loads are plentiful, but when it’s lean times the only decent load you can find may require a newer trailer. You’ll be bummed when that happens. So yes, it can make a difference. I even have vented vans but the truth is I hardly ever utilize that it seems.

 

My trailer is a 2002. From last year until now there's only been one load that I called on that they actually required a trailer 10 years or newer and the broker told me that's only because that particular customer is completely totally a stickler for that.

Now with that being said I think if you're going to haul Automotive loads you you have to be within 10 years and there may be other types of freight that you have to be within 10 years.

So for me it really hasn't been a problem at all. In fact I even did a load that another trailer got rejected.

Whatever you buy look at it in the pouring down rain or when it has just rained. Make sure it has no leaks. Check the cross members that they are straight and secure. Check all the boards that you don't have any soft ones and make sure the doors open and close easily and all the weather stripping is there. Make sure the pins retract when you pull the tandem slide.

I can't explain how to check it all right here but you need to check the brakes drums cam slack adjusters air cans bushings and everything else.

Would I buy another trailer that old? Honestly I would have to see where the prices are. I have been looking for storage trailers and I think between scrap being so high and van trailers being in demand that I see really old trailers for ridiculous amounts of money. I mean like I see 1996 trailers for like $7,000. That's ridiculous I would never pay that. I would not pay that for a 2002 or even a 2004. I've seen some trailers that I think we're like 10 years old that they wanted $15,000 seventeen thousand or some crazy thing... go buy a brand new one at that price.

But if I could get a deal and it was in good shape...

 

Don't be so sure on needing air ride. It was the style for a few years but studies have found negligible difference in cargo claims so there's not many shippers demanding it any more. I had my spring ride for a year and only ran into one shipper who demanded air ride, and I simply showed up with mine and they didn't even check. I may have slid thru the cracks by virtue of being leased to a large carrier with a solid reputation, but in my admittedly limited experience there was no downside, plus the benefit of less downtime due to not having airbags to replace, which equals about one less repair stop per year.

My experience with the "ten years or newer" rule was similar. A very few asked for it in the ratecon but none checked. Mine was 14 years old but looked decent, food grade caliber. I think i missed out on one load i couldn't book because of it, but it was nothing super special and I actually ended up booking something better anyway. And you definitely want the logistics posts to be 24" or closer. Its a huge improvement over the 48" junk.

The inside walls don't need to be metal either. Many food grades use plastic or composite lining, which is much more resistant to denting. Lots of forklift drivers like to place a pallet by using the wall as a guide, simply grinding the pallet against the wall for half the length of the trailer. The plastics and composites hold up very well to that. The main thing is to not have wood on the interior side walls because you don't want splinters getting jammed into the product. But wood on the front inside wall is ok.

 

10 years or newer.

Thousands of trailers out there looking for an owner.

don’t bother with air ride, we found out that the spring ride trailers build from 2008 forward are just as good, sometimes better then air ride trailers. We have air ride for specific customers but that’s it.