When is a 53' Step, a 53' Step?

51.5' < 53'. If they wanted a 51.5' trailer, they would've asked for one. You could have told them you had a 53' trailer and played dumb about it and seen if they'd load you, but what if you got there and came up 1.5' short of being able to haul the full load? You would have driven those 90 miles for nothing....possibly wasted a bunch of your time (and theirs) while they attempted to load you and then pulled their freight back off your trailer if they took your word for it and didn't measure it....and you still wouldn't have been able to run the load.

If you wanted to haul loads requiring a 53' trailer, you should've bought a 53' trailer.

 

All my shippers consider anything under a 53' er a 48' trailer and from my experience those 51's and 52's are heavy anyways and can't get the weight on them that the shipper wants. So better to be honest and save a lot less headache.

 

It really depends on the trailer manufacurer and the specs to be honest. I can scale a 48000lb load with at 50ft step loaded up with all my equipment...but I can only scale that load in IA, NE, KS, OK, ND, and SD because I run 86000lbs gross in those states. Anywhere else ain't going to happen heck even a 48 step is pushing 48000lbs lbs of payload and there's only 2000lbs difference in the trailers.

 

You should of called and ask questions most the time when there looking for a 53ft trailer its because they need a 40ft bottom deck. i have a good buddy that has a 48ft 8ft top deck and 40ft bottom he is the one that told me call on them and see he does lots of 53ft loads on his 48

 

Our agents have been trained pretty well most of the time, when they say that the load requires a 53' trailer they mean it. Otherwise the load on the screen would have only said that it needs a 40'+ bottom.

 

Always ask how much bottom deck they need, thats usually the kicker.

A shipper loads a 48 with a 37ft bottom deck one time and they automatically assume they have to have a 53

 

Showing up with a 51.5' is a lot better then showing up with a 45' 96" flat

 

Yeah, most the time they ask for a 53' SD because they need 40' of bottom deck. The load I have now was listed fr a 53' SD (and pays accordingly) and the customer needed 40' of space, but since I have the 41' bottom deck it worked out. Always call and ask