Log Post on a reefer

they have em in reefers too.....you mean e tracks right? i wouldnt buy one with only a single e track.....

 

you mean the single post rails. top to bottom...vs the long front to back rails, right?

 

It all depends. If you think you can make money pulling a logistics van go for it. Keep in mind logistics bars are about $50/bar and have a weight rating. Ever seen what happens when one of those bars breaks because the moron that loaded it put too much weight on it? I have and thank god it was a roll up door and not swing doors or a trip to the ER would've been a call to the corener. I'm sure you know what the purpose of logistics bars are so need need to get into that but keep in mind when stacking it can and will walk off the bars, can and will break the bars, and all that in turn leads to damaged freight. Also keep in mind running a logistics trailer they add weight to the trailer. Average dry van is I believe around 13000-14000lbs or so. I believe logistics trailers depending on the interior width are about 1000lbs heavier by the specs sheets.

Reefer is a whole another headache in its own. No offense to the reefer drivers out there. You still have appointment times, washouts, reefer fuel, another motor can be a blessing and a curse at times, there is just a lot more to it than open the doors load it close the doors seal it and go. On the plus side you can haul dry in a reefer as well which gives you more options. It all depends on what you want to do. For a NEW logistics van 53x102 you're looking around 30k. New reefer you don't even want to know. Used trailers are hit and miss its 6 of 1 half a dozen of the other. Also reason I say new with a dry van a lot of shippers won't load a van that's over 10 years old. Might be 7 now not sure. Reason being idiots that think its great to haul paper in a non paper spec van, cross me member crack and the trailer isn't safe to load anymore. There have been a lot of people that have been turned away by shippers because their trailers were to old shipper didn't inspect it just turned them away. Keep in mind as well you need to make sure you're log posts are actually usable. If they're on 48" centers they're not really doing you much good. I'd say if I were to spec a logistics van it'd have log posts on 24" or 16" I'd probably go 24 personally but that's me. Hope some of this info helps you make a decision have a good night.

 

IMHO, dry and reefer just doesn't pay enough. If your in decent physical shape, I'd say go flatbed. Trailers are cheaper and if you take care of your tarps and securement equipment, it'll last a long time and is worth the investment. Reefers are just too much of a headache to deal with having to babysit and has a much higher cargo claim rate.

 

I'll disagree with you on the reefer side. We haul bulk spuds, and those do pay quite well for the longer run stuff. Not that much of a headache either once you know what you're doing.

 

I bought a dry van last July 2012 with a single row of e-tracks. I used them. In Feb 2013, I sold that dry van and bought a reefer. I am now considering putting e-tracks into it. Also to protect my walls as well as give me tracks to strap things in. Just this month, I had to rent a dry van with Log posts in it for a job I had to do. The rental would have paid for me to put e-tracks in the reefer.

I added about 34-36 cpm by moving from the dry van to the reefer. I am also home more as well. In my area, it was just a no brainer to go that route.

 

You can make decent money with a reefer, Being able to haul temp. controlled as well as dry, Flat bed? you might be able to do a little better, but with flat, You got weather to contend with, climbing onto trailer in the winter times, dealing with high winds and tarps standing on a trailer, freezing your arsh off dealing with chains/straps, I've done the flatbed think, and a couple of years ago, thought about doing it again, then my brain started to hurt, when I started having flash back of dealing with what it takes with all the securements you need, and with all the regulation today, I'll stay with a reefer