What Flatbed Trailer?

personally I like a flat bed with insulated walls and roof, doors on the back and a motor on the front.

 

We use the 53 ft step with the California spread (back axle slides towards the front trailer axle). Good for California and Canada, bottom deck is the same as a 48 flat, but lower, gives a lower center of gravity and is easier on the knees. Can haul 10 ft high loads, containers, machinery, OD, freight,...etc. Decent overall setup, but a bit heavier than a 48 flat.

My reccommendation is to look around for a bit in your travels. You see a driver pulling a wagon that you like, stop him and ask about his setup. Some of these drivers have really sweet setups, lift axles, bridges, ramps, boxes, dunnage racks...the works.

 

nobody actually pallet exchanges anymore. lol that's what chep pallets are for. heavy ######## they are.
I don't pay lumpers and they can take as long as they want, I'll be sleeping

 

All flat/stepdeck freight has gotten cheap. Step is probably worse with machinery, being things are slow and these fly-by-night companies cutting the rates down to what regular flat rates are.

 

Given my preference I'd second the 53' triaxle stepdeck, as long as the rear axle is a lift. Nice to have things closer to the ground, unless you're doing a lot of rural cowtrail driving and need ground clearance.

Of course, I'm over here in doorslammer land, waiting until things pick up a bit, but I'd rather be flatbedding any day.

 

I like a 48' by 102" Fontaine combo spread with boxes between the axles, 4' and 8' drop tarps, and no bulkhead in the way.. Dump valve on the back axle for extra clearance in tight turns only.. If a tailer won't stand a u-turn without dumping an axle, then I wouldn't have it anyway.. And unless the road or whatever surface you're twisting and turning over is perfectly flat and smooth, the tires are damaged more by the hopping and skidding when you throw all the weight on a single axle..

Stepdecks are good for stepdeck loads, but for hauling mostly flatbed loads they aren't worth the trouble and extra expense that they create, mainly the small tires that blow at 40,000 lbs and 75 mph, or they wear out twice as fast, and you can't load freight off of most shippers docks.. Been there and done that already..

What about the oversize issues while empty with most curtainside outfits? Anything over 102" is oversize in most places and requires permits doesn't it.. Seems that would be alot of trouble and expense for a load of shingles or something than tarping?

 

I think Arkansas was the last state to give up on the extra width on the rolling tarps, and they finally gave in about 8 years ago. That's before my time, just what I heard. They all consider it part of the securement system now, so you get three inches on each side of the trailer, just like for an outboard mounted strap winch. Now if you had a load of 108" wide rolling tarp systems permit time! That 108" is noticeably wider than pulling a van trailer, but it's not that bad.