Why not more double trailer truck?

I guess most thought you were referring to 'Pups'..

Pups are short trailers, I want to say 28ft.
Two Pups aren't really going to haul that much more freight than a single 53ft.
If you are talking about Rocky Mountain Doubles or Turnpike Doubles, they really aren't allowed in most places.

 

here in the northeast, i pull them for FedEx, also UPS,Conway,OD and others use them
I love my wiggle wagons

 

If pulling a 53 foot anything paid us what pulling doubles does - then I'll be the first in line for the job.

Drop, hook, drop hook, go, go home.

2×28= 56 feet of van, so yes, slight advantage on cube.

The fear and misconception of doubles gives me the giggles.

 

Howdy drivers,

Out here in the wild west there are mucho doubles and triples too. We call them trains. You can only go so long depending on the work the truck is doing and the state. So we just put more rubber under the darn thing and load'r up reaching higher GVW. That's where drop axles come in. Some states have GVW of 120k. 11 axle trucks. Combinations are being replaced be multi axle semis. Easier to drive and less moving parts. Thing is extended weight multi axle trucks do not do well in the Snow on grades. You are hauling 75k or more and still only have 34k on your drivers. Yes it's another half-as idea from your gov. PS- It does take a step up in driving skills to handle a Multi-axle. That and more work for not much more $. Driver gets screwed again.

 

I pulled them from Dallas to LA and you learn to never look in your mirrors. We had a 290 in WB conventional and 2 28 fters drivers would always come to gripe about us sticking out and then go "OH!" Liked pulling them.

 

Actually the OP is correct. Generally speaking a set of doubles as a easier time with more weight as the companies that pull them use lighter tractors, freight like UPS...

I could legally load 56,000 in the trailer of the double I pulled for the last 15 years or so. I can only load 44,000 into the refer I pull now.

Next because of the axle setups they are extermely difficult to overload as far as axle weight. Easy to go over gross. Example} double axle max 12000, 20000,20000,20000,20000,20000 remember can not go over 80000. Semi 12000, 34000, 34000.

If you do anything to crash a set of double and your in a semi your odds o being in an accident are still really high.

I prefer pulling doubles over a semi's. If your a competent driver you will have no problems. Double add more diversity to the loads for freight companies. For bulk its about the extra weigh we could carry, and you can get double in and out of places that leave semis wondering how you drove thru there.

 

Go for it !

 

HAHAHAHHAA WHAT? yes they are 28 feet x2 or x3.


Our Jobs as P&D drivers / Dock workers is too save money for the customer and also get many customers as possible on the wagons and those 28 footers can pack much volume and dunnage. They are renting real estate. We do our best to wiggle in most commodity as possible. I use this loosely, We are freight magicians !


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Other then the labor involved hooking/disconnecting sets. They are far easier to corner and if the moon is lined up,Backing up isn't that difficult, Okay, like some off days we all have, Backing up to a dolley can ruin your day. Other then that, Wagons are fun and gets volume to a destination.

The pay is worth it.

 

WoaH thar Luke!
What's the rush?
As I begin this post, this thread is only a few hours old.
I'm sure there'll be more folks who'll respond with additional information within the next twenty-hours or so.
Stick around a while.

"Mostly" (to do with drivers not wanting them and load)?
Nope.
Wrong answer.
This is why you should stick around to read what others have to say before coming to a quick, inaccurate conclusion.

If you continue reading the replies yet to come there's a good chance they'll eliminate your guessing and provide you with accurate information that leads to correct answers.

For instance, not every Big truck truckin' company operates the same. Not all Big truck truckin' companies handle the same kind of loads. An irregular route, over-the-road Big truck truck driver that typically transports full trailer loads probably wouldn't benefit from running doubles. Whereas the set of double trailers may provide more cubic feet to load than a 48 or 53 foot trailer, the hassle and room needed to break up a set of doubles at shippers and/or receivers, the necessity of backing one trailer to the dock and then pulling it away from the dock when the loading or unloading of that trailer is finished, then backing the second trailer to the dock eats up valuable time. If a facility provided two docks next to each other it could be an advantage, especially if a facility put two forklift drivers and enough hands loading or unloading that two trailers were ready to go at about the same time. But don't count on that happening every time, --- it usually won't happen that way. But either way, afterward, the Big truck truck driver will be required to pull and set up the trailer that will be at the end of the set, first, --- and stage it. Then wrestle the con gear, (a very small trailer, of sorts, that rides on a set of four tires. On the frame of the con gear is a fifth wheel, the device that hooks the trailer king pin and locks it in place. The fifth wheel also provides support for the trailer. Once the con gear is set up and ready to slide under the trailer, it's time to fetch the next trailer that will be the first trailer on the set when all hooked up. This is where the challenge starts, as the Big truck truck driver backs up to the con gear staged in front of the last trailer in line. The object is to be centered on the con gear, which can't be seen in the rear view mirror as the Big truck and first trailer get closer to the con gear. When it feels right, it's time to G.O.A.L. (Get Out And Look). What a Big truck truck driver wants to see is the first trailer of the set close enough to being centered on the con gear coupling that the driver can slip the ring of the con gear into the hook at the rear of the first trailer of the set, so a straight back-up will push the con gear's fifth wheel under the nose of the second trailer of the set, and hook and lock the king pin of the second trailer of the set. With that part completed, the pigtails (electric connection that powers the trailer's lights) are plugged in. Now it's time to pre-trip the entire set-up, brakes, lights, tires and wheels.
If everything checks out okay, they're on their way.

An attribute for pullin' doubles is that they're more maneuverable in tight places when they're hooked together than a 48 footer or 53 footer. One major drawback of doubles, and possibly why many Big truck truck drivers aren't inclined to pull doubles, is that a set of double trailers is next to impossible for most Big truck truck drivers to back up. So, if somehow a driver turns onto a street that dead-ends, that driver can't just back 'er outta thar. To get out of a pickle like that, the driver would need to unhook the set of doubles and back one trailer at a time to a staging area and drop it, then fetch the second trailer and con gear, and reassemble them as a set again. Plan on a couple of hours to accomplish. Not fun at all. Downright stressful if traffic is being blocked while the driver gits-er-dun.

Another thing about shorter trailers is a safety issue.
When at the dock loading or unloading and they're not hooked to a Big truck, a support is needed at the nose of the trailer to prevent it from taking a nose dive when a fork lift ventures too far into the trailer. Without the support in place that shorter trailer's landing gear usually collapses, sending the trailer into the ground, --- nose first, --- tail stickin' up in the air like a stink bug, --- often rollin' onto it's side. All this happens with the forklift and driver of same, and anyone else, inside bouncin' around.

Big truck truckin' companies are all in business for one reason, --- and it's not to provide jobs or services to customers, that's just what they have to do to reach their real goal, --- that goal being profits. They're all in business to make money. If they could make money without haulin' freight, they wouldn't haul freight.
Whichever company can reduce costs the most will reap better profits. For some, pullin' doubles makes the operation more convenient and economical, such as U.P.S., and Fed-Ex, and mail carriers, and companies that handle L.T.L. loads, (Less Than Loaded).

When a Big truck truck driver is accustomed to pullin' one, longer trailer (45', 48' 53'), they might not be aware that their fifth wheel needs to be slid rearward, often times, all the way back to the last stop,--- because the frame is longer on a twin-screw, (2- tandem axles = 8 tires) than a single axle Big truck. If the fifth wheel is too far forward it may still couple to the trailer's king pin, --- but when a sharp turn is made, it's possible it'll tear off a mudflap and/or bend/rip off the mudflap bracket. Best to just remove both brackets with mudflaps to avoid that aggravation.

Do Big truck truckin' companies that run doubles and/or triples, do so for the cost savings or for the convenience and maneuverability they provide?
Hmmmmmmmm -------

Double/Triple trailers require registration and license fees, whereas one straight trailer requires only one.
If someone out thar readin' this knows haw much the cost is to register and license a straight 48' or 53' trailer, --- compared to a 28' to 35' trailer, times two, is, --- would'ja chime in with the numbers, please?

The cost of registration and licensing isn't the only consideration though.
Time Is Money, and convenience can be more profitable in the long run if it saves time and/or makes the job safer and/or more streamlined and efficient.
Bottom line is the bottom line, read profit at the end of the day, so I'm thinkin' that "mostly" pullin' doubles/triples, (especially triples) is decided by the company based on cost effectiveness, and not because of Big truck truck drivers not wanting them and/or their load. Although some Big truck truck drivers may not prefer to pull doubles, it's a safe bet that they prefer to make as much money pullin' wagons as possible, and a Big truck truckin' company that pulls doubles just might pay a bunch better than those pullin' one trailer, which can make makin' a decision a tad easier.

As for pullin' triples savin' money, --- take six 30 foot trailers that need to hit the highway. Here in California, and many other states as well, it'd take three Big trucks to git-er-dun. In Oregon, for example, triples are legal so those six trailers can be managed with only two Big trucks that burn fuel, which eats potential profits. Removing one power unit is more cost effective. That's all the incentive needed.
Offer Big truck truck drivers more consistent miles on top of higher than average pay and that's all the incentive needed for some Big truck truck drivers to change their mind about pullin' doubles.
What it all boils down to in the end, on both ends, is the money.
Show me the money.
That's what it's all really about.
Single trailer, doubles or triples, ----
they're all exactly the same,
only different.

Next question? :smt025

 

It's funny when a subcontractor slams into our pups landing gear, It's their own fault for not heeding the warning on the trailer and causes damage to the tractor.
Not going to public display that warning ,Can't read your own fault.