Dry van versus flat bed trailers – What to use, and why

Freight Rate Central

What are two of the most common types of trucking trailers seen today on the road? The dry van trailers and the flatbed trailers are the most popular trailers used for freight shipping services on the road today. These trailers are used to haul a vast variety of freight types, but each has its own characteristics and specific roles in the freight shipping industry. Freight Rate Central. is a freight shipping company that specializes in dry van shipping and flatbed trailer shipping services, as well as many other types of freight shipping services. Freight Rate Central specializes in freight shipping services by working with over 1000 of the top shipping companies; because of this they are able to leverage freight rates to provide you with the best possible service and rates.

Flatbed shipping costLet’s take a look at some of the differences between the two most popular trailer types used for freight shipping services. The flat bed trailers are extremely versatile for transportation, but the most convenient thing about this trailer is the variety of options it has for unloading or loading and the ability to haul large and oversized objects or machinery that would not be possible with standard trailers. The flat bed trailers is flat and has open sides and back, this allows the cargo to be loaded and unloaded from the sides or the back of the trailer without interference from the trailer itself. A forklift can be used to load and unload anything from palletized loads, machinery, equipment and more. Since the flatbed trailers have no sides or top, even a crane can be used to move freight from the trailer. While the trailer is great for versatility, the downside is that cargo is not protected from the elements other than a tarp system.

53' Dry Van Shipping QuoteDry van trailers are a fully enclosed trailer where the freight is typically loaded and unloaded from the rear of the trailer. This can be done several ways, the most common way these trailers are used is for hauling commercial goods, trailers are backed up to a loading dock, the loading dock is the same height as the floor of the trailer, this makes for ease of loading and unloading of the trailer through the use of a forklift or pallet jacks. Forklifts can also be used to unload dry van trailers without a loading dock because the forklifts forks can rise up to the height of the deck on the trailer. Lastly if a loading dock and forklift are not available, some dry van trailers can be equipped with a lift gate, the lift gate will allow the freight on the truck to be lowered from the trailer deck to the ground through a motorized deck. If you need dry van or flat bed trailer services or any other form of shipping services check out our website and see what we have to offer!

Scroll to Top