Mobile Storage Solutions Blog

Transport trailers, also known as semi-trailers, are an essential part of the transportation industry. They are typically used to transport large quantities of goods, materials, or equipment over long distances but save money & provide flexibility as when used as storage trailers. In this article, we will discuss what transport trailers are, how they work, and what they are good for.

What are Transport Trailers?

A transport trailer is a large, wheeled vehicle that is designed to be towed by a truck or tractor. The most common is a 53 foot trailer and can carry up to 80,000 pounds of cargo. Transport trailers are typically made of steel or aluminum and feature a box-shaped cargo container that is mounted on a chassis. The container is designed to be easily loaded and unloaded using a forklift or other equipment.

How do Transport Trailers Work?

Transport trailers are typically designed to be towed by a tractor or truck with a fifth-wheel hitch. The hitch is located on the rear of the tractor and connects to the kingpin on the front of the trailer. The trailer is supported by two or more axles, which are mounted on the chassis. The axles feature a suspension system that helps to absorb shocks and vibrations during transport.

Transport trailers are also equipped with brakes and lights, which are controlled by the driver of the towing vehicle. The driver must have a commercial driver’s license (CDL) to operate a transport trailer, as they require specialized training and skills.

What are Transport Trailers Good For?

Transport trailers are ideal for transporting large quantities of goods or equipment over long distances. They are commonly used in the shipping industry to transport goods from one location to another. They are also used in the construction industry to transport heavy equipment, such as excavators, bulldozers, and cranes.

Transport trailers are also used in the retail industry to transport goods from distribution centers to retail stores. They are often used to transport products such as clothing, electronics, and household goods. Additionally, transport trailers are used in the food industry to transport perishable items, such as fruits, vegetables, and meat products.

There are several different types of transport trailers available, each designed to meet specific transportation or mobile storage needs.

What are Transport Trailers Types?

• Dry Van Trailers – Also known as box trailers, dry van trailers are enclosed containers that are used to transport a wide range of dry goods, such as clothing, electronics, and household items.
• Flatbed Trailers – Flatbed trailers feature an open, flat platform with no sides or roof, making them ideal for transporting oversized or irregularly-shaped items, such as construction equipment, vehicles, and large machinery.
• Refrigerated Trailers – Refrigerated trailers, also known as reefers, are temperature-controlled containers that are used to transport perishable goods, such as fruits, vegetables, and meat products. These trailers are equipped with refrigeration units that maintain a constant temperature inside the container.
• Lowboy Trailers – Lowboy trailers are designed for transporting oversized or overweight items, such as large machinery, construction equipment, and vehicles. They feature a low platform and a lower center of gravity, making them ideal for carrying heavy loads.
• Tank Trailers – Tank trailers are used to transport liquids, such as gasoline, oil, and chemicals. They are typically made of aluminum or stainless steel and are designed to safely transport hazardous materials.
• Dump Trailers – Dump trailers are designed to transport loose materials, such as sand, gravel, and construction debris. They feature an open container that can be raised and tilted to dump the contents onto the ground.
• Livestock Trailers – Livestock trailers are used to transport livestock, such as cattle, horses, and pigs. They are typically made of steel and feature multiple compartments to separate the animals during transport.

Each type of transport trailer is designed to meet specific transportation needs, and choosing the right trailer for storage or your transportation needs is essential for ensuring that your goods or materials are transported safely and efficiently.

Conclusion

Transport trailers are an essential part of the transportation industry, allowing goods and materials to be transported efficiently over long distances. They are versatile, durable, and can carry a wide range of goods and equipment. Whether you are in the shipping, construction, retail, or food industry, transport trailers are an excellent option for storage or transporting your goods and materials.

In North America, the combination vehicles made up of a powered truck and one or more semitrailers are known as “semis”, “semitrailers”, “tractor-trailers”, “big rigs”, “semi trucks”, “eighteen-wheelers”, or “semi-tractor trailers”.

The tractor unit typically has two or three axles; those built for hauling heavy-duty commercial-construction machinery may have as many as five, some often being lift axles.

The most common tractor-cab layout has a forward engine, one steering axle, and two drive axles. The fifth-wheel trailer coupling on most tractor trucks is movable fore and aft, to allow adjustment in the weight distribution over its rear axle(s).

Ubiquitous in Europe, but less common in North America since the 1990s, is the cabover engine configuration, where the driver sits next to, or over the engine. With changes in the US to the maximum length of the combined vehicle, the cabover was largely phased out of North American over-the-road (long-haul) service by 2007. Cabovers were difficult to service, as the cab could not be lifted on its hinges to a full 90-degree forward tilt, severely limiting access to the front part of the engine.

As of 2016, a truck can cost $100,000, while the diesel cost can be $70,000 per year. Trucks average from 4 to 8 miles per US gallon (59 to 29 L/100 km), with fuel economy standards requiring better than 7 miles per US gallon (34 L/100 km) efficiency by 2014. Power requirements in standard conditions are 170 hp at 55 mph (89 km/h) or 280 hp at 70 mph (113 km/h), and somewhat different power usage in other conditions.
Rocky Mountain Double
STAA double pup 28.5-foot trailers

The cargo trailer usually has tandem axles at the rear, each of which has dual wheels, or eight tires on the trailer, four per axle. In the US it is common to refer to the number of wheel hubs, rather than the number of tires; an axle can have either single or dual tires with no legal difference. The combination of eight tires on the trailer and ten tires on the tractor is what led to the moniker eighteen wheeler, although this term is considered by some truckers to be a misnomer (the term “eighteen-wheeler” is a nickname for a five-axle over-the-road combination). Many trailers are equipped with movable tandem axles to allow adjusting the weight distribution.

To connect the second of a set of doubles to the first trailer, and to support the front half of the second trailer, a converter gear known as a “dolly” is used. This has one or two axles, a fifth-wheel coupling for the rear trailer, and a tongue with a ring-hitch coupling for the forward trailer. Individual states may further allow longer vehicles, known as “longer combination vehicles” (or LCVs), and may allow them to operate on roads other than Interstates.

Long combination vehicle types include:

1. Doubles (officially “STAA doubles”, known colloquially as “a set of joints”): Two 28.5 ft (8.7 m) trailers.
2. Triples: Three 28.5 ft (8.7 m) trailers.
3. Turnpike Doubles: Two 48 ft (14.6 m) trailers.
4. Rocky Mountain Doubles: One 40 to 53 ft (12.2 to 16.2 m) trailer (though usually no more than 48 ft (14.6 m)) and one 28.5 ft (8.7 m) trailer (known as a “pup”).
5. In Canada, a Turnpike Double is two 53 ft (16.2 m) trailers, and a Rocky Mountain Double is a 50 ft (15.2 m) trailer with a 24 ft (7.3 m) “pup”.

Future long combination vehicles under consideration and study for the U.S. MAP-21 transportation bill are container doubles. These combinations are under study for potential recommendation in November 2014:

1. 40 ft (12 m) trailer Turnpike Doubles, 148,000 lb (67,000 kg) GVWR
2. 40 ft (12 m) and 20 ft (6.1 m) trailer Rocky Mountain Doubles, 134,000 lb (61,000 kg) GVWR
3. Double 20 ft (6.1 m) trailers.

The US federal government, which only regulates the Interstate Highway System, does not set maximum length requirements (except on auto and boat transporters), only minimums. Tractors can pull two or three trailers if the combination is legal in that state. Weight maximums are 20,000 lb (9,100 kg) on a single axle, 34,000 lb (15,000 kg) on a tandem, and 80,000 lb (36,000 kg) total for any vehicle or combination. There is a maximum width of 8.5 ft (2.6 m) and no maximum height.

Roads other than the Interstates are regulated by the individual states, and laws vary widely. Maximum weight varies between 80,000 lb (36,000 kg) to 171,000 lb (78,000 kg), depending on the combination. Most states restrict operation of larger tandem trailer setups such as triple units, turnpike doubles and Rocky-Mountain doubles. Reasons for limiting the legal trailer configurations include both safety concerns and the impracticality of designing and constructing roads that can accommodate the larger wheelbase of these vehicles and the larger minimum turning radii associated with them. In general, these configurations are restricted to the Interstates. Except for these units, double setups are not restricted to certain roads any more than a single setup. They are also not restricted by weather conditions or “difficulty of operation”. The Canadian province of Ontario, however, does have weather-related operating restrictions for larger tandem trailer setups.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-trailer_truck

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-trailer

A semi-trailer is a trailer without a front axle. A large proportion of its weight is supported by a road tractor, by a detachable front axle assembly known as a dolly, or by the tail of another trailer. A semi-trailer is normally equipped with landing gear (legs which can be lowered) to support it when it is uncoupled.

A road tractor coupled to a semi-trailer is often called a semi-trailer truck or semi, or in the UK an articulated lorry.

In Australian English, the tractor unit is usually referred to as a prime-mover; and the combination of a prime-mover and trailer is known as a semi-trailer or semi. Semi-trailers with two trailer units are B-Doubles or road trains. A B-double consists of a prime mover towing two semi-trailers, where the first semi-trailer is connected to the prime mover by a fifth wheel coupling and the second semi-trailer is connected to the first semi-trailer by a fifth wheel coupling. A road train means a combination, other than a B-Double, consisting of a motor vehicle towing at least two trailers (counting as a single trailer a converter dolly supporting a semi-trailer).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-trailer

Different types of semi-trailers are designed to haul different cargoes.

Common widths are 8 feet (2.44 m), and 2.6 metres (8 ft 6.4 in).

Box
The most common type of trailer. Also called a van trailer.
Standard lengths in North America are 28 ft 0 in (8.53 m), 32 ft 0 in (9.75 m), 34 ft 0 in (10.36 m), 36 ft 0 in (10.97 m), 40 ft 0 in (12.19 m), 45 ft 0 in (13.72 m), 48 ft 0 in (14.63 m) and 53 ft 0 in (16.15 m).

Bus
A bus bodied trailer hitched to a tractor unit to form a trailer bus, a simple alternative to building a rigid bus.

Car-carrying trailer
Carries multiple cars; usually new cars from the manufacturer. In the U.S., car carriers often carry used vehicles, as well.

Curtain sider
A curtain sider is similar to a box trailer except that the sides are movable curtains made of reinforced fabric coated with a waterproof coating. The purpose of a curtain sider is to allow the security and weather resistance of a box trailer with the ease of loading of a flatbed.

Drop-deck trailer
A drop-deck trailer is a trailer on which the floor drops down a level once clear of the tractor unit; the most common types of drop-deck trailer are flatbeds and curtain siders.

Double decker
Double deckers or deckers are trailers with either a fixed, hinged or moveable second floor to enable them to carry more palletised goods. In general a double decker can carry 40 pallets, as opposed to 26 for a standard trailer. Double deck trailers are generally a stepped box or curtain siders, with box trailers having either a fixed or movable (floating) deck, and curtain sides having either a fixed or hinged second deck; this hinged second deck generally swings into a position down the length of the trailer, and can be divided into 2 or 3 sections to allow greater load flexibility.

Dry Bulk
Resembles a big tanker, but is used for sugar, flour, and other dry powder materials.

Flatbed
Consists of just a load floor and removable side rails and a bulkhead in front to protect the tractor in the event of a load shift. Can haul almost anything that can be stacked on and strapped down.

Lowboy
Type of flatbed in which the load floor is as close to the ground as possible. Most commonly used to haul heavy equipment, cranes, bulldozers, etc.

Reefer – see Refrigerator truck
Box trailer with a heating/cooling unit (reefer) attached. Used for hauling produce, ice cream, etc.

Sidelifter
Semi-trailer with hydraulic cranes mounted at both ends of the chassis allowing for the loading and unloading of shipping containers without the need of a forklift or other container handling equipment.

Tanker – see Tank truck
Used for hauling liquids such as gasoline, milk, orange juice, and alcohol.

Frac
A type of tank trailer with a single and fixed axle, typically used during hydraulic fracturing at oil wells.