When starting your trucking business, one common challenge is choosing the different trucking equipment types to use. Each type of trailer comes with different considerations and deciding which one is best for your company is important.
Luckily, we put together a list of the most common types of trucking equipment and when to use them. Keep reading to learn more about each and determine which one you should choose for your trucking business.
Truck Types and Equipment
Refrigerated Trailers (Reefers)
Maximum Freight Capacity: 45,000 lbs.
A refrigerated truck or reefer trailer is a type of trucking equipment that transports freight that requires a temperature-controlled environment. Reefer trucks have a cooling system and insulated walls that are designed to keep perishables goods cold or frozen. Some of the common types of goods transported in reefer trucks include:
- Pharmaceuticals
- Personal care products
- Chemicals
- Food or beverages
Due to the need to keep goods in a temperature-controlled setting, refrigerated trucks often cost more to fuel given the cooling system built into the trailer.
Hotshot Trailers
Maximum Freight Capacity: 16,500 lbs.
Hotshot trailers consist of a flatbed that is attached to a medium or heavy-duty pickup truck. While these trailers aren’t your typical semi-truck, they are still capable of hauling loads locally, regionally or nationwide.
One of the main benefits of using a hotshot trailer is the low cost involved in hauling freight. What’s more, this type of trucking equipment is perfect for trucking companies who focus on shorter hauls without the cost involved with operating a semi.
Additionally, hotshot trailers are good for those just starting out in the trucking industry. The versatility of this trailer reduced several of the barriers that new drivers need to jump through when starting their own trucking company.
Flatbed Trailers
Maximum Freight Capacity: 48,000 lbs.
Flatbed trailers are one of the most common types of trucking equipment due to their versatility and capacity limits. Unlike a typical trucking container, flatbed trailers do not have an enclosed element around the freight. Therefore, flatbed drivers are able to haul oversized loads easier than they would if using a standard dry van.
Some of the common types of freight that flatbeds haul include:
- Auto parts
- Construction equipment and excavators
- Lumber
- Solar Panels
- Steel
When using a flatbed trailer, always remember to secure the load using chains, straps, or other types of fasteners.
Dry Van Trailers
Maximum Freight Capacity: 45,000 lbs.
A dry van truck has an enclosed trailer that is used to haul freight that cannot be exposed to the elements. Typically, dry can trailers have a loading dock at the back of the truck that drivers can use to load the freight.
Dry vans are the most common type of trailer used for transporting consumer goods such as:
- Clothing
- Furniture
- Electronics
They can also haul other types of goods such as machinery, parts, non-perishables and other household items.
Trucking companies that often ship or receive goods using at loading docks will benefit from the design of a dry van trailer.
Power-Only Trucks
While not a trailer, power-only trucking is a way to transport freight using the semi-truck and driver. Oftentimes, carriers will use this type of trucking equipment to supply the method of transportation but not the trailer used to carry the load.
A power-only truck is rare because they aren’t usually hauling a load. When you see a power-only, they are usually on their way to a load or just coming back from one.
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At Porter Freight Funding, we can connect your trucking company with our network of dispatch partners across the country. Let us handle the hard work of dispatching so that you can haul more loads and access higher-paying freight opportunities.
We help dispatch all types of trucking equipment including:
Partner with Porter Freight Funding and let us help you increase your loads and grow your trucking business. Contact us today to learn more about our dispatching services!
