Trailers
There are four generic types of trailers that Semi trucks pull.
Unfortunately, I only have personal experience with the first the two, so that is what I will be covering in depth today.
- The flat bed trailer (construction equipment);
- The reefer trailer (Hauls mostly groceries;
- The car hauler;
- The tanker trailer (fuel, milk, orange juice - not together, but you get the idea...).
Unfortunately, I only have personal experience with the first the two, so that is what I will be covering in depth today.
Flatbed
Flat bed trailers (pictured below), have a slider rail along the bottom of the trailer on either side with about 9-15 winches which straps can slide into and and be secured, it has a slight bend in the trailer bed in order to help hold more weight and the axles do not slide so load placement needs to be incredibly precise.
The truck itself will have tools boxes or headache racks (- because if you hit your head on it it hurts) on it's back and then also hanging beneath the truck and trailer. This is for holding all the tools and various load-securement devices that a flat bed truck driver needs in order to secure a load. For more on load securement click here.
The truck itself will have tools boxes or headache racks (- because if you hit your head on it it hurts) on it's back and then also hanging beneath the truck and trailer. This is for holding all the tools and various load-securement devices that a flat bed truck driver needs in order to secure a load. For more on load securement click here.
Reefer
Reefer trailers (or dry box trailers) are the most common type of trailer that can be seen out on the road. They transport almost all of the items that you can see and buy in your local grocery store.
Typically, reefer loads are divided up into the type of good that is being shipped. For example, vegetables are shipped with vegetables, tools with tools, medical products with medical products and candy with candy. This means that your local grocery store will receive many different types of loads each week in order to maintain it's inventory. Some areas of the country and larger store chains have distribution centers where interstate loads are shipped to and sorted into local trucks that deliver to each store.
Every reefer trailer has it's own fuel tank - located beneath the trailer, behind the landing gear and towards the front half of the trailer. This helps keep the weight toward the front of the trailer, especially when the fuel tank is full. It also has it's own self - contained refrigeration unit which is connected to a small computer. This allows the driver to turn the unit on and off, change the temperature, set the variance (how many degrees can the temperature shift before it needs to warm up the load or cool itself), and whether it is to run continuously at a certain temperature or run efficiently. Reefer trailers can continue to run as long as they have fuel in their tanks because they are completely self contained. When the fuel runs out the unit stops and the load goes bad. Some newer trailers also have side skirts which are estimated to improve fuel mileage by 4%. This is a much debated subject.
Note: When the doors are open the reefer does not run. This information not being understood by shippers, receivers and drivers causes a lot of claims on loads every year.
For information on Reefer Load Securement click here.
Typically, reefer loads are divided up into the type of good that is being shipped. For example, vegetables are shipped with vegetables, tools with tools, medical products with medical products and candy with candy. This means that your local grocery store will receive many different types of loads each week in order to maintain it's inventory. Some areas of the country and larger store chains have distribution centers where interstate loads are shipped to and sorted into local trucks that deliver to each store.
Every reefer trailer has it's own fuel tank - located beneath the trailer, behind the landing gear and towards the front half of the trailer. This helps keep the weight toward the front of the trailer, especially when the fuel tank is full. It also has it's own self - contained refrigeration unit which is connected to a small computer. This allows the driver to turn the unit on and off, change the temperature, set the variance (how many degrees can the temperature shift before it needs to warm up the load or cool itself), and whether it is to run continuously at a certain temperature or run efficiently. Reefer trailers can continue to run as long as they have fuel in their tanks because they are completely self contained. When the fuel runs out the unit stops and the load goes bad. Some newer trailers also have side skirts which are estimated to improve fuel mileage by 4%. This is a much debated subject.
Note: When the doors are open the reefer does not run. This information not being understood by shippers, receivers and drivers causes a lot of claims on loads every year.
For information on Reefer Load Securement click here.
Tanker Trailer
Hauls fuel, milk, orange juice and many other liquids. If you are worried about this list, please note that each trailer is purely dedicated to one type of load. Some trailers have pipes and a pump in order to remove the product from inside.
Car Hauler Trailer
Hauls cars and the occasional bat mobile (that's about all I know about this one).