Trailers lenghts

[Manitoba Moose]

I didn't want to take the importance away from the bluffs, Lake Mary thread so I started a new one in reference to what Mr. Speed had commented about trailer lenghts. Others commented that shippers were asking for longer trailers, etc.

In my humble opinion, if you think back a few years, the longest flatbed anyone had was 45' long. Then someone came along and manufactured a 48'. Guess the reasoning at the time would have been "You can make a lot more money with a longer trailer". Today, everyones asking for a 53', or maxi's, or B-Trains or longer.

I'm with Mr. Speed on this issue. We have 48' decks and, god willing, will stay with 48's. If we had 53's, they'd want 59' or 65' or.... you get what I mean.

And then some of the brokers and larger (read richer) carriers probably use that as a sales tool and walk into a customer and tell him he should be ordering 53' decks and cut his shipping costs.

Has anyone sat back and actually figured out the cost of running longer decks? The cost of more horsepower to pull these longer decks? The cost to the economy? The ecological costs? I'm not that bright and wouldn't know where to start but I do notice that trucking isn't getting better with longer trailers...

And last but not least, the prices paid to the carrier do not increase proportionately with the lenght of the trailer. I see loads posted for $1.50 a mile for 48', 53', and even for maxi's and B-trains.

So will someone please explain to me why I need to invest $60 grand for 5' of trailer? How will I recoup my investment?

 

[Pablo]

Not the answer you want to hear

I know it's not the answer you want to hear, but the answer is because your competition will and if you don't follow suit, they'll have a competitive advantage over you.

 

[loaders]

Manitoba Moose, you hit the nail on the head when you said "reduced shipping costs". Lets face it, we all serve the same one master - the shipper. Every advancement in the transportation industry is designed to do just that.
Longer trailers, more fuel efficient power units, pallet exchange, whatever! It is not rocket science here, whoever serves this master the best, gets the business.

 

[Manitoba Moose]

You're right, its not the answer I want to hear.

Like my mom always said to me when I was a kid, "If they jump off a bridge, are you going to jump too?"

Premium trailers should command a premium rate and 53' + decks are premium trailers. In the past, 53' decks had a 20 - 25% premium over 48' decks, as they should. But today, everyone is pricing out 53' at standard 48' prices.

How do I walk into the bank and say "Mr. Banker, I need to borrow $60K because my competition are supplying longer trailers and I need to buy one too so that I can keep up with them." "And BTW, I'm not going to be making anymore dollars than I am today."

 

[mrspeed19692006]

Some people missed my point, yes vans shot out to 53' in no time, but comparing them to decks is comparing apples to oranges. Vans, the weights ALWAYS vary and usually weight isn't that much of an issue. With the decks, it's always a weight game and usually we max out weight wise. It doesn't matter if you have a 53' or a 48' , 47k is 47k but now if your pulling a 53' you better cut that down by another 2k. Logic would dictate that "most flatbed shippers" would want to be able to max out the weight rather than linear footage. Why would anybody want to go and dump 60k into equipment that only a few shippers want? Most shippers need a wake up call, and a "few" brokers need a schmuck, because it seems that the premiums that we used to get for units like Rolltites, Steps etc. has dissapeared.

 

[alx]

There is a strange law in Ontario that limits the wheelbase of your tractor to 244" if you are hauling a 53' trailer, the same law is in force in Quebec but I have never been bathered by it. Only the jurisdiction of Ontario in all North America seems to enforce it.
I found out the hard way after having hauled from MTL to Texas in a 53' dry for two years every week , until one day the equipment was inspected by a particular older enforcement officer at the London ON. scale.
We ended up with a $300.00 fine , but the crusher was we could not move that trailer with that tractor in any way shape or form. Had to call a friend who went to scale and picked up our trailer and dropped it a few miles down the road. We hooked up, and were came home to Qubec without incident.
Apparently there is no way around this and no special permits are issued. That tractor with a 250" wheel base now only goes South. It takes quite a set of eyes to notice a 6" discrepancy in the wheelbase.
So be careful and make sure your tractor can haul a 53' in Ontario!!!!