Which Trailer Do You Need?

When you think of open-air trailers, you probably think of a flatbed. Certainly the most common kind of trailer, the flatbed is capable of transporting a wide variety of freight, everything from steel lumber to equipment and containers. 

Flatbeds are easy to load and unload with a forklift or crane. The 48-foot flatbed trailer is the most common, but you’ll also find flatbeds in 24, 40, 45, 48 and 53 feet. 

Also known as drop-decks, the step-deck trailer is another one of the most commonly used trailer types on the road today. A familiar flatbed alternative, the step-deck trailer has an upper deck and a lower deck, allowing taller loads to be more easily transported. Typically 48 feet long, the step-deck is often found with an 11-foot upper deck and 37-foot lower deck. But, they can go up to as long as 53 feet.  

Lowboys — also known as double-drops — are among the lowest trailers on the market. Thanks to two drops below the gooseneck and the back wheels, lowboys can carry non-permitted modules up to 11 feet 6 inches and carry anywhere from 40,000 to 80,000 pounds. Because of its low drop and high weight capacity, a lowboy is ideal for tall, heavy modules. 

While an RGN might look like a lowboy, there’s one key difference that makes this trailer totally unique. On an RGN, the gooseneck at the front of the trailer can be removed from the tractor, making a ramp that’s easy for on and offloading. The deck length is typically less than 30 feet long, so module length will be limited. 

Also known as ‘floats,’ these specialized trailers have the ability to move their deck up and down to load modules onto cribbing and offload modules off of cribbing. These hydraulic carriers are critical for the safe loading and unloading of certain kinds of loads, like wood framed modular structures that could otherwise be damaged by torsional forces when lifted by a crane.