Because not all freight is created equal—in size or profitability—a curtainside drop deck provides the ultimate array of options for hauling a wide variety of freight on a single trailer. Standard curtain side trailers are well-known for their versatility. Three-side loading/unloading options plus retractable curtains permit these hybrids to morph from standard enclosed van to flatbed and back again at any point along the route. The time-consuming and safety-challenged process of tarping big loads is also eliminated for large flatbed style freight. Conventional dry van freight, meanwhile, can be speedily loaded or unloaded from the ground if necessary, with or without an available dock. Everything loaded onto a curtainsider is always accessible wherever it may be located on the trailer, opening up options for partial loads and haul-backs.
Adding the drop-deck to the curtainside configuration opens up still more alternatives. A curtainside drop-deck consists of a short upper deck that extends about ten feet back to a point where it clears the tractor coupling. The deck then drops to a lower level that extends approximately 35 feet to the end of the trailer. About 18 inches lower than the shorter upper deck, the deck of the longer rear segment is only approximately 36 inches off the ground. To accommodate the lower span of deck, a drop deck may utilize smaller diameter “lowboy” tires.
Lower Deck, Taller Freight, Greater Stability
A curtainside drop deck can handle tall freight that won’t fit inside an industry standard dry van built to accommodate loads no higher than 102 inches. The lower deck segment of a drop-deck trailer takes loads as tall as 120 inches. Because the ground clearance is also greatly reduced, loading oversized tall freight is much easier and secure than lifting the load all the way up to a standard flatbed deck. Once it’s in place and strapped down, closing the retractable curtains protects the load from the elements without tarping. Because of the lower center of gravity, the road characteristics of a curtainside drop deck carrying tall freight are more stable than the same load on a standard, five-foot tall flatbed deck, too.
More Freight Options
A curtainside drop deck opens up a new world of high-value freight options including large machinery, vehicles, tractors and other big industrial equipment that can’t fit inside a standard trailer.
Higher Load, No Permits
In most states, the legal permissible height of a load is 13 feet 6 inches. However, when you take into account that the deck of the standard flatbed itself is at least five feet off the ground, this means that the vertical dimension of any freight you haul can’t exceed a height of 8 feet 6 inches without adding the cost of permitting for an oversized load. This rules out many profit-making opportunities for non-standard size freight. Given the 36-inch height of the lower segment of a curtainside drop deck, however, freight that is up to 10 feet tall can fit inside the enclosure, eliminating the need for a flatbed plus an expensive permit to accommodate the taller load.
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