For decades, truck trailers came in basically two varieties: the enclosed van and the flatbed. Unfortunately, freight just kept getting more and more diverse, with different types demanding greater flexibility for hauling as well as options for loading and unloading. While progress was slow to catch up with these demands, the arrival of the curtainside trailer in the American market from Europe in the 1990s was a game-changing event for haulers and shippers alike.
What is a curtainside? It's basically a hybrid that combines the best of an enclosed van and a flatbed. Built on a flatbed foundation, the curtainside integrates a hard-shell roof, bulkhead and a standard rear door like a van. However, the sidewalls make all the difference. Instead of rigid, stationary metal, heavy-duty side curtains retract rapidly and the enclosed van opens up to provide the open accessibility of a flatbed. Curtainsides are generally available as purpose-built units constructed from the ground up or as modifications to be added to existing flatbeds.
- Curtainsides adapt to a wide variety of freight, as well as the differing load and unload scenarios encountered on any given day. Fragile or sensitive freight can be quick-loaded from three sides like a flatbed when the curtains are open, then receive all the shelter and security of an enclosed van after the curtains are drawn. Large or odd-sized freight that requires a flatbed surface gets it on a curtainside. However, the time-consuming and even hazardous process of tarping imposed by a standard flatbed is eliminated as the driver simply secures the load with straps, then draws the curtain.
- Where a conventional loading dock isn’t present or available, curtainsides easily adapt to loading and unloading from either or both sides by hand or forklift.
- Multiple loads in a single trailer become doable as the limitations of “first on/last off” are eliminated and all freight is accessible, all the time, simply by retracting the curtains. Back-haul services to shippers are enhanced by a curtainside because freight can be added to the trailer along the route without impeding access to other shipments. The traditional revenue-drain of deadheading—returning an empty trailer all the way back to Point A—becomes a thing of the past.
If you're interested in learning more about how curtainside trailers can enhance your unique fleet, our knowledgable team is ready to help:
