53' dry van specs

[rollincoal]

I'm wondering how most of the expedite companies Load One, Panther, XPO, etc typically spec their 53' dry van trailers for mostly automotive freight. I thought what I had were good specs - sheet & post trailer with logistics posts on 16" centers, plastic lined walls, & aluminium roof - beginning to think maybe overkill with posts on 16" centers though.

They were on 24" centers in my old trailer and I thought closer together would be more useful. In fact a few times it has been. But still...Hindsight is always 20/20.

The issue I am having is people getting into those posts and tearing them up. I just wonder was there maybe a better way? Or maybe I am just lucky like that with all of the damages? I've come to hate any sort of racks load that cubes out the trailer anymore.

I wonder if I would have had less issues maybe with logistics posts on 48" centers or maybe even a plate trailer. Maybe it doesn't matter what the inside of a trailer is like there are always some idiots who will try and destroy them? Just curious what some of you guys that have been doing this a long time think.

 

[jelliott]

We run all plate trailers. I think we beef ours to 18 in cross member spacing vs 24 inch. Needed.....probably not but cost difference isnt much. We do plastic scuff, I like it a lot better but if you have to replace it, it is a bigger job and you need some special tools. We run skirts on our trailers, and I put anti-roll over on all of them. I don't do external rub rails on ours as we don't drop often in automotive plants or get side damage. We do use the metal scuff to protect the roof. We run a row on the inner outside edges and down the center. We only do the last like 15 feet of trailer as that is where most damage happens with racks and dock plates.

 

[rollincoal]

Approximately how wide are your ceiling scuffs on the right, left & center? I always slide my tandems to the rear and have the anti-dock walk device on the rear axle but still had a hole knocked in the roof. Scuff protection would have prevented it.

How long do you keep your plate trailers and do you experience any fatigue issues towards the end of their cycle?

I saw an Averitt trailer with approx 10" wide plastic scuff about half way up the interior wall running the length of the trailer. It was probably on some dedicated run a solution to an ongoing problem with that customer or something.

That would work for me but then I would lose a little space by doing it. Hesitant to do that but the way they are hooking into my logistics posts and pulling them out is killing me.

 

[jelliott]

I trade roughly every 5 years. Not that they need traded but we keep them very well maintained and we get a good trade value on them and it keeps our fleet very new. Never had any fatigue issues. The scuffs are roughly 18 inches I think. They are the standard metal scuff used on most sheet and post trailers on the sidewalk floor.

We have done the mid level scuff for one dedicated run. The racks were a terrible design and would damage the sidewalls.