Barn doors vs. Roll-up doors
- Thread starter Kat123
- Start date
Jefferson3000
Expert Expediter
The one thing I didn't see mentioned in the last debate concerns liftgates. A rollup will allow you to have a rail gate, which lifts your freight completely flat. The problem with barn doors, is that rail gate hardware is mounted on the sides of the box. If you have barn doors, you are pretty much limited to a tuck-away. Just depends on your needs.
Drive Safe!
Jeff
Driver for 15 years
O/O for 13 years
OOIDA #829119
[em]"Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed." --Mark Twain[/em]
Drive Safe!
Jeff
Driver for 15 years
O/O for 13 years
OOIDA #829119
[em]"Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed." --Mark Twain[/em]
I 'spect "Airtabs" would prevent a lot of snow buildup on the rear of big trucks in the same manner as it does on my little truck
We have barn doors and like the fact the doors are the same size as the box. We have the Air Tabs and you are right there is very little build up of snow on the doors. We have an elevator lift gate so the gate is tucked completely under the truck and as such we cannot get snow build up behind the doors.
We have all ready had our first problem with the padlock. Twisted the key off in it while trying to open the lock. Bob was able to get the broke key out of the lock and use the spare key. This issue brought up a provoking thought that if we had not had a spare key and Bob had not been able to get the broke key out of the lock, we would have had to cut the lock off the truck and we would have lost that load. So the first thing we did was buy us another lock as a just in case lock! Be prepared.
We have all ready had our first problem with the padlock. Twisted the key off in it while trying to open the lock. Bob was able to get the broke key out of the lock and use the spare key. This issue brought up a provoking thought that if we had not had a spare key and Bob had not been able to get the broke key out of the lock, we would have had to cut the lock off the truck and we would have lost that load. So the first thing we did was buy us another lock as a just in case lock! Be prepared.
mrgoodtude
Not a Member
>We have all ready had our first problem with the padlock.
>Twisted the key off in it while trying to open the lock.
>Bob was able to get the broke key out of the lock and use
>the spare key. This issue brought up a provoking thought
>that if we had not had a spare key and Bob had not been able
>to get the broke key out of the lock, we would have had to
>cut the lock off the truck and we would have lost that load.
> So the first thing we did was buy us another lock as a just
>in case lock! Be prepared.
Good advice, the lock we use cost over $100 and the keys are laser cut meaning you can't get them at a locksmith...
You have to call the Manufacturer with the serial# to get a spare key what a PIA but the lock is SOLID.
Mike and Cyn
>Twisted the key off in it while trying to open the lock.
>Bob was able to get the broke key out of the lock and use
>the spare key. This issue brought up a provoking thought
>that if we had not had a spare key and Bob had not been able
>to get the broke key out of the lock, we would have had to
>cut the lock off the truck and we would have lost that load.
> So the first thing we did was buy us another lock as a just
>in case lock! Be prepared.
Good advice, the lock we use cost over $100 and the keys are laser cut meaning you can't get them at a locksmith...
You have to call the Manufacturer with the serial# to get a spare key what a PIA but the lock is SOLID.
Mike and Cyn
>Are you required to have one or the other for expediting
>trucks?
Yes.
Fun aside, you'll find a lot of discussion of this as you read back a year or so. I like roll up best but only have barn doors on my trucks because that's how they came. If I were building to spec rather than buying off the lot I'd have roll up with a taller cargo box.
Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
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Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
EO Forum Moderator
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>trucks?
Yes.
Fun aside, you'll find a lot of discussion of this as you read back a year or so. I like roll up best but only have barn doors on my trucks because that's how they came. If I were building to spec rather than buying off the lot I'd have roll up with a taller cargo box.
Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
OOIDA Life Member 677319, JOIN NOW
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
EO Forum Moderator
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Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
nightcreacher
Veteran Expediter
dont barn door as you call them ,give you more interior height?
Yes the barn doors do as you can stack the freight to the ceiling of the box. You do not have to worry about tracks for the door.
One point of interest though is we have only stacked freight to the ceiling a few times in this truck.
One point of interest though is we have only stacked freight to the ceiling a few times in this truck.
I have also used both kinds of doors and much prefer the barn doors, as stated they give you more interior height and also have much less chance for malfunction. Also on a reefer I feel you get a better seal. Have you ever followed a truck with roll ups down the road? Watch how much movement you get with the roll ups.
I know when it is wet and cold the roll ups are nicer but in the long run I think I would still have to go with the barn doors.
I know when it is wet and cold the roll ups are nicer but in the long run I think I would still have to go with the barn doors.
If I were going to run reefer I'd go with barn doors for the better seal. For standard freight a roll up is fine with me. I had just as much door opening height in my roll up box as my others because I ordered the box taller than a standard expediter cargo box. When I parked next to a semi I was only an inch or so shorter than his trailer. I also ordered it with what they called an air cargo door. That gave me an opening 97.6" wide. My Hercules barn door body was about 95.9" width. I was at a pickup that was 8' wide racks of radiators. They wouldn't go in and had to be turned long ways. That only allowed 4 in the truck instead of the 7 they wanted to send. Thankfully I didn't lose the load. They'd have easily fit in my roll up box. It's not just which type it is but how it's set up as well.
Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
OOIDA Life Member 677319, JOIN NOW
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
EO Forum Moderator
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Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
Leo Bricker, 73's K5LDB
OOIDA Life Member 677319, JOIN NOW
Owner, Panther trucks 5508, 5509, 5641
EO Forum Moderator
----------
Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.
I have written before that barn doors provide better seals than rollup doors, and that remains true. But as a consideration in choosing door type, I would not assign much weight to the "better seal" factor.
On a recent reefer run from New York to Washington (state), we ran with another reefer truck. Our truck had a rollup door. The other truck had swing doors. We were hauling the same freight on the same temperature set points, with both reefers set on continuous run. We ran the reefers steady from Friday afternoon to Monday morning.
On Sunday night, out of curiosity, we took our our thermal guns (infared thermometers) and studied the doors. The inside box temps remained the same on both truck through the run. The door exteriors registered the same temps, as did the metal components on both trucks...hinges on his swing doors and the door frame on our rollup door. Temps around the outside edges of the doors and along the bottoms, where the doors met the floors, also read the same on both trucks.
The difference was the rollup door outside metal frame has greater surface area than the metal hinges on the swing doors. So, in theory at least, the rollup door has greater thermal leakage than swing doors.
Another difference is the temperature reading in the extreme upper corners of the rollup door read lower than other areas. That makes sense since the seal at that part of the door is not held tightly shut by the door itself when the door is closed. On some trucks, if the seals are in poor condition, daylight can be seen coming in through those corners if you are standing inside the box with the door closed.
So, while it remains the case that swing doors provide better seals than rollup doors, how important is that really? Both trucks easily maintained temperature for the entire run.
If it is maintaining the thermal integrity of the freight that matters, the rollup door is the ONLY way to go. That is because of the ease with which freight is quickly loaded and unloaded with a rollup door.
With these trucks at the same pickup, the rollup door far outperformed the swing doors. We backed up to the dock with a pre-cooled box, waited until the shipper was ready, opened the rollup door, and wheeled the freight in. I then followed the freight into the box, pulled the rollup door down behind me, secured the freight, rolled the door up just far enough to get out and closed it behind me again after I exited. In all, the door was not open for more than two minutes.
The other truck's driver also entered the facility with a pre-cooled box. He then opened both swing doors before backing into the indoor loading dock. He then waited a few minutes for the shipper to arrive with the freight and wheel it into the box. He then secured the freight and did not leave the loading dock until the paperwork was completed. Finally, he exited the building and closed his doors. In all, the doors were open for 15 to 30 minutes.
Needless to say, the required pre-cooling he did before arriving at the shipper was done in vain, and the fuel used for it was wasted. We loaded after he did but were long gone before he was able to bring his box back down to temp and leave the facility.
On deliveries, the same advantantages apply. If a shipper instructs you to back up to a dock, it does not matter how long you sit there. With a rollup door, freight temperature will be maintained until the last moment before the door is opened and the freight is unloaded.
With swing doors, you might find yourself at a dock with your doors open and an unexpected delay unloading the freight. That is the kind of thing that can lead to bad temperature readings while the freight remains on your truck and a freight damage claim dispute.
Yes, there are ways to protect yourself; such as documenting on the BOL and on Qualcomm the instruction to open your doors, the time it was given, and the name of the person that gave it. But why bother with all that if you do not have to? With a rollup door, you don't have to.
On runs, rollup doors perform as well as swing doors in maintaining inside box temp. At pickup and deliveries, rollup doors protect the freight (and you) best.
Yes, it is true swing doors provide better seals. But how much does that really matter at the practical level?
On a recent reefer run from New York to Washington (state), we ran with another reefer truck. Our truck had a rollup door. The other truck had swing doors. We were hauling the same freight on the same temperature set points, with both reefers set on continuous run. We ran the reefers steady from Friday afternoon to Monday morning.
On Sunday night, out of curiosity, we took our our thermal guns (infared thermometers) and studied the doors. The inside box temps remained the same on both truck through the run. The door exteriors registered the same temps, as did the metal components on both trucks...hinges on his swing doors and the door frame on our rollup door. Temps around the outside edges of the doors and along the bottoms, where the doors met the floors, also read the same on both trucks.
The difference was the rollup door outside metal frame has greater surface area than the metal hinges on the swing doors. So, in theory at least, the rollup door has greater thermal leakage than swing doors.
Another difference is the temperature reading in the extreme upper corners of the rollup door read lower than other areas. That makes sense since the seal at that part of the door is not held tightly shut by the door itself when the door is closed. On some trucks, if the seals are in poor condition, daylight can be seen coming in through those corners if you are standing inside the box with the door closed.
So, while it remains the case that swing doors provide better seals than rollup doors, how important is that really? Both trucks easily maintained temperature for the entire run.
If it is maintaining the thermal integrity of the freight that matters, the rollup door is the ONLY way to go. That is because of the ease with which freight is quickly loaded and unloaded with a rollup door.
With these trucks at the same pickup, the rollup door far outperformed the swing doors. We backed up to the dock with a pre-cooled box, waited until the shipper was ready, opened the rollup door, and wheeled the freight in. I then followed the freight into the box, pulled the rollup door down behind me, secured the freight, rolled the door up just far enough to get out and closed it behind me again after I exited. In all, the door was not open for more than two minutes.
The other truck's driver also entered the facility with a pre-cooled box. He then opened both swing doors before backing into the indoor loading dock. He then waited a few minutes for the shipper to arrive with the freight and wheel it into the box. He then secured the freight and did not leave the loading dock until the paperwork was completed. Finally, he exited the building and closed his doors. In all, the doors were open for 15 to 30 minutes.
Needless to say, the required pre-cooling he did before arriving at the shipper was done in vain, and the fuel used for it was wasted. We loaded after he did but were long gone before he was able to bring his box back down to temp and leave the facility.
On deliveries, the same advantantages apply. If a shipper instructs you to back up to a dock, it does not matter how long you sit there. With a rollup door, freight temperature will be maintained until the last moment before the door is opened and the freight is unloaded.
With swing doors, you might find yourself at a dock with your doors open and an unexpected delay unloading the freight. That is the kind of thing that can lead to bad temperature readings while the freight remains on your truck and a freight damage claim dispute.
Yes, there are ways to protect yourself; such as documenting on the BOL and on Qualcomm the instruction to open your doors, the time it was given, and the name of the person that gave it. But why bother with all that if you do not have to? With a rollup door, you don't have to.
On runs, rollup doors perform as well as swing doors in maintaining inside box temp. At pickup and deliveries, rollup doors protect the freight (and you) best.
Yes, it is true swing doors provide better seals. But how much does that really matter at the practical level?
There are other trucks that are out here that are not reefers so do not have to worry about the temperature control. Having the biggest area to carry all the freight you can sometimes will make the difference of getting a load or not. The key out here is to be available for all that you can and to us it is having the barn doors.