Pallet size?

ecs_ocean · Mar 30, 2011

This may be an extremely rookie question, but what is the most common skid size people are seeing? 42x48, 42x40, 48x48?

Thanks

chefdennis · Mar 30, 2011

44x48, 48x48, 48x52 metal auto bins.....you will get "under sized" skids, but those listed are the most common...for a CV...now ST's and TT's get those too, and they get all different sizes of "racks"...I had a 86x 60x 48 in the nex van the other night...

ecs_ocean · Mar 30, 2011

Thanks. I keep looking at 3500 sprinters because of gvwr, but this confirms that the 2500 is more useful

chefdennis · Mar 31, 2011

Take a look at the number of 2500 sprinters of all make on the road doing expediting and then look at the number of dual rear wheel 3500 sprinters...think all of those people made a mistake??

Wheel the 3500 offers the higher gvw, you aren't going to really benefit over the 2500 in most instances...

westmicher · Apr 2, 2011

At the risk of getting hate comments from the straight truck club, we respectfully disagree strongly. When we carry more than 3,250 lbs, we get straight truck rate. We get these at least 10% of the time, which helps the profit margin greatly... 23 MPG and straight truck rate!

Bring on the haters!

chefdennis · Apr 2, 2011

westmicher wrote:

At the risk of getting hate comments from the straight truck club, we respectfully disagree strongly. When we carry more than 3,250 lbs, we get straight truck rate. We get these at least 10% of the time, which helps the profit margin greatly... 23 MPG and straight truck rate!

I don't think anyone in a CV would disagree with you at all...as a matter of fact I have a ST load in my van right now...6 skids, 48x45x35 and 3250 lbs and it payes a ST rate...
i'll get more of them...but like you it will probably only make up 10% of my loads...so the other 90% of the time we are hauling CV freight at CV rates....

Yeap I bought my van because it can hauler bigger loads, but that was not the 1st reason and I didn't have to "modify" the wheelwells or raise floor to get those loads, the van is as it was built. But the main thing is, 1st a "newbie" shouldn't consider a Sprinter for their 1st unit. 2nd , not all carriers pay sprinters different then CV's.

As for the ST haters, LOL, since I am in the same boat as you, LOL, yeap, bring it on...

purgoose10 · Apr 2, 2011

Chef do you have 3 stacked??

chefdennis · Apr 2, 2011

Stacked 2 high, have them 3 deep...loaded 48" wide

ATeam · Apr 3, 2011

chefdennis said:
As for the ST haters, LOL, since I am in the same boat as you, LOL, yeap, bring it on...

This whole notion of hate or resentment between van and straight truck operators confuses me. I hope those of you who mention it are joking, and I hope expediter wannabees reading these threads don't get the diea that such a thing exists.

On the road, at the truck stops and other places where expediters gather, Diane and I have never seen a trace of resentment between expediters of any kind because of the kind of trucks they drive. There may be opinions about which carrier, truck brand or truck type is best but we have never seen anyone deem themselves better or worse than others because they are in a van vs. straight truck. There may be personality-based resentments that exist, like when one person decides he or she does not like another person. But resentments based on truck type? Not that we have seen.

Even the notion of van loads or straight truck loads is a muddled one. I think the majority of freight that we haul in our straight truck would be considered a van load because the one or two light skids or smaller packages would easily fit in a van or one of those new BR-unit refrigerated vans our carrier put on the road a while ago. But they often are not van loads because a dock-high truck is requested, a team is needed, a liftgate is needed, etc.

chefdennis · Apr 4, 2011

ATeam wrote:

But resentments based on truck type? Not that we have seen.

I personally was joking, that is why the "LOL's and the "Big Grin" icon....and yes I have no issue with those that drive any type pf unit, I'll talk to all of them and do...but the biggest seperation in the "classes" do most often come at the Truck Stops..with the vans and sprinters normally in the ft lot and the ST's out back with the TT's unless you know a certaim person is in a certain location, how often do we take the time to wonder the lot looking for each other...now "retail parking lots" are a different story, approaching each other is easy and I do it often....

purgoose10 · Apr 4, 2011

I used to have ST' (D) units the only reason I don't now is age and work load. Just trying to ease up on things. If those people concentrated on their truck and their business' they'd be better off, financially and personally.

highway star · Apr 4, 2011

Over the years I've heard many van folks express frustration that straight trucks sometimes haul van loads. "Van loads should go on a van!!" If there's any animosity at all, I've seen it in the van people. To me, the load Chef got is appropriate for his truck. I sure wouldn't get worked up about it, I know I'll be getting something. Overall, I'm sure I've hauled much more of "their" freight than they've hauled of "mine".

bluejaybee · Apr 4, 2011

highway star said:
Overall, I'm sure I've hauled much more of "their" freight than they've hauled of "mine".

And that is exactly what I feel. I could haul anything they can, but they can't haul everything I can. So why get uptight over it.

nightcreacher · Apr 5, 2011

The most common skid is 40 x48,then you can see others from 42x48 to 50 x52's.even 24 x36's,always fun when you get 21 skids,24x36 and the weight is 40000 lbs.Loading that is fun,need locking bars and you use 21 feet of the middle of the trailer,14 feet empty space in front and 18 feet to the rear

zero3nine · Apr 5, 2011

Yep I usually get 40x48 skids which means I can fit two perfectly behind my bed in a standard length E350 van. Most of the time my loads are a single pallet or odd shaped piece of machinery though.

fired at you from my Droideka