Question:
Can a curtainside trailer be used to haul dry van freight? Or would the walls not be stong enough? How about flatbed loads, can they be haul on this???
Hey, if life throws you a curve ball, try and take a swing at it. Who knows what might happen

Answer:
yes, curtain side trailers can haul dry van frieght, but if it is heavy or lots of loose items, not recommended. I don't know if you've seen the curtains up front and close, but it is a pretty strong material. And as far as flatbed frieght, you bet it'll work, although not all steel plants have the right lift for placing long steel (rebar,channel steel, etc etc). Hope this helps!
...there's nothing in this world worth a solitary dime, except old dogs and children, and watermelon wine..

Answer:
I was wondering for quite a time now, why is it in the US that there are mainly only dry vans/reefers and flatbeds in operation? As far as I have learned from various internet sites curtainside trailers are by far less common in your country than they are in Europe.
Heck, over here you can even get a curtainside trailer with isolated curtains and a Thermo King unit (good for general freight one way and fruit/vegetables back) or a curtainside trailer with a curtain on only one side and a rigid van wall on the other (probably good for dedicated runs when loading/unloading from one side only).
Or curtainside trailers with a recess in the floor to load (and to secure) coils of steel or aluminium.
My personal, very roughly, estimation is that over here (except for special equipment, containers etc.) curtainside trailers are about 50 %, dry vans/reefers are about 30 - 40 % and flatbeds are only about 10 - 20 % of the OTR equipment.
Anyone has a guess about these differences, or am I completely wrong?
Sorry for this long post, but I found this place to be very interesting and at times even funny .
Finally, it's "a place open to all".
TravelAgent

Answer:
Originally posted by TravelAgent:
I was wondering for quite a time now, why is it in the US that there are mainly only dry vans/reefers and flatbeds in operation? As far as I have learned from various internet sites curtainside trailers are by far less common in your country than they are in Europe.
Heck, over here you can even get a curtainside trailer with isolated curtains and a Thermo King unit (good for general freight one way and fruit/vegetables back) or a curtainside trailer with a curtain on only one side and a rigid van wall on the other (probably good for dedicated runs when loading/unloading from one side only).
Or curtainside trailers with a recess in the floor to load (and to secure) coils of steel or aluminium.
My personal, very roughly, estimation is that over here (except for special equipment, containers etc.) curtainside trailers are about 50 %, dry vans/reefers are about 30 - 40 % and flatbeds are only about 10 - 20 % of the OTR equipment.
Anyone has a guess about these differences, or am I completely wrong?
Sorry for this long post, but I found this place to be very interesting and at times even funny .
Finally, it's "a place open to all".
TravelAgent
Now, that would be something good for us. Trucking companies would be able to haul just about everything on one truck. Now, that would be something to go from a Hazmated load of batteries on the trailer then, to a reefer load of meat to a flatbed load of steel pipe. S H I T think of the possiblities.
Hey, if life throws you a curve ball, try and take a swing at it. Who knows what might happen

Answer:
Originally posted by midnightrunner:
Now, that would be something good for us. Trucking companies would be able to haul just about everything on one truck. Now, that would be something to go from a Hazmated load of batteries on the trailer then, to a reefer load of meat to a flatbed load of steel pipe. S H I T think of the possiblities.
Hey, if life throws you a curve ball, try and take a swing at it. Who knows what might happen
There are some very strict guidelines when it comes to hauling haz mat and food grade products in regards to type of flooring used, to clean out procedures, etc. and going from batteries to food would violate one or more of the regs or be more problems than what it is worth.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
Answer:
Well, how about just flat, dry and reefer goods, No Hazmat?
Hey, if life throws you a curve ball, try and take a swing at it. Who knows what might happen

Answer:
I'd just like to see a Curtainside Reefer.
Mike
Answer:
Don't be giving these companies ideas like that. I pull a curtainside, and I sure as hell am NOT going back to hauling meat/groceries or veggies of any kind! I do haul steel and building products and consider them accounts a totally different world from the grocery whse. or produce dock. To even think of going back to a reefer makes me shudder
Better to have it and not need it as need it and not have it!Just remember:If the world did'nt suck, you'd fall off!
The more I see and read about Republicans and Democrats, the more I wish we had an Independent Party.
IMPEACH BUSH!!!!!!!!!!

Answer:
I asked a driver about this when I was in Europe on vacation once, and he said that a lot of it was due to the fact that in America, most loading docks are set up to load/unload from the end of the trailer, while in Europe there are very many docks that are set up to load/unload a trailer from the side. While some European trailers had several doors on the side, a curtainside was much easier to load with a forklift because there are so few obstructions as compared to a hardside trailer.
PP
Keep electing the same kinds of politicians and you will keep getting the same kind of government.
Answer:
A couple of sites that show how versatile curtainsiders are;
www.krueger.com.au/
www.maxitrans.com.au

Answer:
Got An E-mail Back From Nu-Van Trailers in Texas this is what they had to say..
Dear George,
Hazardous Materials. Anything that can hauledon a flatbed trailer can be hauled in a curtainside. Particular types of Hazardous Materials require specific types of methods to secure them but that is easily accomplished. Harzadous placards are required and those are installed on the front panel and the rear doors and also on the side rails just as they would be on a flatbed.
Insulated curtains are not common in the U.S. but make up about 35 % of the curtains in the European Market. Since or Curtain Mfg. has a facility in England that makes these regularly for that market we have access to their techniques and materials. Insulated curtains consist of a standard 28 oz. material for the external layer and then a second 18 oz. layer of material for the rear curtain which sandwiches the insulating blanket between the two curtains. R factor required determines the thnckness of the insulating blanket. That blanket also influeneces the cost, the wt. and the ease with which the curtain can be pulled open and closed. Weight goes up by about 500 lbs on insultated curtains and price increases by about $3,500.00 depending on blanket and its weight, (heavier blankets require additional roof supports).
We can make you whatever trailer that you require in a minimum quantity of ONE.....
So, I guess it is possible to Have a flatbed and a reefer trailer in one so you can haul everything. I guess this opens more possiblities now for carriers or owner opperators .
Hey, if life throws you a curve ball, try and take a swing at it. Who knows what might happen

Answer:
midnightrunner,
thanks for the info.
Although I see insulated and cooling-generator-equipped curtainside trailers every now and then on German Autobahns, I couldn't find a link to a site of an European manufacturer or user of such equipment. In Australia and New Zealand they seem to be quite common.
TravelAgent

Answer:
To see curtainsiders,or Tautliners,as reefers have a look at;
www.truckhub.com.au/search-keyword-results.asp.1=1&KeyWord=curtainsider+fridge&DS=1&type=Trailers&SOTypeID=3100
(If this link doesn't work,go to www.ihub.com.au and search in "Trucks and Trailers)
Also a few more trailer sites that build reefer curtainsiders;
www.sxtrailers.com.au
www.opheetrailers.com.au
www.brown_hurley.com.au/id37.html
www.vawdrey.com.au/products_f.htm

Answer:
NUVAN Technologies builds one of the best vans on the market. We have quite a few of their curtain setups on Wabash and Wilson trailers, and I just dropped a brand new Fruehauf air ride trailer yesterday that I had for a week. Nice trailer Air powered slider along with air suspension and a NUVan curtain made work a little easier! I picked up a older Wilson trailer with the older style curtain, and after a considerable amount of "talking to it" finally got it strapped down and buttoned up . Gonna miss that Fruehauf for sure. Oh well life goes on---and I'm headin for Albuquerque!
Better to have it and not need it as need it and not have it!Just remember:If the world did'nt suck, you'd fall off!
The more I see and read about Republicans and Democrats, the more I wish we had an Independent Party.
IMPEACH BUSH!!!!!!!!!!

Answer:
Originally posted by RABELAM:
I'd just like to see a Curtainside Reefer.
Mike
Marathon Cheese Corp. has some curtainside reefers. And yes I know they are curtainsides because I looked at them myself. Razz you might be familiar with Marathon Cheese since their terminal is only about 25 miles north of Roehls terminal.
Mr Chicken