Truck & Car Guides / Trailers & loads
Trailers & loads
Dry vans, reefers, flatbeds, lowboys, tankers and more, plus how loads are tied down, how weight limits work and what makes a load oversize.
The trailer decides almost everything about a trucking job: what you haul, how you load it, how you secure it and how much it pays. These guides walk through the main trailer types and the rules of thumb that keep cargo on the deck and axles within their limits.
TrailersCar haulers: how vehicles get to the dealershipCar haulers fit a parking lot's worth of vehicles onto one rig. Here is how stinger and high-mount carriers work, the jobs they do and why the work takes real skill.
TrailersCargo securement basicsThe physics and the general rules behind tying down a load, from how many straps a piece of freight needs to how often drivers must check them.
TrailersDry vans and reefersThe enclosed box trailers that move most of the goods on store shelves. How they are built, how they are loaded, and what makes refrigerated freight different.
TrailersFlatbed and step deck trailersOpen-deck trailers haul steel, lumber, machinery and anything too big for a box. Here is how flatbeds and step decks compare and what flatbed drivers actually do.
TrailersIntermodal containers and drayageThe steel shipping container changed world trade. Here is how containers move between ships, trains and trucks, and what drayage drivers do at ports and rail yards.
TrailersLowboy and RGN trailersWhen a bulldozer or a transformer needs to travel, it rides on a lowboy. Here is how lowboys and removable gooseneck trailers work and why heavy haul is its own world.
TrailersOversize loads and heavy haulWind-turbine blades, transformers and giant mining machines need permits, escorts and careful route planning. Here is how oversize and overweight moves work in general.
TrailersTanker trucks and liquid surgeTankers haul fuel, milk, chemicals and dry bulk. Liquid that sloshes changes how the truck drives, which is why tank work needs its own endorsement.
TrailersTrailer types comparedA side-by-side look at the main semi-trailer types in North America, what each one hauls, how it loads and what skills it demands from the driver.
TrailersTruck weight limits and the bridge formulaWhy most US trucks top out at 80,000 pounds, how axle limits work, and what the federal bridge formula is protecting. General US terms, with links to official sources.