Which Kind Of Trailer Do You Prefer?
Topic 10659 | Page 1
Hey Joseph, that's a good question, and it is one that gets discussed in here fairly often. Here's a link to an informative and entertaining discussion we had not too long ago... hauling different types of freight.
You can also get some great insight on this subject by reading our Truck Driver's Career Guide.
Hey Joe, we have this one covered for you really well. Here's are some resources to help out:
Types Of Trailers - Our main wiki page which covers the various types of trailers you can pull and the differences between them when it comes to job duties, home time, and pay. This page has links to pages for each of the various types with tons of information on each one.
Choosing The Right Truck Driving Job - an entire category of articles that will help you understand the differences between different types of companies and different types of freight. Scroll down near the bottom and you'll see an 8 part series I wrote which covers the various types of freight and the differences between them.
Trucker's Career Guide Chapter 5: Choosing Your First Truck Driving Job - a chapter in our Truck Driver's Career Guide which also covers the various types of jobs available and what they're like.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
Hey Joseph, that's a good question, and it is one that gets discussed in here fairly often. Here's a link to an informative and entertaining discussion we had not too long ago... hauling different types of freight.
You can also get some great insight on this subject by reading our Truck Driver's Career Guide.
Awesome thanks man
Hey Joe, we have this one covered for you really well. Here's are some resources to help out:
Types Of Trailers - Our main wiki page which covers the various types of trailers you can pull and the differences between them when it comes to job duties, home time, and pay. This page has links to pages for each of the various types with tons of information on each one.
Choosing The Right Truck Driving Job - an entire category of articles that will help you understand the differences between different types of companies and different types of freight. Scroll down near the bottom and you'll see an 8 part series I wrote which covers the various types of freight and the differences between them.
Trucker's Career Guide Chapter 5: Choosing Your First Truck Driving Job - a chapter in our Truck Driver's Career Guide which also covers the various types of jobs available and what they're like.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
I recently had to make the same decision. Like previous guys have pointed out, the aforementioned articles spell out the pros and cons of each type. All I knew for sure was that I did not want flatbed and I would not want to do tanker until I have more experience. That left dry van and reefer. I ended up choosing reefer primarily because they tend to have longer runs and greater chance of coast-to-coast runs (the Knight recruiter told me that their dry van runs are typically 300-600 miles whereas reefer runs are usually 700-1500). I know that reefers also tend to longer wait times for loading/unloading and you to bother with the reefer but at this point I think will be my best choice. I think that after a year or so experience, I would like to switch to dry van or tanker regional. But like Brett said, don't sweat it too much. You are not locked into a specific type of trailer forever -- it's not like you're married to it. You can always switch to another division later on.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
I'm in Prime's training program and am in a reefer. People told me I wouldn't be able to sleep cause of the hum....but after driving all night I have crashed with no problem. Plus with Prime...not every run is a reefer. ...ive done a couple dry runs already. ..and only been driving since tues. I like this. ..it works for me. I wouldn't want to strap down and tarp the flatbeds....and the idea of the tanker surge gave me pause. .I have enough to get used to without worrying about that
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
Thanks for the feedback everyone! I'm starting school on the 12th of October and i am very excited/nervous to say the least. I have a bunch of pre-hires which makes me feel pretty good about the whole thing.
Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Pre-hires:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
I start school this month as well.. leaning towards reefer i have exp there being that i was a truck loader for several yrs and have worked with cold freight.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
I run dry van. Considered reefer , but darn glad for the choice I made, because those reefers are so damn noisy. This profession is inherently loud, and it's a rare moment when I can find quiet. Still, I can occasionally park at a customer, or maybe a rest area up north when I will be the only truck there. I can shut down and enjoy some genuine silence. If I had a reefer, I would never be able to get away from it humming away back there. Almost never fails, if another truck shows up, it will park RIGHT NEXT to me, and it will be a REEFER! Ha! 'Spose this may seem silly to some folks, but I've found that it matters to me.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I gotta say Reefer or Dry Van are about the easiest for a newbie but at Prime almost 1/3rd go Flatbed...they think they will get a workout and stay in shape by tarping but all of us reefer drivers know they just get hot, wet & sweaty plus a little stinky throwing those tarps around but it's all good. I'm going to switch to Tanker after this Winter is over and then maybe try Flatbed in the Fall...Right now I PSD/TNT Train newbies running Reefer at Prime and enjoy it because there is usually plenty of work for us...The appointment Hrs can be a little annoying and the noise of the Reefer Beasts can be hard to adjust to in the beginning but soon you'll sleep like a baby even with the reefer running so it's really up to you and what you want to do in the Industry
Ken C.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
PSD:
Prime Student Driver
Prime Inc has a CDL training program and the first phase is referred to as PSD. You'll get your permit and then 10,000 miles of on the road instruction.
The following is from Prime's website:
Prime’s PSD begins with you obtaining your CDL permit. Then you’ll go on the road with a certified CDL instructor for no less than 75 hours of one-on-one behind the wheel training. After training, you’ll return to Prime’s corporate headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, for final CDL state testing and your CDL license.
Obtain CDL Permit / 4 Days
- Enter program, study and test for Missouri CDL permit.
- Start driving/training at Prime Training Center in Springfield, Missouri.
- Work toward 40,000 training dispatched miles (minimum) with food allowance while without CDL (Food allowance is paid back with future earnings).
On-the-Road Instruction / 10,000 Miles
- Train with experienced certified CDL instructor for 3-4 weeks in a real world environment.
- Get 75 hours of behind-the-wheel time with one-on-one student/instructor ratio.
- Earn 10,000 miles toward total 40,000 miles needed.
TNT:
Trainer-N-Trainee
Prime Inc has their own CDL training program and it's divided into two phases - PSD and TNT.
The PSD (Prime Student Driver) phase is where you'll get your permit and then go on the road for 10,000 miles with a trainer. When you come back you'll get your CDL license and enter the TNT phase.
The TNT phase is the second phase of training where you'll go on the road with an experienced driver for 30,000 miles of team driving. You'll receive 14¢ per mile ($700 per week guaranteed) during this phase. Once you're finished with TNT training you will be assigned a truck to run solo.
New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
Why Join Trucking Truth?
- The High Road Training Program
- The High Road Article Series
- The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
- Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted
Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth
Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:
TT On Facebook
one question recruiters keep asking me is what type of freight am I interested in delivering? Honestly I'm not sure, I'm just excited to start school and get my career going. What do you prefer? What are some advantages/disadvantages of the different kind of trailers? (ie; reefer , dry van , tanker etc.) any feedback is much appreciated!
Thanks, Joe
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.