While the trailer part of the tractor trailer combination is probably the least sexy of the two, without it, freight transport simply wouldn’t happen. Yet, there is so much more to a trailer than the freight that travels inside of it. In fact, trailers have become highly customized in the 21st century.
Even for trucking companies who do not have highly specialized trailer needs, customization options are available to help make life easier for your truck drivers. But why do you need to focus on such customizations? Well, consider the job. Anything that makes life easier for your truck drivers should be welcome, especially if it creates a safer environment, decreases maintenance needs, increases fuel savings, and provides a greater return on investment over the lifetime of your trailer.
Off-Road Trailer Safety
Trucking companies have a lot of headwinds to contend with, from a truck driver shortage to frivolous lawsuits and so much more, so anything that improves the safety of the truck driver and fellow motorists should be seriously considered. Fortunately, trailer technologies are moving in this direction. Trailers can now be outfitted with safety features that can help reduce your insurance premiums and keep your truck drivers safe, reduce downtime, and prevent unwanted inspections and audits.
So, what kind of options are we talking about? Gone are the days when companies had to work with the standard box trailer. Today, fleets can invest in truck driver-focused options, from side doors to steps, handrails, gladhands, skylights, interior lights and so much more. These are the types of options that can not only make loading and unloading safer, but they make you a more attractive employment option for potential recruits. During a time when recruiting qualified truck drivers is harder than ever, you need whatever advantage you can get.
Vocational trailers can also be outfitted for safety. For these kinds of trailers your best bet is to invest in in-cab controls. Whether your operation requires the use of dumps, lift axles, or tailgates, in-cab controls will make your truck drivers much happier.
Also consider how truck drivers enter the cab. Have you considered a front access door in the trailer so that your truck drivers don’t have to get out and go around to gain access to the trailer compartment? You can even outfit the trailer for electrical tarp deployment or install integrated stairways.
On-Road Trailer Safety
While air disc brakes have been in vogue for heavy duty commercial motor vehicles for quite some time, now they are catching on for trailers. Sure, they are a bit pricier, especially for a trailer, but it is important to remember that you simply can’t put a price on keeping your truck drivers and – by default – everyone else on the road safe.
Other on-road safety options for trailers include upgraded rear underride and impact guards. There is a tradeoff, however, when utilizing underride and impact guards because they add extra weight, so you may see a bit of a hit to fuel consumption, but it far more than makes up for it when it comes to increased safety for your operators.
You may also want to take a second look at your trailer’s exterior lights. Some fleets are setting up highly customized lighting configurations, whether it be several mid-term signals or bright red flasher capable lights on the rear door. Upper rear auxiliary brake lights are also becoming a popular spec for customized trailers. Trailer OEMs have been redesigning exterior lights, making them both brighter and more visible.
Motor carriers that run heavy haulers during times of low light, whether at dawn, dusk, or at night, might opt to outfit their trailers with strobe lights or lights on the gooseneck. This way, when the trailer is detached, it is still easily visible to others on the road or in the yard.
If you run your trailers in harsh weather, you may also want to consider investing in options that prevent corrosion. As we have talked about before, corrosion is your enemy. Consider investing in galvanized landing gear, which will prevent your metal from rusting and corroding over time.
Spec More Efficient Trailers
Have you considered spec’ing options that make your trailers operate more efficiently? When it comes to the payloads being carried around by your trailers, consider options that increase your trailers’ overall capacity, whether through light-weighting or other means. Light-weighting is defined as spec’ing lightweight trailer components, such as wheels, suspension, and wheel-end components.
When you make your trailers more efficient, you increase fuel efficiency. Remember, safety and fuel efficiency are not mutually exclusive. You can still operate trailers with advanced safety technology and outfit them with aerodynamic devices, skirts, tails, vortex generators, and more.
The buzzword in trucking right now is telematics. Trucking companies large and small are leveraging the power of technology through telematics to dramatically improve their operations. And while most fleet managers might assume that the realm of telematics is only in the cab, trailers are increasingly becoming an end point for telematics technologies.
Some trailer telematics technologies you can invest in today include:
- Trailer tracking/GPS
- Door sensors
- Temperature sensors
- Automatic tire inflation
- Light-out detection
- Wheel-end vibration sensors
- Cargo detection sensors
- In-trailer cargo cameras
While some of these add-ons can run up the cash register, they are critical to ensuring you increase your safety margins. And since they can easily be installed on your trailers, there really is no excuse not to invest in them. Still, some smaller fleets may simply be unable to afford the cost. In those cases, it is important to complete a cost benefit analysis.
Matching Trailer to Freight
When you are evaluating your trailers, and how to accessorize them, you’ve got to consider the freight you plan on hauling. From floor choices to the types of securement you utilize, cargo considerations are key. This is especially important if you operate in the oversize or heavy haul sector. Plenty of us have seen the huge, heavy, and wide hauls going down the road with big construction equipment. These trailers have special needs.
Box trailer load securement options may have space requirements. You may want to opt for horizontal or flush-mount tracks or an interior motorized decking system. Some fleets are even looking at investing in drop trailers instead of your standard 53-footer. This may be preferable in situations where the loads cube out before being weighed.
Even open-top trailers are now a thing. Ask a truck driver 20 years ago if they would be coming more into fashion and he or she would have laughed at you. Now, some fleets haul cargo that needs to be loaded and unloaded with a crane, both in and out the top of the trailer. As construction becomes more specialized, so to do trailers.
Fleets are also adding sides, bulkheads, and tailgates to their flatbed trailers. You might have a shipper hauling different types of freight in different directions on the flatbed. In one direction it may behave one way and, in another direction, behave another. The fact is, there are a lot of customization options when it comes to cargo securement.
Long Live Your Trailers
If there is one thing you should remember when you are making decisions about how to outfit your trailers, it should be lifespan. Even if something adds cost up front, if it extends the life of your trailer and reduces overall maintenance costs, it may be worth it in the long run. Accessories like corner protectors and heavy-duty scuff liners protect against various kinds of damage that reduce the life of your trailers.
You may even want to consider ceiling liners to protect damage from forklifts. OEMs actually make a lot of different options to protect trailers from forklifts. Some are now making trailers with the bow on the exterior of the trailer roof, instead of inside where it can be hit by a forklift.
For those operating in harsh, winter conditions, if you aren’t outfitting your trailers for corrosion resistance, you aren’t going to get a long life out of them. You want to make sure your kingpins, crossmembers, suspension hangers, and landing gear is all galvanized against the elements.
While there is no one-stop-shop answer on how to outfit your trailers, if you evaluate everything, from the types of freight to the routes you take, you’ll be sure to make the right decisions. With so many accessories available to enhance trailers, it is likely you can’t go wrong, whatever you choose.