Every freight type, explained

Open-deck trailers: flatbed, step deck, RGN and Conestoga

Open-deck trailers have no walls and no roof. Freight is loaded from the sides or from above by forklift or crane, then secured to the deck. They carry the freight that cannot go through the back doors of a box trailer: steel, lumber, pipe, machinery, building materials, vehicles and anything too tall or too wide.

Flatbed

The standard flatbed is 48 or 53 feet long and 8 feet 6 inches wide, with the deck about 5 feet off the ground. It typically carries up to roughly 45,000 to 48,000 pounds, depending on the truck. Freight that is up to about 8 feet 6 inches tall stays within the common 13-foot-6-inch height limit. Drivers secure each load with chains for heavy steel and machinery, straps for lighter freight, edge protectors so straps do not cut the cargo, and tarps when the freight must stay dry. Federal cargo securement rules set how many tie-downs a load needs based on its length and weight.

Typical flatbed freight: steel coils and beams, rebar, lumber and trusses, pipe, roofing and building materials, construction equipment and pallets of heavy goods that are easier to load from the side.

Step deck (drop deck)

A step deck has a short upper deck over the tractor and a long lower deck about 3.5 feet off the ground. The lower deck lets taller freight, up to about 10 feet high, travel without an oversize height permit. Step decks often carry tall machinery, tractors, generators, HVAC units and equipment that rolls on and off with ramps.

RGN and lowboy

For the tallest and heaviest machinery, a removable gooseneck (RGN) or lowboy trailer puts the deck only about 2 feet off the ground. On an RGN the front neck detaches, so equipment can drive straight onto the deck. Excavators, dozers, cranes and large industrial machines move this way, usually with oversize permits, and sometimes with escort vehicles and set travel hours.

Conestoga

A Conestoga trailer is a flatbed or step deck with a rolling tarp system on a frame. The cover slides back like an accordion so the trailer can be loaded from the side or above like a flatbed, then closes to protect the freight like a van. It is popular for finished goods, machinery and freight that must stay clean and dry but cannot be loaded through doors.

Hotshot

Hotshot loads ride on a shorter flatbed pulled by a heavy-duty pickup. They suit smaller, urgent loads, such as a machine part or a few pallets that need to arrive today, and many run within the region around Cincinnati.

Dry van: the everyday trailer

The enclosed dry van carries most of the freight on American highways: packaged consumer goods, paper, plastics, auto parts, beverages, furniture and almost anything boxed or palletized that does not need temperature control.

• Size: the standard van is 53 feet long and about 8 feet 6 inches wide, with an interior height of roughly 9 feet. Shorter 28-foot "pup" trailers are common in LTL networks.
• Capacity: 26 standard 48 × 40 inch pallets fit on the floor in a single layer, more if the freight can be stacked, up to roughly 42,000 to 45,000 pounds of cargo.
• Doors: most vans have swing doors that open fully at a dock; some have roll-up doors for city deliveries where there is no room to swing them.
• Securing: load bars and straps keep pallets from shifting, and the shipper usually seals the doors on a full load and writes the seal number on the bill of lading.

Dry vans load and unload at dock height, so most pickups and deliveries happen at warehouse doors. For a business without a dock, ask for a liftgate truck or a smaller box truck.

Refrigerated (reefer) freight

A reefer is an insulated van with a refrigeration unit on the front. It can keep freight frozen, chilled or simply protected from heat and freezing, usually anywhere from well below zero to around 70 °F.

• What moves by reefer: produce, meat, poultry and seafood, dairy, frozen foods, beverages, candy and chocolate in summer, flowers, pharmaceuticals and some chemicals.
• Set point: the shipper gives the exact temperature on the bill of lading, and the driver pre-cools the trailer before loading.
• Continuous or cycle: continuous mode keeps air moving all the time, which sensitive freight like produce needs; cycle mode turns the unit on and off to save fuel and suits frozen goods.
• Food safety: federal sanitary transportation rules require clean trailers and proper temperature control for food, and many receivers check the temperature record at delivery.

Reefer capacity gets tight in spring and summer produce season and before the holidays, so book early when you can.

LTL and partial loads

Not every shipment needs a whole trailer. Less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments, usually one to six pallets, share a trailer with other freight. Partial loads, often six to twelve pallets, share a truck with one or two other shipments but skip most of the terminal handling of LTL.

• Freight class: LTL is priced by weight, distance and freight class, a standard scale based mostly on density and how easily the freight is damaged. Dense, sturdy freight costs less to move per pound than light, bulky freight.
• Packaging: stretch-wrap and band every pallet, keep freight inside the pallet edges and label each piece with the pickup and delivery addresses.
• Extras: liftgate service, residential delivery, inside delivery and appointment delivery are added services, so mention them when you request a quote.

Oversize, vehicles and other special freight

Loads wider than 8 feet 6 inches, taller than the legal height, longer than the trailer or heavier than about 80,000 pounds gross need oversize or overweight permits from each state on the route, including the Ohio Department of Transportation for moves through Ohio. Depending on the size, the move may need escorts, signs and flags, and travel only in daylight.

Vehicles move on open car haulers or enclosed trailers. Tell us the year, make and model and whether the vehicle runs. Machinery moves on step decks and RGNs, and the loading plan, whether by forklift, crane or drive-on, should be confirmed before the truck arrives.

Deliveries around Cincinnati and the tri-state

From our building at 5601 Helen Street, Samad trucks reach the whole Cincinnati metro area and the surrounding tri-state region every day.

Cincinnati and Ohio suburbs

Downtown and the riverfront, Queensgate and the Mill Creek industrial corridor, Blue Ash, Sharonville, Evendale, Norwood, Mason, West Chester, Fairfield, Hamilton and Middletown, Lebanon and Monroe along I-75 and I-71.

Northern Kentucky

Covington, Newport, Florence, Erlanger, Hebron and the CVG airport cargo area, Walton and the I-75 distribution parks.

Southeast Indiana and the region

Lawrenceburg and Aurora in Indiana, Dayton and Springfield to the north, Columbus, Lexington, Louisville and Indianapolis within a few hours' drive.

What makes city deliveries different

• Delivery windows: downtown businesses and stores often receive only in the early morning, before traffic and customers.
• No dock: many city addresses need a liftgate or a smaller truck, so tell us when you book.
• Access: low bridges, tight streets and weight-restricted roads affect which truck can go where.
• Contact on site: a name and phone number at the delivery address saves time when the driver arrives.

Warehouse and dock scheduling

Every load starts and ends at a dock. How that dock is scheduled decides whether the truck waits for minutes or for hours.

Appointment or first come, first served

Large distribution centers, grocery warehouses and retailers usually require a delivery appointment, booked ahead through a scheduling portal, by email or by phone. The truck must arrive within its window; late trucks may be turned away and rescheduled. Smaller warehouses often work first come, first served (FCFS) during receiving hours, so arriving early matters.

Live unload, drop trailer and drop and hook

With a live unload the driver waits while the trailer is unloaded. With a drop trailer the carrier leaves the loaded trailer at the dock and returns for it later, and drop and hook means the driver leaves one trailer and takes another. Drop programs keep drivers moving and are common at busy warehouses.

Cross-dock

Cross-docking moves freight straight from an inbound trailer to outbound trucks with little or no storage in between. It is used to split a full load into several deliveries, or to combine several shipments into one outbound truckload.

Check-in, lumpers and detention

• Check-in: drivers check in at the gate or shipping office with the load number, the appointment number and the seal number.
• Lumpers: some warehouses use a third-party crew to unload, paid per load.
• Detention: when a truck waits longer than the free time, often about two hours, carriers charge for the extra time.

Tips for faster loading

Have freight staged and wrapped before the truck arrives, share appointment and reference numbers when you book, confirm receiving hours for holidays, and give the driver a contact on site. At our own warehouse, Samad's dispatch schedules our docks and our trucks together, so loads are ready when the truck backs in.

Which trailer do I need? A quick decision guide

Start with the freight, not the truck. These questions point to the right equipment in almost every case.

1. Does it have to stay cold or protected from heat? Then it needs a reefer, whatever its size.
2. Is it boxed or on pallets, and loaded at a dock? A dry van is the usual answer. If it fills less than half a trailer, compare LTL and partial rates.
3. Is it too tall, too wide or too heavy to go through the back doors, or must it be loaded by crane or from the side? Then it needs an open deck: a flatbed for freight up to about 8.5 feet tall, a step deck up to about 10 feet, and an RGN or lowboy for taller or heavier machinery.
4. Must open-deck freight stay clean and dry? Ask for tarps, or a Conestoga trailer with a rolling cover.
5. Is it a vehicle? Choose an open car hauler for everyday cars and an enclosed trailer for high-value, classic or new vehicles.
6. Is it small but urgent? A hotshot or a dedicated small truck can deliver the same day across the region.

If you are not sure, send us the dimensions, the weight, a photo and the pickup and delivery addresses. Samad's dispatch will tell you what fits, and why.

Loading and securing checklist

Good loading protects the freight, the truck and everyone on the road. Before any trailer leaves the dock:

• Weight: spread it evenly along the trailer, with the heaviest pieces low and centered over the axles. An overweight axle can mean a ticket at the scale and a reload.
• Blocking and bracing: fill gaps in a van with load bars, airbags or dunnage so pallets cannot slide when the truck brakes or turns.
• Tie-downs on open decks: use enough chains or straps for the length and weight of the load, protect edges, and check tension after the first miles of the trip.
• Tarps: secure tarps so wind cannot catch them, especially on highways like I-71 and I-75.
• Paperwork: piece count, weight, seal number and any temperature setting written on the bill of lading before the driver signs.
• Photos: take pictures of the loaded freight and the seal. They settle most questions at delivery.

Questions