Truck & Trailer Types for Freight

Choosing the wrong trailer type can result in refused loads, damaged freight, or unnecessary cost. Each trailer class is engineered for a specific loading method, cargo profile, and regulatory environment. Here’s what you need to know to match your packaging to the right equipment before you book a carrier.

Dry van — the workhorse of palletized freight

A dry van is a fully enclosed, non-temperature-controlled trailer. The 53′ version is the U.S. standard and what most carriers default to when you book a load. Interior dimensions run approximately 630″ long × 98″–100″ wide × 108″–110″ tall, with a rear-door opening of roughly 94″ wide × 105″ tall. A 48′ trailer shares the same width and height profile but yields about 578″ of usable floor length.

Dry vans load from the rear only (no side access) and require a dock or liftgate for ground-level delivery. They carry 26 standard 48″ × 40″ pallets single-stacked in a 53′ trailer, or up to 52 double-stacked when product allows. Most palletized industrial packaging — gaylords, IBC totes, fiber drums — ships dry van.

Flatbed — open deck for oversized and side-loaded freight

A flatbed trailer has no walls or roof. Freight is loaded from the sides or top by crane or forklift, making it ideal for machinery, lumber, bundled pipe, and palletized goods that are too tall or wide for an enclosed trailer. Standard flatbed length is 48′ or 53′; deck height (distance from ground to deck surface) is typically 60″–62″, which leaves 98″–100″ of overhead clearance before the legal 13′6″ highway limit is reached.

All flatbed loads must comply with FMCSA Part 393 cargo securement rules: tiedown straps or chains, edge protectors, and tarping where required by the commodity. Tarping is nearly universal for freight that must arrive dry.

Refrigerated (reefer) and temperature-sensitive loads

A reefer trailer is a dry van with an integrated diesel refrigeration unit capable of maintaining temperatures from roughly −20°F to +70°F. Interior usable space is slightly smaller than a standard dry van because of insulation thickness — typically about 96″ wide and 104″–106″ tall. Reefers carry pharmaceuticals, food-grade packaging, heat-sensitive adhesives, and any product with a defined temperature requirement. Expect a 20–30% rate premium over a comparable dry-van move.

Step deck and conestoga trailers

A step deck(also called a drop deck) has a lower main deck behind the kingpin — typically 34″–36″ above the ground versus 60″–62″ on a standard flatbed. That extra overhead room is the point: a 96″-tall piece of equipment that would hit the bridge limit on a standard flatbed often ships legally on a step deck. Upper deck length is about 11′; lower deck runs 37′–40′ on a 48′ trailer.

A Conestogais a flatbed or step deck fitted with a rolling tarp system that slides the entire tarp back like a curtain, giving you side-loading convenience plus weather protection — the best of both van and flatbed, at a higher rate.

Box truck (straight truck) — local and LTL delivery

Box trucks (16′–26′) are a single-unit vehicle: the cab and box are on the same frame. They don’t require a CDL Class A (a standard Class B covers most), can access urban loading docks that can’t accommodate 53′ semis, and almost always include a liftgate. Cargo capacity on a 26′ box is roughly 1,800–2,000 cu ft with a payload of about 10,000–12,000 lb — fitting around 10–12 standard pallets.

LTL vs. FTL: shared vs. dedicated trailer

LTL (less-than-truckload)consolidates your shipment with other customers’ freight in the same trailer. Carriers charge by freight class and weight (per 100 lb). LTL suits 1–10 pallets, allows mixed-commodity loads, and is cost-efficient for smaller volumes — but transit times are longer (2–5 days regionally) and handling damage risk is higher because freight transfers terminals.

FTL (full truckload)dedicates the entire trailer to your load. You pay by the mile regardless of how much space you fill. FTL is almost always cheaper per pallet beyond 10–14 pallets, transit is faster (direct), and freight is touched only once. For bulk packaging — a full load of gaylords or pallet quantities of drums — FTL is the default.