What is the benefit of doubles?
 

I'm missing something here: Two 28 ft. trailers is only 56 feet, 3 feet more than a 53 ft. trailer. So what is the benefit?

Steve

3 feet, the ability to get a trailer into a tighter area, the ability to drop half your load in a yard, the ability to keep your customers' freight separated. Need I go on?

Still Puzzled
 

Pallets are four feet so the xtra three feet is unusable, most yards are huge so the need for 'tighter' is moot in my experience, dropping half a load is a waste of time if the option is moving a trailer once versus twice, and other than hazmat, why keep a load separated? The economics of using all space for freight is more important (in my thinking.)

Steve

Re: Still Puzzled
 

Trucker math.


28 feet / 4 feet = 7 rows of pallets. vs. 53 feet / 4 feet = 13 rows of pallets. This is assuming that you were actually correct on that 4 foot pallet size. I better tell that company that put 30 pallets in my trailer the other day with room for 2 more that they need to take 4 pallets off me.

truck pulling 2 pup's leaves chicago stops at milwaukee drops 1 pup to be unloaded picks up 1 loaded pup and runs (with two) to green bay.

not all freight is on pallets (ever heard of floor load) and few very pallets are 4ft X 4ft i've had loads were they truned the pallets sideways so they could load two more if they were 4 X 4 that wouldn't work.

we run alot of fedex, ups, bax & conway and about 30% of the load is on the floor. to big or to long to sit on a pallet.

Good Points
 

OK, thanks for the pointer. There is multiple layers to this so bear with me. We have about 11 trucks (53 ft.) running every week from Indianapolis to NC, so I'm trying to think through the economics of going to doubles.

So if we could add an extra row of pallets to each load, do you think this would justify the purchase of doubles? Just assuming general LTL commodity prices, I'm not sure the benefit outweghs the upfront cost of purchasing set ups for doubles (trailers, dolly's, etc.)

Steve

Re: Still Puzzled
 

Is the 28 feet measured on the inside? or on the outside???

Re: Still Puzzled
 

sound like you have never been to a ups/overnight of a fedex/watkins were they have to use a yard dog to put my 53 in and out of the dock because their isn't enought room to turn around a highway truck,

Re: Still Puzzled
 

Ask the OP. I was using his numbers. :wink:

Benefits

1. Single drive axle on the tractor=better fuel economy and more maneuverable and longer tire life and less tare weight.

2. Easier weight distribution because of the axles being out at the end.

3. No more sliding axles

Pitfalls

1. Reverse? HA (disclaimer, I have seen some do it, but not without the aid of witchcraft)

2. Gotta chain up alot more often than a tandem in the winter

3. There is a reason they are called wiggle wagons. :lol:

4. Kind of a pain to make and break the set every time you need to bump a dock.