48 or 53 trailer
 

Say you who have seen my posts before know I'm contemplating the own authority route like Steve. I am mulling over tho....hmmm 48 or 53 foot trailer, will most brokers want me to have the 53? Well running around California though I would rather have a 48 th.....hmmm and about 9k is all I should spend huh?.....havent even reasearched prices yet :-p

Pepe, I've always been a pretty good judge of people and you definitely come across as someone with a mind of his own and would do better being your own boss than being leased onto someone and having them tell you were to go.

If you're running cali you'll nee to pay close attention to kingpin distance on any trailer you look at. No more than 40' from KP to center of rearmost axle. That will eliminate most 53's.

OOPS....just realized you were probably talking about vans...I'm permanently in flatbed mode sorry. LOL.

Yeah Rank...thks but talking dry van here, sorry I should have clarified before, yeah its always a hassle going in to slide the tandems all the way forward and still make legal weight if loaded. My main concern is really wanting less swing distance in back to negotiate tightly overcrowded mall parking lots, since I will get ticketed at my godparents house if I keep the rig there too long. Would have to play a musical chairs game of moving here n there a matter of just a few blocks so I am only 24-48 hours in 1 spot.
Yeah Steve, Ive had it with these %#$$n companies thinking they own my body and soul, and I am just their slave boy. worked 7 years of being abused at USX. Max was a good man to work for, but when he turned the company over to Quinn (his bean counting partner) I was shit on constantly as a driver and trainer.
The thing is tho Steve, I am out here n just might as well make a little $ is tempting, to sign on somewhere and wait for all my authority to come through (while waiting on the papperwork for authority) other then going back to California and just sit a couple months at best waiting for it all to go through.

Some shippers will require a 53 even though loads would only require a 48-With flatbeds there's a little lenience with that.

Thks yoopr...yeah your response is more or less what I am getting at, is it better to get the 53 foot, cuz too many will require it and put up with the swing hassle, or get the 48 foot cuz not enough demand to justify the extra feet, my question is some=most?...hmmm duno

I'm definitely not going to tell you what to buy cuz if I told you to get a 48 and you came across an awesome paying load and they required a 53 I'd feel like hell. With a 53 you're pretty much covered for anything.

I think you would be better off running with a 53' trailer. It will give you greater flexibility. A lot of load which require a 53' could just as easily go on a 48'. Sometimes you can just turn the pallets and make it work. There are some lightweight loads which take up a lot of room and would need a 53'. I think you will find it more challenging to get loads with a 48' than 53'. If you plan on only running California, it is a toss up as to which way to go, but I would think you would still be better off with a 53' van. You will simply need to be careful of your king pin setting.

I FUCKING HATE THAT WHEN SHIPPERS DO THAT!!!

I unload Swift Wal-Mart dedicated trucks at the WM I work at and they often ship pallets that way. It's a PITA to have to unload them and turn them around so they can be pulled with the pallet jacks.

My reefer is a 48 spread. I run Cali all the time. But there have loads I could not haul due to my trailer length. I like the 48.

Thks all for input...
yeah G-man sounds like I better go the 53 since better for buiz, yeah running anywhere as far as I know, dont want anything into NY city tho lol...it would have to really pay lol.
After I get the 53 I will always wish I was only pulling a 48, but better not miss the extra opportunities to make a buck

If you get a 48', they may make you go up into New York. :P

If you're going dry van I would definitely go with 53. Often the lightest bulkiest loads are the highest paying ones. If it's a reefer, almost all refrigerated loads will go in a 48, except for nursery stock. However, if you ever need to haul something dry to get back to the reefer stuff, a 53 gives you some added flexibility.

they make flats that they call a cali spread.... where the back axle is mounted forward quite a bit to get the distance closer to kingpin. this enables you to have the lenght without bein in violation.. if i'm wrong someone can let me know. this is what i'm told buy this type of trailers ive seen..

That answer is all need,I live and run in Ca,Nv, if you are getting a dry van you will need a 53 or you will put yourself on the outside the market. Look around in the Los Angeles area or the bay area, up and down I-5 Ca-99, 53 foot dry vans

I would also say 53ft van. I am in Brooklyn , Bronx , Queens with it. It's only a couple feet more then a 48. :D Just keep saying that to yourself as your driving in a crazy area. :roll: I always jam the tandems all the way up when going to a tight spot. On a real note, I'd say 85% of the loads I do or brokers call me with are 53ft.

OK here's another newbee question why is the California kingpin distance different then other states and why are the rear wheels moved up and back?? Bill

Here's a twist on the subject. Does the king pin have to be the same one that's hooked to the 5th wheel or can you have an extra one glued to the trailer for the 40 ft rule? :lol:

California Length laws

Yeah its not really a problem tho Bill....you just slide the tandems all the way forward when going into CA.(and your legal). The problem is the way they load the truck maybe your not legal weight then so scale the weight close to the shipper with the tandems all the way forward, if not legal then go back to the shipper and make them re load it cuz once I had to move cargo around in a trailer once myself at Cajone Pass and thats not fun Ill tell ya!
Think is like Sid says just keep telling myslef its the same lol...problem is any way I could shave thjat 5 foot off I would....cuz with all those $%^$ 4 wheelers darting around me in mall parking lots Ill wish I did have a 48 footer.