flatbed size dooes it realy matter?
 

do I stand a better chance getting a load with a 48x102 flatbed
than a 48x96 flatbed ?

I'M LOOKING INTO BUYING A FLAT BED AN I FIND THAT A 48X96 HAS A LOWER PRICE THAN A 48X102.

WHAT WOULD BE THA DIFFERENCE AS FAR AS FINDING LOADS?

I don't think it makes any difference. I have a 102 and could always get a load onto a 96.

There is one thing with the 102 that got me a lot more money. Hauling onions on pallets. Pallets are not square and on a 102 you can turn them side ways and get 2 more pallets on. With a 96 they would be hanging over.

while i was @ TMC, I hated the 96's b/c some shippers don't know how to load them properly, and stuff would always overhang, and be a bi~@# to strap and secure. plus if you have to go on top of the deck for some reason, you have more room on a 102 to step around...

My 2 cents...

What are you going to haul? I saw a 48X96 crappy old trailer hauling a load of 52 ft beams this morning and I thought. "There's a guy getting it done with what he has." If you are only going to haul certain freight that will fit on a 96 wide then buy one. If you will haul different types of loads, go for the 102. Dont advertise the 102, sometimes shippers assume load is oversize expecting a 96 trailer. Charge for the permits and load your 102, its not oversize on the 102 and you can run it all night if need be.

It has been rare that I have had a problem with a 96'' wide compared to a 102''. I have hauled about anything you can imagine on my side kit, which is 96". The main advantage is the additional room to walk around the load, and that has not made a difference in most cases. Starting with a 96" is not a bad way to get started, especially with the cheaper price tag. If you run in parts of NJ or other areas, there can be width restrictions on some routes. Some don't allow 102" trailers.

I like the 102 better. Things that are on pallets dont hang even with the rub rails , Easier to strap down, since your not suppose to run your straps on the outside of the rail. Didnt think I would like the 102 when I first got it but, seems it turned out to be a good choice. :lol:

It doesn't matter if you have a 96 or 102. Oversize doesn't count until you get past 102. Permits aren't need until then, whether you have a 96 or not.

Yeahbut, that's not what he said. He said there are some routes in NJ, and elsewhere, that don't allow 102s.

I haven't been to Yankee Land in many, many years, but I remember all kinds of signs all over Pennsylvania about no 102s, no trailers over 48', etc. I would have had to go way the hell out of my way to avoid these routes.

I am talking about route restrictions. New Jersey was writing a lot of tickets at one time to people who had 102" wide trailers on certain routes. There are also states that restrict 53' trailers on some routes. Some only allow a certain distance from the interstate. If you go into the 5 burrows of New York, you can also get plenty of ticket for width, length restrictions. They periodically get serious about their enforcement. Tickets can get pretty stiff. There are some roads in northwest California that has width and length restrictions. There is one which restricts trailers to no more than 45', if I remember correctly. Most width restrictions seem to be in the Northeast or New England.