Each time I check our load board for loads, the gross revenue by trailer type goes like this: double-drops - most revenue, flatbeds - 2nd place; and stepdecks - 8 or 10 positions below. However when I look at the rate per mile, the rate for DD is the highest but the next one is Step, not Flat (even though the total line haul for a run is usually higher on a flat, for some reason).

So, I came up with this simple point system to evaluate what the best trailer might be for Landstar. You never know ... that guy who called me from Toronto might be serious about taking over my Conestoga step

10 points means the best, 1 is the worst. I have 5 categories:

1. price/cost of entry: the lower the trailer's price is the higher the score is
2. potential maximum line haul (gross revenue): this is what posted on the board as 'line haul', not 'rate per mile"
3. load variety: a better trailer would be able to accommodate other trailer type loads: higher score means "better trailer"
4. comfortable work environment: here I mostly evaluate how easy it is to work with a particular trailer, especially the height of the deck
5. personal safety when dealing with loads (risk of injury, stress, etc): high score means "better trailer" and less potential injuries
6. abundance of loads: how easy it is to find a load for this particular trailer

The contenders are..

Category 1
Flat - 10; Step53 - 9; DD - 8 (DD is the most expensive trailer)

Category 2
Flat - 9; Step53 - 8; DD - 10 (gross revenue is the highest with DD, flats - next; steps are in the rear)

Category 3
Flat - 9; Step53 - 10; DD - 8 (Step53 is the most versatile as it can take many DD and Flat loads)

Category 4
Flat - 8; Step53 - 10; DD - 9 (steps are easiest to work on; flats are worse than DD because of the height)

Category 5
Flat - 9; Step53 - 10; DD - 8 (DD is bad because of all those OD loads where you have to crawl around the load with chains 20 ft off the ground step53 is best

Category 6
Flat - 10; Step53 - 9; DD - 8 (flatbed loads are everywhere; but you might sit awhile with a step or dd)

To sum it up;

Flat - 55 points
Step53 - 56
DD - 51.

The winner is a 53 ft stepdeck trailer but only by a small margin.

from my observations the double drop is the lowest to the ground so it shoud be easier to chian up. most double drop loads are wheeled or tracked machinery and those only usually require 5-6 chains some flags and your oversize banners and your off to the races, or off to wait on permits. even loads that dont drive on or off have tie points that are pretty close to the ground. also a double drop allows you to make more revenue per mile and run less miles, therefore causing a little less wear and tear to the truck, and it also puts you in more of a niche maket were landstar agents will be calling you for load. thers an article in overdrive magizine about the 2008 driver of the year and he has a double drop and a step deck that he pull for landstar. he says he uses the double drop most of the time but keeps the step around just incase freight dries up for the other trailer.

"off to the races" with a 14 ft tall load? i don't think it's that easy. most loads i checked online that require a DD trailer are either too wide or too tall. that's extra stress. By the way, I found the story about the 2008 trucker of the year at OverDriveOnline. Yes, he used mostly his DD trailer while the 3 axle step sat at home, but then next year there was another interveiw with him and he was complaining that rates were dropping like flies. I don't think his tridem step sits at home as much as it used to

well you shouldnt go off to the races but the guys i know are usually runing on a regional basis and that allows them to run annual permits so they pretty much know most of the roads and what to watch out for. they for the most part load it up and chain it down and get to going. in his case even though thes rate droped by having that trailer and knowing how to use it, it can still fetch pretty good rate compared to other trailers. and yes there will be more work and stress but more risk equals more reward. so i guess its all what your into, but i willing to guess theres still so money in it it just takes more time.

If I were you I would check with some agents who regularly have the type of freight and run the lanes that you would prefer to run and ask them about rates and availability of freight. I don't recall seeing many double drops with Landstar, but talking with some who do pull a double drop they seem to do well.

Talked to one agent who posted a load for a "LOW2" trailer (2-axle lowboy). Half of the time double-drops and lowboys refer to the same thing, so I asked this agent why he used "LOW2". He said he needed a RGN, not just a double-drop. This particular guy is using DD description only for the stuff that can be loaded and unloaded with a crane or forklift (WITHOUT removable goose neck); while others call all such trailers double-drops. To add to the confusion, Landstar has 2 trailer groups to describe "double drop trailers": one is "DUBL"; the other "LOWB". "DUBL" includes trailers such as DD, DD3, DD3, DD6, DD3e (tridem extendable); and "LOWB" has: LOW2, LOW3 and so on.

Look on Landstars FOR SALE board, wonder why there are SOOOOO many DD for sale??? LOL

I would go with a Step if I was you Tracer. Get a set of ramps that can also double as load-bearing stands and then you can haul step and flat!!!!

I ran a step at LS and I pulled both loads, and you can always call the broker on a FLAT load and see it's dimensions. 90% of the time, i was able to haul them on the step w/o even using my ramps. Just some FYI

Oh, also try and get a step with the container pins..... widens your options even more!

That's what I do now with my Conestoga STEP: mostly I call on Flat loads and then verify if they will fit on a step; and then verify for the second time, if they will fit on a trailer with a sliding tarp system Now, when the Conestoga is taken off, I"ll have to make one less verification. The problem with steps is each and every time I check the Landstar board for top paying loads, steps are never near the top. First, it's DD or LOWB and then FLATS. I'm talking about gross revenue, not pay per mile. Pay per mile tends to be higher with steps, but I'd rather make $5k a week in one trip, than 500 bucks on 20 trips. But if I was to buy a step again, I'd definitely go with at least 40 ft on the main deck, and a sliding 2-position tandem (where the front axle can be either 120" and 72" away from the rear axle). 72" is the maximum allowed spacing in Alberta Canada where you can still put the province's max (17,000 kg or 37,400 lbs) on the trailer tandems. Also, in Ontario Canada 72" tandems are rated for the same weight as 120" spreads: 19,100 kg or 42,000 lbs). My current Wilson has a 61" fixed axle spread

I still think you should just sell your trailer, come on over to Quality Carriers and run tanks from Chicago to Ontario...... damn good $$$ and you'd be home a lot!!!