I'm thinking of possibly buying a dry van. It would depend on an account I'm trying to get and they have both flat and van freight. After looking at them on Truckpaper I have some questions.

I like the ones with the plywood side walls and a double strip of plywood at the bottom to protect from forklift damage. Is this the best kind of side walls to get?

Some have aluminum roofs, some have plywood roofs, why?

I do want two rows of etrack on the side walls. Any thing else as far as securement I should look for?

I do want a vented trailer.

Some have stainless steel front and back doors. why? what's the purpose?

Right now I'm looking at Great Danes, they seem to have a good name. Are there comparable trailer brands that might have a little cheaper price?

Anything you guys can think of to add I would appreciate it.

What does SSL interior side lining mean? Stainless steel?

Translucent roofs are nice but they tend to crack after time.

i'm a huge fan of utility trailers, great dane and hyundai. i'm a fan of the plywood lining, it saves your trailer alot when people are trying to really squeeze freight in. the trailer i pull every day has 3 sets of etrack. the one thats built in to the wall and 2 along the wall the length of the trailer. i do have a translucent roof and its a love hate thing. its brutal in the summer it does crack but its nice when its light outside.

New trailer demand is still down by 30%, and well hell... new equipment is now 30% more expensive, than a year ago.

My guess on the S/S front and back, is for strength. I like the translucent ceiling, and I like to see chain ties in the floor, and I like 16' rachet straps.
Mostly though, I like posters of Shania plastered all over the walls.

I've only pulled a dry van a few times. We mostly run reefers, and haul about 40% dry freight with them.
You have to be the "most interesting driver in the world" sometimes, to pull dry freight on an aluminum floor with just some stinkin' load locks. LOL

If I had it to do all over again... I'd double my efforts to win Shania's love and devotion,
and I'd pull grain trailers. (the demand is up in grain)

Van's older than say 10 years, are worth more as raw material scrap.
I think the newer Van's are going more to foam core walls, using aluminum alloys and composites.

This recession gave van loads a 40% decline, and flatbed loads even harder.
Remember back in '08 crude was around $130-140... it's going back up again. It's hovering at $90 now.

There are allot of weaknesses in the market, but there is an increase global demand for raw materials.
Well... I think we are all [bleep- ooOO la la] anyway...and that's really all I wanted to say.

I didn't know you could get chain ties in a van floor.

Pop's up out of the floor. Add's some weight as they need a far stronger crossmember wherever the tie downs are placed.

Who was that masked man??

Don't overbuy for what you need. The big fleets all buy those Wabash duraplates for a reason. They're reasonably priced and cheap to fix and maintain. SS in most operations is purely aesthetic. If you know the freight you're going to be hauling all the time, it might make sense to spring for foam core, double-lined (plywood), etc. If not, the duraplates are great. The walls flex when freight is crammed in, reducing damage; they're also lighter. I would look for logistics posts instead of e-track. Even at 16" o.c. you can get the holding power you need with straps and you have floor to ceiling anchor points, unlike e-track.

Demand for new trailers has skyrocketed this year, especially for vans and the factories have decent backorders. Prices for used vans have jumped but if you are patient you can find some good deals on late models. If it's something you're going to pull a decent amount, I wouldn't go too old. Most of what's for sale is fleet trailers and they take a beating. Get past 4-5 years and the wear-and-tear really starts to compound.

Most plywood roofs are for moisture control...... such as loading hot paper rolls and fresh prints. The plywood absorbs the heat and helps keep the paper dry.

If I was you, I would call Landstar and ask them about their trailers they have for sale. They have the best of everything minus d-rings in the floors. I pulled them for a year and never had a problem with hauling anything from Roll Stock to Computers for NASA to Carrots.