Vehicle
A dry van trailer is essentially a box on wheels. Not temperature controlled, it’s specifically designed to handle dry freight rather than temperature-sensitive freight or “wet” goods. It carries boxed items, palleted materials, and most retail dry goods such as cereal, household supplies, and other non-perishables.
Dry van trucks are easy to secure. The fully enclosed space protects freight from the sun, rain, snow, and other elements. Because dry vans can haul so many different kinds of loads, more jobs are available in various shipping lanes.
Dry van trailers come in a few different sizes.
A dry van’s typical dimensions are 48- or 53-foot-long trailers. Most of these trailers are a maximum of 8.5 feet wide, 110” high, and can carry a legal maximum of 45,000 pounds with up to 26 pallet positions in the interior.
Besides the longer 48- and 53-foot trailers, there are also short 28-foot trailers. They are generally a little narrower and lower, with a maximum load capacity of 22,500 pounds. Sometimes you will see these shorter trailers in two or three trailer chains. These “pup” trailers can typically accommodate 14 standard pallet positions.
By definition, many straight trucks or box trucks are also dry van trucks, but they primarily deliver local or short-range small cargo. Box trucks come in a variety of different sizes.
Dry van trucking is the most common form of freight transportation and is almost always in high demand. While flatbed trucks may earn slightly more per load, dry van shipping does pay well, especially in crunch times when there is a capacity shortage due to high demand.
Dry van shipping rates are usually determined by five specific things:
Accessorial charges and extra services also add to the cost of what shippers pay.
Nearly all industries that produce or ship non-perishable goods use dry van carriers. Even companies who ship some perishable cargo like produce or frozen foods use dry vans for specific products. They can often be combined with other products in a single shipment or LTL shipments making this method exceptionally efficient.
Here are some common examples of dry van freight:
Many industries rely on dry goods shipping to get work done, like construction, publishing, and healthcare. Like retail and automotive outlets, others directly profit from the goods shipped in dry vans. They are, in turn, sold directly to customers or to wholesalers who then distribute them to retail outlets.
Efficiency and cost are some of the primary reasons these companies rely on shipping via dry vans to keep their supply chain moving But not all goods can be shipped this way. As with any shipping method, there are pros and cons.
While full truckload (FTL) and less than truckload (LTL) dry van shipping are the most common and affordable ways to ship goods, there are some disadvantages.
The advantages of dry van freight shipping include:
Dry van trucking is more affordable than other shipping methods since they are readily available and generally do not require additional service charges.
Dry vans can be used for a variety of goods, including consumer packaged goods (CPG), clothing, electronics, furniture, and machinery. You can also ship non-perishable food items and just about anything that will fit and doesn’t require temperature control.
You can consolidate a variety of goods and materials into a single shipment, avoiding redundancy.
Unlike flatbeds and other trailers, dry vans trucks make it easy to secure goods and protect them from outside elements, damage, and theft. Your shipment remains locked tight inside until it reaches its destination.
Drop and hook options lets you drop an empty trailer and picking up a full one speeds up turnaround times and prevents wasted time at either end of your runs.
The disadvantages of dry van shipping include:
There may be less capacity due to height, length, and weight constraints, especially in peak seasons. For example, if you need to ship significant volume during the holiday season. Advance planning will help assure the capacity is there to meet your demand.
There is less control over the environment inside the dry van. Bad weather will influence internal temperature control. If your freight requires temperature control, you are better off shipping with a reefer.
Wooden flooring is more susceptible to damage from heavy items, those with some moisture (like produce), or weather at pick-up or drop-off points.
In some cases, dry van shipments might not be the best option. It’s essential to think about transportation logistics, including cargo, your lanes, weather, and other factors that come up on your route.
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