Еach industry is moving towards the needs of the customers and the trucking industry is not an exception. There are so many types of goods and the trucking industry to transport those goods has to adjust to the special needs of each type. That is why trucking industry has classification of the trucking services.
LEARN 12 SECRET STEPS HOW TO MAKE $950 MORE PER TRUCK / MONTH
Hey! I'm George J.Magoci and I will send you a FREE eBook where you can learn 12 secret steps how to make $950 more truck/month.
Which types of trucking services exist? Because we have different types of goods normal is to have different dimensions and weight of the load. To be specific there are 8 classes of trucking services. If the border to split one class from another is the volume and weight than we can conclude that class 8 trucking services are on the top of that chain.
Just for your information i will explain roughly these trucking classes to get the point. The classification was given by Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Source: www.afdc.energy.gov
Light Duty Trucks – this category includes (Minivan, Cargo van, Full size Pickup, Step Van …)
- Class 1 trucks
- Class 2 trucks
- Class 3 trucks
Medium Duty Trucks – this category includes (Box Truck, City Delivery, Bucket Truck …)
- Class 4 trucks
- Class 5 trucks
- Class 6 trucks
Heavy Duty Trucks – this category includes (City Transit Bus, Truck Tractor, Flatbed, Reefer, Dry Vans …)
- Class 7 trucks
- Class 8 trucks
As we can see we have 8 classes of trucks and by that we can conclude that each truck is intended for some type of goods. When you need to make a transport you should choose the right one of the trucking services to save money. However in this article, we will keep our attention on the heavies’ trucks with heavier loads and that is of course class 8 trucking service.
What are Class 8 Trucks
Trucking services are a big part of the USA economy because tracking industry generates 5% of USA GDP or in real money that would be 700,000 billion/annually. Class 8 trucks are vehicles that exceeding 33000 lb (14969 kg) gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR).
There are 4 million of these trucks of total 15.5 million in the trucking industry. These trucks are used for transportation of bigger loads for longer distances and they typically have 3 or more axles.
And the Trucks with 5 axles (combination of tractor trailer) are called 18 Wheeler or Semi Truck.
Source: www.afdc.energy.gov
This category includes:
- 33,001 to really big trucks like Cement truck, Flatbed truck, Truck Tractor, Reefer, Dump Truck, Dry Vans, Box truck …)
Learn to choose the right service for you
There are so many trucks and so many trucking services on the market and it is nothing strange if you feel confused, it is normal because the variation of trucking industry can be so wide. Classes and their subclasses even a professional can be confused for a moment.
LEARN 12 SECRET STEPS HOW TO MAKE $950 MORE PER TRUCK / MONTH
Hey! I'm George J.Magoci and I will send you a FREE eBook where you can learn 12 secret steps how to make $950 more truck/month.
You need to transport goods but you do not know the right trucking service for you? You are at the right place to learn. Before we go forward to the services you need to know the characteristics of your load to know what service to choose.
Step 1. Know this info at the beginning
- Know when it needs to be delivered
- Know your budget
Step 2. Measure the cargo
- Measure the load and write the dimensions and the weight of your cargo/pallet.
- Now calculate the Pounds per Cubic Foot of your freight
- You need this information to send to the transportation agent (it is parameter that can affect your price if you give wrong dimensions)
If you don’t know how to do that, see the picture below and you will be able to do that perfectly.
Source: www.sdcexec.com
Step 3. Is your cargo vulnerable to the cold/heat?
- If your cargo needs special care or it needs to be placed on special conditions you have to choose the service suitable for that type of goods.
Great Job, now you are set to choose the right trucking service for your freight!
LTL or Less Than Load
You can choose this type of the trucking services if you have small freights that means if you don’t have a load that can cover the full truck you do not need to pay for space you are not using. You can use the calculated pounds per cubic foot to pay just for that space. Less than load service gives you an opportunity to transport loads between 150 and 20,000 pounds.
Source: www.kclifttrucks.com
If you cargo is composed of several pieces/boxes you have to wrap them with each other to become 1 piece. You are asking, why is that important? It is because the goods have to be compact, fixed and stable, to protect your cargo from movement and damaging, also to protect the loads that are around yours.
- LTL is cost effective way to transport smaller freights
- Transportation period is longer because your freight is traveling with other goods that need to be collected one by one
Flatbed
Flatbed trucking services are very practical for transporting goods that are overweight, overlength or oversized. If something is impossible for transportation because the limited space that other transport services are having, flatbed service is the right one for you.
Source: www.truckingtruth.com
- Flatbed trucking services are practical for higher loads because the trucks are without a roof. Maximum legal height of the freight should not exceed 8.5 ft
- The trailer does not have sides which give wider space for the load than the footprint of the trailer (but it has to be according to the safety regulations) not wider than 8.5 ft
- Loading and unloading are easy, with a help of a crane you can load everything that can be lifted but not over 48,000 pounds.
Reefer
These trucking services are used for transporting temperature sensitive products that need to be chilled or frozen from point A to point B. The temperature inside the trailer can vary depending on the needs of the products. The outside temperature does not affect the products because the temperature can be controlled inside the trailer.
Source: www.kiesling.de