What is a flatbed?
Completely flat with no sides or roof, a flatbed is the ideal trailer type for a variety of uses in construction and material handling due to its versatility & variety of options in different lengths and trailer types. This trailer type can be loaded from the side or the rear. Flatbeds can be easily covered with tarps or equipped with a tarping system (See Roll-Tite / Conestoga) to protect your material(s), making this equipment type fit for all seasons & weather conditions. A flatbed that does not feature a roll-tite or other tarping system is considered “open” & can be manually tarped by drivers. This is the most common type of flatbed trailer used in the industry.
What is the difference between a 53-foot & a 48-foot flatbed trailer?
Virtually identical, these trailers differ only, usually, in the amount of material they can hold by length. Using the example of a standard 4-foot by 4-foot pallet, a 53-foot flatbed is able to carry 26 pallets. On the other hand, a 48-foot trailer can carry 24 of these skids due to its shorter length. Both trailers, however, usually allow for overhang (the length of the material exceeds the total trailer length) on the flatbed. As long as a material is stackable, flatbeds can carry it vertically to allow for more to be loaded on the trailer than would be allowed lengthwise.
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