Flatbed or Curtain side? | TruckersReport.com Trucking Forum

01 Sep.,2025

 

Flatbed or Curtain side? | TruckersReport.com Trucking Forum

Hey there, i'm finally thinking of tossing out my dry van and trading in one of my trucks and getting myself a nice flatbed drop deck or curtainside. Lately I've seen some great looking petercars pulling some beautiful curtain sides. Does any one have pros and cons of flats vs curtains or steps in my area. Right now i have my trucks running local delivering parts to caterpillar from northern WI, bills are getting paid and there's food on the table so i cant complain but i know it wont be long before my broker looses the account because I've seen more and more FedEx and swift trucks at the docks.
If you not going to haul anything wide go with curtains same goes for step deck if you dont haul anything over 14 then get the curtain you are allowed to pull dry van cargo with curtain also flatbed and best no tarping. If you get a "Utility" or "Western" trailer make sure your trucks are measured height once hooked up to make sure your not over 14' dont get the low ceiling curtains or the sliding roof tops those are a pain to fix the roof if it rips. Metal roof with doors in the back and 9' floor to ceiling clearance are best if you find one with a 10' spread even better. Good luck.
I believe he's talking about a Tautliner....you don't want one of those. Your limited on height and length and have the side posts to deal with. What I mean my limited on height/length is with the metal roof you can't stack something like lumber to the ceiling and still strap it unless you want to get a ladder and fish it through with a pipe. Same with length, with a conestoga you can leave the rear flap open and haul longer stuff.

You need a rolling tarp system so you can crain load, most steel is loaded with a overhead crain.



If you are talking about US Steel in Gary they load 136 trucks all the time. I just recommend not going under that bridge, and using the back entrance.

I have never found a steel mill that can’t load a 136 truck. Been Hauling out of Northwest Indiana steel mills for many years.

3 Benefits of Curtain Side Trailer

For certain loads, no conventional semi-trailer beats the open access of a flatbed. However, the bad news about flatbeds can be expressed in two words: the tarp. Many flatbed loads require tarping for protection from the elements as well as security. Any driver who regularly manhandles tarps can tell you about heaving a 65 to 100-pound canvas cover over a load, adjusting its position, tucking in corners, and tying it all down neatly with straps and bungies. This painstaking, arduous process adds at least an hour to the driver’s schedule at every pick-up. In bad weather, it can be hazardous work as well.

You can find more information on our web, so please take a look.

The curtain side trailer combine the advantages of a flatbed with the covering and containment benefits of an enclosed trailer. Consisting of durable yet flexible PVC-coated vinyl side curtains which can be retracted from either the front or rear of the trailer, and van-style swinging rear doors, a curtainside totally encloses the load for weatherproof protection and security. First developed in Europe where back-in loading docks are a rarity, curtainsides in North America now haul loads that run the gamut from expensive automobiles, to raw lumber, to delicate manufacturing components.

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Three standout benefits of the curtain side trailer include:

  1. Speedy load and unload. Once the curtains are pulled back, the trailer can be accessed from both sides as well as the rear door by multiple forklifts simultaneously. Drivers are in and out and back on the road quickly.

  2. Simplified partial deliveries. The limitations of “first on/last off” loading are a thing of the past. Independent access to all parts of a load at any point along a route means multiple drop loads are easily doable from a single trailer.

  3. No tarp required. While federal regulations require cargo inside curtainsides to be tied down, most loads can be quickly and conveniently secured with straps. Drivers devote time to driving, not struggling with a tarp, and experience a safer work environment as well.

To see several of the different options of curtainside trailers that we cary please view the Curtain Side Trailer Products page or click the link below to get more information specific to your needs.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Curtain Side Semi Trailer.