Types and Varieties of Car Trailers

As known, there are three main types of freight transportation: maritime, air, and land (rail and road). The automotive method of cargo transportation is the most in-demand in all sectors of the economy. Depending on the parameters and dimensions of the cargo, the route, and other factors, the appropriate mode of transport is chosen. If the cargo does not fit into the body (cabin or roof) of the vehicle due to size or weight, an additional device is attached to the transport – a trailer or semitrailer.

The equipment for trailers is very diverse, with many different models, both universal and specialized. However, the main characteristic of such equipment is its type: trailer or semitrailer. Let's understand what they look like, what features they have, and in general, what these technical devices represent: a trailer and a semitrailer.

Table of Contents

1. Euro trucks
2. Isoterm and Refrigerators
3. Container trucks
4. Timber trucks
5. Special Trailers
6. Dump Trucks
7. Common Questions about Types of Car Trailers

Euro trucks

Euro trucks with a tarp or Eurotents are the most practical and convenient type of semitrailers for trucks. Thanks to the universal design of the vehicle's body (the tarp, frame, and sides can be removed if necessary), side and top loading and unloading can be performed using special lifting devices, cranes. Eurotents transport goods taking into account the specifics of their shape and dimensions. If the tarp and frame are removed, the truck can be used as an open platform (side height 35-50cm) for loading pallets — cargo pallets. According to standards, a Eurotrailer should accommodate 2 Euro pallets placed across its width, each measuring 120 cm in length. Freight transportation with Eurotrailers is one of the most demanded services of the company.

A Eurotrailer, also known as a Eurotent, is a semitrailer used for transporting goods weighing up to 20 tons. It has standard dimensions: length - 13.6 meters, width - 2.45 meters, height - 2.45 meters.

The Eurotrailer stands out for the versatility of its design. It can be used to transport various goods, including:

• Food products
• Household appliances
• Building materials
• Metal
• Wood
• And others

The design of the Eurotrailer allows for removing the tarp, sides, and posts for side loading. This allows for transporting cargo of non-standard sizes and configurations.

Eurotrailers are widely used in various areas of freight transportation, including:

• Urban transportation
• Interurban transportation
• International transportation

The standard capacity of a Eurotrailer is 33 Euro pallets. This allows for transporting a large amount of cargo in one trip.

Advantages of Eurotrailers

Eurotrailers have a number of advantages that make them popular for cargo transportation:

• Versatility. Eurotrailers can be used to transport various goods, including large and non-standard ones.
• High load capacity. Eurotrailers can transport goods weighing up to 20 tons.
• Economy. Eurotrailers have low fuel consumption, making them cost-effective for long-distance freight transportation.

Tent 85 cubic meters

Tent 90 cubic meters

Tent 96 cubic meters

Isotherms and refrigerators

Refrigerated trailers, in addition to reliable insulation of external walls, have their own cooling system, making them completely independent of the environment. Essentially, these are mobile refrigerated chambers. With their help, deep-frozen products can be transported over significant distances without a loss of quality.

The load capacity of a refrigerated trailer usually significantly exceeds the indicators of isotonic ones. Currently, the market offers refrigeration units of various sizes—from Gazelle to Eurovans. Their capacity varies from 6 to 33 Euro pallets, and the load capacity ranges from 1.5 tons to 20 tons.

Isotonic vans are typically used for urban and regional transportation, so maneuverability and compact dimensions are important for them. Isotonic bodies for Gazelles with a capacity of 4 to 6 Euro pallets and a load capacity of 900 kg are the most common. Isotonic vans with a load capacity of up to a ton are in high demand since they are practically unrestricted in choosing routes, which is crucial for delivering goods within the city. However, there are isotonic Eurovans with a capacity of up to 33 Euro pallets and a load capacity of up to 20 tons.

Container trucks

The delivery of full containers from the port or railway station to the customer is carried out by road transport using container trucks' semitrailers and trailers. The dimensions of the container truck semitrailer correspond to the standard sizes of transport containers. Trailers for transporting 20-foot and 40-foot containers are the most common. Containers for oversized transportation, known as "High Cubes," are often used. They differ from standard ones in increased height: 2896mm compared to the standard 2591mm. The length of most High Cubes is 40 feet, less frequently encountered are 45-foot ones.

The container truck semitrailer is an open-type module without sides. The trailer's construction includes a frame, a fifth wheel coupling (kingpin), and wheel axles.

The main load-bearing element of the structure is the frame, consisting of square-section metal side rails connected by crossbars. Support points with fittings are located at the edges of the frame, representing devices in the form of tawr for securing cargo on the semitrailer's side. The operation principle of the fittings is simple: after placing the container on the container truck, the fittings are inserted into special holes in the container's corners and rotated 90°. Then they are secured with nuts and locked with counter-nuts. The fittings have a rectangular thread section that prevents accidental loosening of nuts and cargo loss during transportation.

The container truck's frame can be sliding or monolithic. The sliding type allows increasing the number of transported containers in one trip and facilitates the transportation of non-standard containers and cargoes.

Timber trucks

For the transportation of wood, semitrailers with timber trucks are widely used. They represent a trailer platform equipped for transporting various types of lumber—logs, assortment, etc., up to 23 meters long on roads of any type. There are different types of timber trucks. Some models of timber truck semitrailers are equipped with a platform with a crane manipulator for loading and unloading building materials. There are simpler models of timber trucks without a loading crane.

Special trailers

A special trailer is a specialized vehicle designed for transporting machinery, including road construction equipment, as well as for transporting various heavy, oversized, and long-length goods. They come in low-bed semitrailers with a detachable gooseneck and front loading, low-bed trailers with rear loading, heavy-duty semitrailers allowing operation in extreme off-road conditions, extendable and modular semitrailers, as well as pipe carriers, beam carriers, and coil carriers.

They differ in load capacity:

• Low load capacity (up to 10 tons)
• Medium load capacity (from 10 to 50 tons)
• High load capacity (over 50 tons)

By design, special trailers are divided into:

• Semitrailers
• Trailers

Semitrailers are the most common type of special trailers. They are used for transporting heavy and oversized loads.

Trailers are used for transporting goods that do not require the use of a low-bed design.

Dump trucks

Dump trucks are trucks, trailers, or semitrailers with a body that can be tilted for unloading cargo. Dump trucks are used for transporting bulk materials such as sand, gravel, crushed stone, ore, coal, as well as other goods such as construction materials, agricultural products, and waste.

Dump trucks are classified by the following criteria:

By body type:

• Hopper body— the most common type of body for dump trucks.

By drive type:

• Dump trucks with wheel drive— the most common type of dump trucks.

By load capacity:

• Light-duty dump trucks— load capacity up to 10 tons.

Applications of dump trucks:

• Construction of roads, buildings, and structures
• Quarry development
• Snow and waste removal
• Transportation of agricultural products

For quick and quality customer service, our company has all types of vehicles for cargo transportation at its disposal. This includes company-owned transport as well as hired transport—tents, isotonic vehicles, refrigerators, and much more.

We provide our customers with almost any type of transport!

Frequently Asked Questions About Types of Trailers

What is the length of a Eurotrailer?

Not only the capacity but also the dimensions of the internal space of the semitrailer are equally important. This allows, for example, more effective planning of the quantity and arrangement of pallets or goods in individual packaging. In most cases, the length of all trailers is 13.6 meters with a width of 2.45 meters.

How many cubic meters does a 3-ton truck hold?

For trucks with a payload of 3 tons, the cargo compartment volume can be: a minimum of 16.2 cubic meters and a maximum (rarely) of 30-32 cubic meters.

What is a truck with a refrigerator called?

A refrigerated truck (from Latin refrigeratus — cooled, refrigero — cool) is a system of artificial cooling, a refrigeration and heating unit (RHU) mounted on an isothermal van with a volume from 2 m³ to 120 m³, serving to maintain a temperature range inside it from -30 °C to +12 °C.