Profile For Jack S.

I guess nobody wants a forklift driving on a flatbed trailer from a loading dock..Yikes!

I haul palletized aluminum coil with a Conestoga and I back into a standard loading dock to get loaded and unloaded. Forklifts have no problems driving on and off the trailer. I just roll back the curtain. Normally my back haul s can range from Drywall, Pallets of Joint Compound, or Pallets of Bricks - which I'm currently waiting to get loaded with here in Pen Argyle P.A.

Hey Chris L.... Thats great to hear you got loaded on a dock. That's been my biggest worry, that dock loads at DCs that only have"back in docks" will not load a conestoga! And thanks to you all for your comments. FYI...I love onions.

Thanks guys for the comments. Out west here we haul lots of commodities in big sacks or palletized stacked bags. Like rice, and seeds. Also tomato paste...ships in 4x4x4 plywood boxes. (they have an antiseptic mylar bag inside full of delicisous tomato paste! Ships world wide) But we load vans, shipping containers and flatbed with these boxes. So a conestoga would be an easy yes.

Also, I ran into a couple of guys at the fuel pumps with conestogas and they have hauled all kinds of "dry van" loads,(dog food, bottled water etc).. They just have to load differently ie flatbed style, from the sides.....I guess nobody wants a forklift driving on a flatbed trailer from a loading dock..Yikes!

So OLD SCHOOL, you stated that, ""I've seen plenty of dry-vans pulling some of the same materials as me, but I never haul the products they haul."" so you've seen dry vans with steel coils and re-bar? LOL...but serioulsy...I guess I can't haul papertowels on a conestoga because they wont load it outside?

Hey Drivers, I am considering a new dry van,.. but....the recent popularity and ubiquitousness of the conestoga trailers is giving me pause. Hold up Nellie! Maybe a conestoga would be a good way to get a good mix of flatbed and van loads...Am I wrong here?? I have exp in both, vans and flatbed trailers. Flatbed, for the most part, gets loaded and unloaded much quicker...most of the time. Van loads, as we all know, can take many hours. So Im hoping for a nice mix of loads. Also, do brokers get it yet? do they know what a conestoga is or can offer?

Let me know the pluses and minuses. BUT PLEASE DO NOT START ARGUING WITH EACH OTHER. NO PERSONAL ATTACKS ON EACH OTHER. JUST TRUCKS PLEASE.