"I need a truck" is not a spec. US truckload (FTL) shipping runs on more than a dozen trailer configurations, and each one is built for a different combination of weight, height, loading method, and cargo type. Pick the wrong one and your quote will be wrong — or the driver will show up and the load simply will not fit.
\This guide walks through the equipment families that actually move freight on US highways: enclosed vans, flatbed family (standard, step deck, double drop, lowboy, RGN, tilt), power only, hotshot, and liftgate box trucks. For each one: typical dimensions, legal weight capacity, and the cargo it is actually built for.
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\How to pick: 4 questions before you quote
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- Weight and dimensions — total weight, and does any single piece exceed 8'6" wide, 8'6" tall, or 53' long? \
- Loading method — forklift/dock from the rear (van), crane or side-load (flatbed), or drive-on under its own power (RGN/tilt)? \
- Height clearance — the legal max for a loaded trailer is 13'6" overall in most states. A tall piece of equipment may only fit on a lower deck, not a standard one. \
- Weather exposure — anything that cannot get wet or dusty needs an enclosed van, not an open-deck flatbed. \
What this looks like in real freight we've moved: across real confirmed truckload orders, the enclosed dry van is still the majority choice at roughly 60%, but flatbed (standard, step deck, double drop and RGN combined) accounts for about 38% — a higher share than most shippers expect going in. The remainder splits across other van sizes and specialty equipment.
53' Dry Van — the default for palletized freight
\The enclosed dry van is the default equipment for US long-haul truckload: general dry goods, cartons, palletized freight, consumer products, most e-commerce volume.
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- Interior: approx. 53' long × 99"–102" wide × 110" high (varies slightly by trailer manufacturer) \
- Door opening: approx. 98" wide × 110" high — rear-load only \
- Legal max weight: 80,000 lbs gross combined (tractor + trailer + cargo); typical cargo payload after tractor/trailer tare weight is roughly 44,000–45,000 lbs \
- Typical pallet count: 26 standard 48"×40" pallets floor-loaded, up to 30 if pinwheeled \
- Typical cargo: boxed/palletized general merchandise, furniture, electronics, retail and e-commerce goods, anything that needs to stay dry and out of weather \
Limitation: a 53' van needs a dock or a liftgate to load/unload, and it cannot reach every address — tight city streets, small warehouses, and no-dock residential sites may need a 26' box truck instead.
\\Reefer — temperature-controlled freight
\Structurally the same enclosed box as a dry van, with a refrigeration unit (reefer unit) mounted on the nose and insulated walls. Built to hold — not necessarily pull down — a set temperature range in transit.
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- Interior: slightly smaller than a dry van of the same outer length (insulated walls + reefer unit intrude roughly 2"–4" per side plus several feet at the nose) — roughly 48,000–53,000 lbs gross-equivalent capacity, effective payload usually 42,000–44,000 lbs because the reefer unit itself weighs 1,500–2,000 lbs more than a standard trailer \
- Temperature range: typically -20°F to 70°F depending on unit, set and monitored per shipment \
- Typical cargo: food and beverage, produce, frozen goods, pharmaceuticals, flowers, anything temperature- or humidity-sensitive \
Before quoting a reefer load, confirm: required temperature range, whether pre-cooling is needed before loading, and whether the cargo itself generates heat (produce that is still "breathing" needs airflow, not a sealed-tight load).
\\Flatbed family — open deck, by deck height
\Flatbeds are not one trailer type — they are a family, and the difference between them is almost entirely deck height, because the legal max for a loaded trailer is 13'6" overall in most states. The lower the deck, the taller the cargo it can legally carry.
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\\Standard Flatbed (48' / 53')
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- Deck height: approx. 60" (5') off the ground \
- Deck length: 48' or 53', width 8'6" (102") \
- Max cargo height: approx. 8'6" (to stay under the 13'6" overall legal limit) \
- Legal max weight: 80,000 lbs gross combined; typical payload approx. 45,000–48,000 lbs \
- Typical cargo: steel coils/beams, lumber, pipe, building materials, machinery and crated equipment that can be loaded from the top or side by crane or forklift \
48' vs 53': 53' carries more length but slightly less payload (longer deck, more trailer tare weight); 48' is the more common choice for heavier, denser loads like steel.
\\Step Deck (Drop Deck)
\Two deck levels: a short upper deck near the headboard (~10' long, same ~60" height as a standard flatbed) and a longer, lower main deck (~37'–40') sitting roughly 36"–42" off the ground.
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- Max cargo height on lower deck: approx. 10' (vs. 8'6" on a standard flatbed) — about 18" more clearance \
- Legal max weight: similar to standard flatbed, approx. 45,000–48,000 lbs typical payload \
- Typical cargo: taller machinery, small-to-mid construction equipment, manufactured building modules — anything too tall for a standard flatbed but not tall/heavy enough to need a double drop \
Step decks are usually loaded by driving equipment up ramps onto the lower deck, or by crane for non-wheeled cargo.
\\Double Drop (Double Drop Deck)
\Three deck levels: a gooseneck/front deck, a long low "well" in the middle (the lowest point on the trailer, typically 18"–24" off the ground), and a rear deck. The well is what gives this family its clearance advantage.
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- Well deck height: approx. 18"–24" off the ground \
- Well length: typically 24'–29' \
- Max cargo height in the well: approx. 11'6"–12' \
- Legal max weight: standard axle configuration approx. 40,000–45,000 lbs typical payload; specialized multi-axle/permitted combinations can legally haul well beyond 80,000 lbs for heavy machinery \
- Typical cargo: construction and industrial equipment too tall for a step deck — this is the general category; the two common variants below are built for even heavier, taller, or self-propelled loads \
\\Lowboy
\Often used interchangeably with "double drop," but more specifically refers to the heavy-haul end of the family: a fixed-neck double drop built around a very low, reinforced well for the heaviest industrial cargo. Loading is typically by crane, or by ramps for wheeled equipment.
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- Typical cargo: excavators, bulldozers, large generators, industrial tanks, oversized/overweight machinery \
RGN (Removable Gooseneck)
\A double drop where the front gooseneck section detaches and lowers to the ground, turning the whole trailer into a ramp. Equipment that can move under its own power drives straight on — no crane needed.
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- Typical cargo: wheeled or tracked self-propelled equipment — excavators, loaders, cranes, agricultural equipment, anything that can drive on and off under its own power \
For the full process — equipment selection, permitting, route planning and last-mile delivery for this kind of cargo — see our heavy haul and oversize freight guide.
\\Tilt Trailer (Tilt Deck)
\A specialty flatbed where the entire deck hydraulically tilts down to ground level, acting as its own ramp — similar concept to an RGN but lighter-duty and typically used for vehicles rather than heavy industrial equipment.
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- Deck length: commonly 20'–50' depending on application \
- Legal max weight: varies widely by trailer class, commonly 10,000–50,000+ lbs \
- Typical cargo: cars and light vehicles, agricultural equipment, smaller construction equipment, and out-of-gauge (OOG) shipping containers that need to be tilted on/off at grade — anything that needs to load without ramps but does not require the heavy-haul capacity of an RGN \
Power Only — bring your own trailer
\Not a trailer type — a service type. The carrier provides only the tractor (and driver); the shipper or receiver supplies the trailer, already loaded and parked at the dock.
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- Capacity: whatever the customer's own trailer is rated for — most often a standard 53' dry van, so roughly the same 44,000–45,000 lbs payload \
- Typical use case: drop-and-hook at big-box retail and grocery distribution centers, trailer pool programs, situations where the shipper already owns or leases trailers and just needs the tractor leg \
Because there is no trailer to load/unload on the carrier's schedule, power only moves are usually faster to dispatch than a live-load truckload — the trailer is already sitting there, loaded.
\\Hotshot — smaller loads, faster dispatch
\A Class 3–5 pickup truck (e.g., F-350/450/550 or Ram 3500/4500/5500) pulling a bumper-pull or gooseneck trailer, typically 20'–40' flatbed or deckover style.
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- Combined capacity: many hotshot combos are kept under 26,001 lbs GVWR to stay outside CDL requirements; CDL-rated combos go higher. Typical cargo weight: roughly 10,000–16,500 lbs \
- Typical cargo: single pieces of equipment, farm machinery, construction materials for smaller jobsites, time-critical smaller loads, shorter regional lanes \
Hotshot is generally faster to source and dispatch than a full-size tractor-trailer for loads that do not need the capacity — useful when the cargo is small but the timeline is tight.
\\Box Truck + Liftgate — no dock required
\A straight truck (no separate tractor — cab and box are one unit), commonly 16'–26' long, often equipped with a liftgate at the rear.
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- GVWR: often kept at or under 26,000 lbs to stay outside CDL requirements for the driver \
- Typical payload: roughly 7,000–10,000 lbs depending on box length \
- Liftgate: a hydraulic platform that raises/lowers cargo to street level — eliminates the need for a loading dock or forklift \
- Typical cargo: residential and small commercial deliveries, final-mile, sites with limited access or no dock — the opposite end of the spectrum from a 53' van \
This same liftgate capability also covers residential and same-day local delivery.
\\Quick reference: which one do I need?
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- General dry goods, no height issue: 53' Dry Van \
- Needs refrigeration: Reefer \
- Loads from the side/top, under 8'6" tall: Standard Flatbed \
- Too tall for standard flatbed, under 10': Step Deck \
- Too tall for step deck, up to ~12': Double Drop / Lowboy \
- Self-propelled equipment that can drive on: RGN or Tilt Trailer \
- Shipper/receiver already has a loaded trailer: Power Only \
- Small load, tight timeline, shorter lane: Hotshot \
- No dock, residential or limited-access site: Box Truck + Liftgate \
All dimensions and weight figures above are typical/approximate industry ranges — actual capacity varies by trailer manufacturer, tractor tare weight, state permits, and individual carrier equipment. Always confirm exact specs with your broker before finalizing a load plan.
\\\How ShipMay helps
\ShipMay arranges and manages truckload freight — dry van, reefer, flatbed, step deck, double drop, RGN, power only, hotshot, and box truck with liftgate — through a network of qualified carriers, so the right equipment gets matched to your shipment instead of a generic "I need a truck" quote.
\Need a truckload quote? Share your freight's weight, dimensions, loading method, and any height or weather requirements, then start a quote with ShipMay.
\Related resources
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- Explore All Freight Modes \
- Truckload (FTL) Services \
- Drayage Services — Port & Rail Container Pickup \
- From Container to Doorstep: Coordinating Multi-Modal Freight for E-commerce \
- Post-Arrival Delivery: Moving Freight from Port or Warehouse to Final Destination \
- LTL Freight Quote Checklist \
- Freight Accessorial Charges Explained \
- Get a Truckload Quote
Sources & References
- Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) — Bridge Formula Weights, the federal rule behind axle-spacing and gross weight limits referenced in this guide.
