Double Trailers

[Centrino2]

Depends on what you are doing.

UPS, Fedex, Overnite, Orange (not sure if those last two companies are doing very well), and some company with a green logo like to use those 26ft doubles for LTL hauling: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Less_th ... d_shipping

I don't know if that link will answer your question, cause I was looking for any info about whether they drop one 26ft somewhere and haul the other one elsewhere and I have yet to find it.

It seems only those carriers mentioned above yse tbose 20ft trailers.

Correction: use those 26ft trailers

[TwinShadow]

As I live in a major hub, I do see a LOT of trucks hauling doubles. Matter of fact, passed a couple Fedex ones the past couple days. Saw some UPS too. Orange is still around as I see them frequently.

My guess is that hauling the doubles is more efficient for dropping cargo off at a certain hub while on the way to another center. It saves time and money this way rather than having to wait to unload a partial load from a 48ft or 53ft trailer as opposed to just unhooking a single 26ft trailer and rolling off to your destination.

[xDope]

^ Seems logical. Anyways, here in NY the only double that I can recall seeing was a UPS double (20ft x 20ft most likely) being pulled by a 4x2 daycab truck - which leads to my next question.

Do these double's drivers that drive in daycab's only run day/short shifts? They clearly don't have the space to sleep in their cab...

[PW4056]

UPS, Fedex, Overnite, Orange (not sure if those last two companies are doing very well), and some company with a green logo like to use those 26ft doubles for LTL hauling

The only ones I can think of with a green logo are ABF and Old Dominion, both of which use 26-foot doubles.

[Centrino2]

Day cab drivers only drive during the day

And get to sleep at their.... probably comfy home at night.

Unless they prefer the night shift..... although I don't know if any of them would do that.


Personally I wish that 26ft trailer was not used the way they used it in ATS. Why would a big retailer load a 26ft trailer with TV's? Although I have seen a picture of a 26ft Walmart double, although I think they were just testing the idea, not sure if they ever went through with it, but I have never seen the thing with my own eyes on the east coast.

SCS should have made a company that is similar to UPS, Fedex, Orange..... oh... wait.... their name is Yellow not orange XD, but yet their logo is the color orange (not sure who approved that ), but back to naming 26ft lovers: Overnite, and the green guys Captain Kevin named. Those are the only companies I have seen running 26ft doubles (on the east coast). I'm not sure what the cargos should be in the game for those companies cause there could be all sorts of random things in one LTL load (thinking of UPS and Fedex).

Perhaps that should just be the name of the cargo: LTL load. While still going to a reasonable place. Ex: Not a mine, or construction site, but realistically such loads would probably go from the company's depot to another one of their depots and to the airport. I don't know how far they would take 26ft doubles (such as long hauling or just going one state over), or if they would just use one longer trailer for that (not sure if they use 53ft trailers).

Actually I am only familiar with UPS and Fedex cause they ship anything any random person or company wants (possibly illegal things too, but those UPS and Fedex don't know what is in the box..... I think.... they don't ask), I am not sure if the other companies do the same thing or who their customers are.

Ya kinda get some interesting search results if you Google: "UPS, Fedex"


In California you could see all sorts of different 26ft(?) trailers not belonging to aforementioned carriers, but going outside of the 26ft double realm, it is a completely different story for what you might see.

[TexasWhirlwind]

Day cab drivers like UPS FEDX and so on their companies will put then up in a motel. They don't get home every nite. Some do but not all. Like if they leave Dallas and drive to LA there is no way to be home at nite.

[Centrino2]

whoa, now that is pretty crazy, I thought day cabs were just local drivers.

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So why would those companies not use a sleeper cab for long hauls, don't they have sleeper cabs?

[room217au]

In Australia, between Sydney and Melbourne - a busy corridor, drivers for the same company have been stopping halfway (a place called Tarcutta) and swapping trailers. The process is that the driver coming from Sydney hitches up the trailer(s) coming from Melbourne, returns to Sydney and gets to be at home every day. The driver coming from Melbourne does likewise.

[TexasWhirlwind]

Its a hole lot cheaper to buy a tractor without a sleeper. Especially if you are running a fleet. These companies setup or even have some sort of ownership in the motel business. They get big discounts for their drivers staying in a motel. These companies offer this as an intensive for special drivers to hire on. I mean someone who will be with the company for a very long time. Not the 1 or 2 trip and then quite. But long term drivers. These trucking companies also get fuel discounts for using certain fueling points. I worked for a Flemming food service for a very long time until they closed the doors here in my home town. We had sleeper truck but not very many. We had mostly day cabs. Flemming did not pull doubles. And we drove all over the US. We did not stop and trade trailers with another driver. We hauled what was assigned to the driver. Pay was great I might add. But the benefits were a plus addition for the driver and families. Next time you see an truck with doubles at a fueling point or stopped for a bit to eat. You might strike up a conversation with the driver, because one could learn a lot about pulling doubles. There are plenty of double here in the US. But not the 48 or 53 footers. I have seen triple here the US but not very many. And that was some time ago up north in Illinois I think...The double drivers never backed up the doubles, the would drop one and put it where it was needed, and then move the other. But mostly just drop them both and the yard man would get the ukelid driver to take care of them. If a driver could actually back a set of doubles in a straight line for 50ft he was a very very exceptional driver..

[room217au]

IPEC in Australia had their own motels. Albeit small ones with maybe two or three units. For their drivers only.