Modern transportation needs require variable and flexible transportation solutions. From time to time, a full semi-truck full of space for your goods won't get the job done. Maybe you need something smaller or something more cost-effective for your shipping budget.
That's where pup trailers come in. Pup trailers are one of the most critical methods in the modern transportation world. Today, let's discuss pup trailer transport in detail and explore when you might use these trailers for your shipping goals.
What Is a Pup Trailer?
A pup trailer is similar to a standard trailer. Still, it is typically shorter than a full-sized trailer or semi-trailer. Most pup trailers are between 26 and 29 feet long. Furthermore, most pup trailers come with single axles or a tandem axle. However, some models come with two axle configurations.
Regardless, the point of a pup trailer is always the same: to carry more goods behind a primary load or larger trailer. With a pup trailer, carriers can drive multiple loads simultaneously. For example, a semi-truck might have a large, full-size trailer behind it, then carry a pup trailer behind that full trailer for even more transportation efficiency.
Or that truck might carry two pup trailers, each with a different load for a fast end-dump.
The primary use of pup trailers is to maximize bulk cargo payloads without compromising handling or maneuverability for the truck dragging the loads. Dump trucks, for example, may also use pup trailers with spring suspensions and LED lights to ensure safe driving and excellent vehicle performance.
Pup trailers come in two primary types:
- Dead pup trailers. Dead pup trailers don't have any power sources like hydraulic systems or pneumatic motors. Therefore, they rely entirely on the power of trucks or vehicles pulling them.
- Live pup trailers. Live pup trailers feature dedicated hydraulic cylinders independent of their haulers' power supplies. This way, live pup trailers can self-unload, reducing how many workers are needed to unload their cargo.
Either type of pup trailer can work, but one or the other might be better for your shipping needs depending on your circumstances and the type of cargo you need to carry.
The Importance of Pup Trailer Transport
Many companies use pup trailer transports whenever they ship LTL or less than truckload cargo. For instance, if they receive a shipment order for a client, but it is for less than the total truckload cargo capacity, they might use a pup trailer or two to deliver those smaller loads efficiently.
That way, the carrier doesn't have to load up a full-size trailer with their semi-truck, wasting lots of extra space and requiring the truck to burn more gas to transport that load across a distance. When shipping LTL cargo, pup trailers make sense in terms of:
- Better gas mileage
- Ease of loading and unloading
- Truck maneuverability; it's flatly easier to maneuver a truck with a pup trailer as opposed to a full-size trailer
Pup trailer transports are essential because they allow the transportation industry to provide as many solutions as possible. Without pup trailers, transportation would be much less flexible. It would not be able to deliver the same variety of goods to as many people as possible.
Benefits of Pup Trailers
- Pup Trailers Help Freight Companies
- Pup Trailers Support Infrastructure
- Pup Trailers Are Better for the Environment
Pup Trailers Help Freight Companies
For starters, pup trailers allow a single carrier or truck driver to deliver cargo to several distinct clients. Because of cargo load storage or other requirements, you can't always mix freight in a single container, even if there's enough raw space for multiple shipments' worth of goods.
But suppose that same carrier drags two pup trailers behind it. In that case, it can theoretically deliver cargo to two separate clients on the same trip. By providing freight to several clients, carriers can service multiple clients more quickly and ensure that load is segmented and organized as needed.
Pup Trailers Support Infrastructure
As a side benefit, pup trailers often lead to infrastructure benefits since fewer trucks are on the road at once. Not only is this good for overall traffic, but it also reduces wear and tear on major freeways. Plus, by making fewer trips, carrier infrastructure benefits simultaneously; trucks require less maintenance over time by driving fewer miles, so costs go down for everyone involved.
Pup Trailers Are Better for the Environment
There are environmental benefits, as well. Because pup trailers allow carriers to make fewer trips, those trucks expel less carbon dioxide. Fewer emissions benefit everyone and even allow certain companies or organizations to receive discounts or tax rebates if they are eco-friendly across the board.
What Cargo Works Best With Pup Trailer Transport?
Often, a pup trailer might be a wiser choice than another transportation solution. For example, small pup trailers can transport building materials safely and efficiently. They can also be used to deliver products straight to homes, such as large pieces of furniture or other products. In both cases, there may be questions about the preference between live or dead pup trailers. You may need hydraulics to help with unloading, or you may feel a dead pup trailer is more suited to your needs. However, the critical thing is the efficiency that using a smaller pup trailer provides for situations where, without pup trailers, transport would be costly and tedious, and perhaps not even possible.
Furthermore, pup trailers frequently transport dry goods from place to place. Or you can use them to transport heavy yet small-sized equipment that can't be transported or towed with a typical truck.
Bottom Line
Ultimately, pup trailer transports fill an important niche in the transportation sector. Thanks to pup trailers, carriers and shipping companies can provide more goods to more people with fewer trips, plus enjoy extra flexibility and versatility for their shipping schedules.
Best of all, you can start using pup trailers to transfer your goods today with RPM. RPM can get what you need, where and when you need it, at a price that works for your budget.
Benefits like centralized management, real-time GPS tracking, and analytics reporting make RPM stand head and shoulders above the rest. Contact us today for more information.
Sources:
Everything You Need to Know About Pup Trailers | BCE Finance
U.S. heavy-duty vehicle GHG emissions 1990-2020 | Statista
Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) Definition | Investopedia
