Can a Conestoga Trailer be Used as a Dry Van?

Not sure as I don't drive, but my guess would be probably not simply because the conestoga could get torn, rendering the freight damaged and resulting in a large claim. But then again, I could be wrong.

 

No it cannot. It is still an opendeck it just has a rolling tarp system. A load bar would not stay in place very long.

 

How about the conastoga in the winter? How do you deal with ice and snow before opening up?

 

I have pulled out of places before with a dry box and there has been another guy with a conestoga loaded with the same product as me. He had a load cable that ran from support to support and blocked the freight. Maybe it just depends on the shipper and cosignee.

 

I doubt those were to secure the load. They were probably there to keep the tarp system from wobblng.

Under no circumstances could you use a rolling tarp to secure a load. The uprights on my trailer are 2 inch aluminum tubes and the spreaders are little more than tent poles. The whole system also rolls on a track. Think about how little sideways force you could apply to a sliding closet door and you'll know why it wouldn't work.

 

Nail the pallets to the deck, that will impress the shipper.

 

The company sells this as a "feature" of getting this system. But having dry vans I can tell you I would not want to have a fork lift driver pulling into this system. If lucky you could make it three loads before they broke something or drove off the side.

 

you can only secure a load to the floor on a conestoga, the frame for the tarp is not strong enough, it would be unsafe, damage the tarp frame and illegal, some van freight could go in a conestoga but very rarely and i would not advise it in most cases, as far as opening with snow on the tarp, have not tried yet, its very important when booking loads for a conestoga to get the exact dimensions of the product otherwise you may find it wont fit, in my trailer i can only attach straps and chains too the chain tethers that pull out of the floor, my trailer is 96 inch width by 100 inch tall, by 48ft long, i have had 4 loads i could not load so far in the 3 months i have had the trailer, the conestoga is a great system as long as your hauling the right kind of product. I mostly stay with steel and automotive in the mid west, pays good, fits well.