Conestoga trailer all that??

If you can get the dedicated customers too load You consistently, they are great, specially if you haul lots of steel. Just be warned, many shippers don't even know what a conestoga is and when you tell them you have a 48/53ft conestoga they refuse to load you. I had this issue for several weeks with my attempt at booking my own loads. Eventually I found that just leave the conestoga out of the talk and tell them I had a 53ft flatbed

 

What @Gunner75 said. I ran one for a few months while my boss was dealing with the death of a son. At first it seemed kind of a pain, having to open and close it for every load. That was until the first "tarp" load I got......took all of 30 seconds or so, while the 3 trucks that loaded before me were fighting the 20 mph wind with their tarps and glaring at me as I put her in the wind.....lol

eta- now that I'm back pulling a naked skateboard I miss that 'stoga every time I have a tarp load....

 

Biggest problem I had was they're a fair bit heavier, may 3000+ lbs. Makes it more difficult to make sure you're not loaded heavy when lots of places want 48k.

 

Any flat bed companys that run the Conestoga hiring?

 

I know Maverick has some and they are hiring. However, they do reserve them for certain dedicated routes so you would not get one unless on that dedicated route.

 

thx for the reply truckermania

 

What about snow and ice buildup on top of the tarp?

 

I run a Connie, and good luck taking it away from me! Warning, I bite!

I haul strictly steel, so pretty much all my freight is tarp all year long. Having that Connie is a MAJOR time saver, and I'm now finding some shippers are demanding the Connie or a sidekit.

As far as weight, I drive a '12 Cascadia condo pulling a Rietnouer 'Big Bubba' 48'x102" all aluminum spread axle. 31,500 with full tanks. So I can still load 48,500 on the deck, just gotta be precise on where I load to balance the axle weights properly.

If ya want a Connie, get a trailer set up for J-Hooks. They make life so much easier! Also outfit a winch rack, that will open you up for more freight. I don't have one (yet!), so there are loads I have to turn down because I can't close around the strap ratchets.

Also be more aware of wind. These Connie catch as a dry box or reefer, and are potentially prone to rollover. But a not of common sense and a decent survival instinct should overcome that minor issue.

 

Another concern with Conestogas is load width. I had a few loads that there was no way to get the latches on the front or rear past the load once it was all loaded and secured without some major disassembling, or even then. Loads that may be legal on a flat/step (though pushing the width) might not work on a connie.