March/April 2005
When buying a trailer, your options include roll-off or end-dump, framed or frameless, steel or aluminum, fixed or live floor, and more. This review can help you weigh these options and make the choice that’s right for your operation.
By Jim Fowler
When scrap processors are in the market for a roll-off or an end-dump trailer, they have three basic requirements in mind:
• Make the unit as light as possible to maximize payload;
• Make it rugged enough to last as long as possible, even under extreme scrap-hauling conditions; and
• Make it inexpensive.
Those requirements are understandable, but the problem is that they can be mutually exclusive. If a trailer is made as light as possible, for instance, will it hold up? Is it worth paying more for a lightweight material that can withstand scrap industry conditions, particularly if it doesn’t hold up or requires significant maintenance? If the trailer is made heavier to withstand scrap loads, will the reduction in payload be recovered in the unit’s increased longevity and reduced maintenance?
There are no easy or definitive answers to those questions. Deciding which type of trailer is best for your scrap operation, therefore, requires some compromise and a great deal of confidence in the manufacturer you select.
As one trailer vendor advises, “When you’re buying a trailer, don’t have blinders on. Look and listen to all of the avenues. There are many different ways to haul scrap today, and you owe it to yourself to consider them all.”
Understanding the Bridge Law
Before considering your trailer options, it’s critical to acknowledge the federal bridge law, which governs all tractor trailers on U.S. interstate highways. This law, adopted in 1944 and modified in 1974, sets 80,000 pounds as the maximum gross vehicle weight on interstate highways (though there are exceptions as well as grandfather clauses in various states).
In this instance, “bridge” is defined as the distance between various axles of the tractor and trailer. The so-called bridge formula is used to determine what a vehicle can legally weigh and how long it must be, with the answers determined by considering axle weights and axle spacing.
Many truckers in western U.S. states use long-wheelbase trucks and tractors to achieve maximum bridge. Conversely, many states in the East and New England have heavy axle limits and no restrictive axle spacing. Generally, states that allow tractor trailers to exceed the federal maximum weight require operators to buy special permits.
Notably, the bridge law does not apply in Michigan because it is an “axle state” in which the amount of weight you can haul is figured on an axle basis—that is, the more axles your tractor trailer has, the more weight you can haul, up to the maximum allowed. Scrap haulers there tend to use six- and seven-axle trailers to achieve the maximum gross load of 160,000 pounds.
So when you’re buying a trailer, you need to know if you’re going to be operating under state or federal regulations, or both. After all, if your trailer doesn’t maximize your payload, you’re limiting your profit. If it’s running too heavy or not meeting the bridge formula for weight distribution, you’re risking fines that can be substantial. It’s important to get this right.
(For more details on the federal bridge law, visit www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rulesregs/fmcsr/regs/658.htm.)
Finding Your Type
The main trailers used for general scrap hauling in the industry today are roll-offs and end-dumps. (There are also trailers designed specifically for transporting crushed cars. Scrap will examine those trailers in depth in the July/August issue.)
Roll-Offs. Roll-off trailers move containers of various types and sizes to and from scrap-generating sites. Since the containers are “rolled off” at customer sites, a single trailer is able to serve multiple accounts, making it more productive.
Roll-off trailers are manufactured as either framed or frameless units. Some trailer manufacturers make only framed models while others make both. Interestingly, those that make both say they prefer the frameless trailers and sell significantly more of them than framed models.
Is framed or frameless best for you? It depends. For an answer, you need to talk with various vendors, noting how you plan to use the roll-off and evaluating the pros and cons for your specific operation. The principal issues to keep in mind are weight, stability, maneuverability, durability, and whether or not you must meet the federal bridge law.
Weight. There’s no argument about weight: Frameless trailers are lighter. After that basic fact, though, the weight issue becomes a point/counterpoint debate.
On one side, manufacturers of framed roll-offs assert that the additional weight of their trailers is precisely what makes them more durable and more stable. In their view, less weight means shorter life for the trailer. “Do you want to sacrifice the weight of the unit for the longevity of the unit?” asks one vendor.
On the other side, more weight in the trailer detracts from the tonnage of material you can legally haul. For example, if a framed roll-off weighs 6,000 pounds more than a comparable frameless trailer, that means hauling 6,000 fewer pounds of scrap.
Maneuverability. While trailer weight and hauling capacity are critical factors, sometimes “the ability to maneuver and operate in tight spots is as important as greater payloads,” says a trailer expert.
A trailer’s maneuverability is directly related to its length and the length of its wheel base, which can be fixed or adjustable if the trailer is equipped with a sliding tandem.
A sliding tandem “extends the internal and external bridges of the vehicle, which allows maximum payloads using shorter trailers,” a manufacturer explains. “It increases legal payloads by transferring weight from the trailer axles to the tractor axles for optimum weight distribution.” In short, “a sliding tandem on a shorter trailer will give you maneuverability and maximize the payload.”
Not all trailer vendors advocate sliding tandems, of course. One manufacturer who makes only framed trailers without sliding tandems maintains that “when you start moving things around, you inadvertently end up with a problem. We stay very basic and very simple.”
Stability. Trailer length can also affect the unit’s stability, one producer says, noting that the center of gravity is lower in a shorter trailer, making it more stable and giving it less surface exposed to wind gusts when it’s in the raised position.
As for which roll-off type—framed or frameless—is more stable, each camp views its model as the best. “With a framed trailer,” one producer explains, “you’ve got a big frame on the ground, and all of the axles are on the ground with a frame that goes up to the truck.” His company’s framed trailers also have twin telescopic cylinders—one on each side of the frame—that are mounted rearward, about in the center of the trailer, which increases stability, he says. “Because the cylinders sit back on a frame trailer, halfway under the load, it’s more stable when you bring it up,” he adds.
On the other hand, a frameless-trailer manufacturer believes his unit is more stable. The lifting process of his firm’s unit begins with setting the trailer’s brakes and engaging the cylinder, which is attached to the king-pin plate that hooks to the fifth-wheel of the truck. With the tractor brakes released, the cylinder starts raising the trailer into the air. As the trailer goes up, the tractor moves slowly toward the rear of the trailer, lowering the center of gravity the closer it gets, the manufacturer notes. Added stability comes from the draft arm, which is attached to the king-pin plate that hooks to the fifth-wheel of the truck and to the front-center area of the trailer.
Whether the trailer is framed or frameless, manufacturers agree that the skill and experience of the operator is a critical factor regarding stability and potential tipping.
When looking at roll-off trailers, you should also be familiar with the two main ways the trailer can power the cable that lifts the container. Those ways are winch-cable systems and cylinder-reeving cable systems. As roll-off manufacturers explain, scrap processors generally don’t know how much a container load is going to weigh. The load can be heavy, and the roll-off trailer has to be able to pull the container onto the trailer. Unlike truck-mounted roll-offs, where speed is required, trailers haul heavier loads and require more power. “Winch-cable systems normally have greater line pulls than cylinder-reeving cable systems,” says one manufacturer, who believes winch systems are more popular. He adds, however, that “each system has its advantages and should be evaluated prior to finalizing a decision on which to purchase.”
Depending on length and options, roll-off trailers can range in price from $40,000 to $65,000, sources note, while seven-axle trailers used in Michigan can reportedly run as high as $90,000.
End-Dumps. End-dump trailers are the most prevalent type of trailer used in the scrap industry. These trailers are designed for live loading and prompt dumping so the truck can get back on the road. Whenever possible, backhauls are arranged to maximize the usefulness of these trailers.
As with roll-offs, end-dumps are available in framed and frameless models, though the vast majority of scrap-hauling end-dumps are frameless. One reason for this is that frameless end-dumps are lighter than framed models. “If the scrap hauler’s primary consideration is net payload, then he’s going to want frameless,” one vendor remarks.
With end-dumps, though, the issue of weight goes beyond questions of framed vs. frameless. The material used to make the trailer body—specifically, steel or aluminum—is an important weight consideration as well. As you’d expect, there are strong and diverse views on which material makes a better end-dump trailer.
On the pro-steel side, one vendor says it’s “hard to buy into aluminum” for practical reasons. One negative is that aluminum end-dumps are more expensive than steel units, he states. Also, “while some grades of processed scrap could probably be hauled in aluminum, other grades would require a liner to protect the aluminum—and that adds to the weight and expense.”
In this vendor’s view, the trend in end-dumps is toward lightweight, high-strength steels. “In the past,” he says, “a steel trailer weighed 20,000 to 25,000 pounds. Now, it weighs 16,000 to 19,000 pounds compared with 15,000 to 16,000 pounds for aluminum. Steel has narrowed the gap and is getting very close to aluminum.”
Even this pro-steel vendor concedes that “some scrap companies do successfully use aluminum dumps,” though he adds that “it’s a function of how they take care of the trailers because they do require more attention.”
In the other camp, a different manufacturer maintains that aluminum end-dumps are perfect for commodities such as shredded scrap, shredded tires, and shredder fluff. “If the trailer is built right,” he says, “it can definitely handle these materials and give a bigger payload [due to the trailer’s lighter weight] than a comparable steel trailer.”
As for the cost differential between aluminum and steel, this manufacturer notes that while steel prices have nearly doubled in recent years, the price of aluminum has only increased 10 to 20 percent. “Right now,” he says, “a lot more scrap haulers are looking at aluminum because the price has narrowed. Also, even though the multiaxle aluminum trailer might cost 20 percent more than steel, it has a three-to-four-ton advantage in payload.” What’s more, he notes that a smooth-sided aluminum trailer can save about 10 percent in fuel costs.
Another cost factor to consider, manufacturers suggest, is what it would cost to repair a damaged steel vs. aluminum end-dump. If, for instance, you flip a steel trailer on the road, the cost to repair it could range from $2,000 to $7,000, says one vendor that makes steel and aluminum dumps. In contrast, an aluminum end-dump with similar damage could cost $15,000 to $20,000 to repair.
Despite current estimates that 75 percent of the dump trailers used in the scrap industry are steel while 25 percent are aluminum, one trailer producer sees it as inevitable that aluminum will surpass steel. In his view, “scrap haulers want to haul more payload, and aluminum is driven by payload.” For that reason, “eventually aluminum will be dominant in the scrap industry.”
In the end-dump market, the trailer’s floor is another consideration. One vendor claims that a bathtub design—in which the trailer’s bottom angles are rounded as in a tub—allows material to be dumped faster and easier than from trailers with 90-degree bottom angles. Some trailers are also being built with half-round floors that center the load, funneling material to the center of the trailer during dumping.
Another vendor notes that trailers with a live, or “walking,” floor have a definite—and growing—place in today’s scrap industry. These trailers have floor panels that slide hydraulically in a front-to-back motion, which moves the hauled material toward the back of the trailer, ultimately offloading it. Live-floor trailers are “suited to lighter grades of scrap such as turnings, busheling, shredded steel, shredded tires, and shredder fluff,” says one vendor.
Though live-floors can be 5 to 10 percent more expensive than trailers with conventional floors, this extra cost can be offset by lower insurance premiums. As one vendor explains, “you don’t have to lift the live-floor trailer in the air to offload it, so there’s no chance of it tipping during unloading.” That lower damage risk can translate to lower insurance premiums for live-floors vs. end-dump trailers. “If you’re running dumps, there’s a good chance your insurance is going to go up,” states one manufacturer.
On the downside, the mechanical nature of moving-floor trailers opens the door to possible malfunctions and repairs, particularly in demanding scrap applications. Also, live-floors take longer to offload material than end-dumps. As one end-dump vendor observes, “you can dump a load in two minutes or less, but it will take considerably longer with a live-floor.” That difference could be worth considering in the time-is-money scrap business.
Still, the “insurance issue” with end-dumps minimizes the potential shortcomings of live-floors, say live-floor manufacturers, who see their trailers as “the up-and-coming thing for some types of scrap.”
Points to Ponder
Before you decide which type of trailer is best for your operation, manufacturers recommend asking questions about various trailer components such as the suspension, axles, wheels, and brakes.
Regarding brakes, federal law reportedly requires trailers to have at least one antilock-brake axle, though haulers who face heavy traffic situations often request a second antilock axle, manufacturers note.
On the topic of tires, one vendor says that using super-single tires rather than dual tires can improve the trailer’s fuel efficiency. “This might be more difficult in a scrapyard,” he says, “but some are doing it successfully.”
Another manufacturer recommends asking if the trailer features LED (light-emitting diode) lighting and whether its lights come with a sealed wiring kit.
One vendor also advises asking if the trailer needs an “under-ride” guard, which is required when any part of the trailer or roll-off extends more than 12 inches behind the rear tire. If guards are required, they must be positioned no more than 12 inches forward of the rear of the trailer, extend to within six inches of width, and be certified to take an impact of at least 40,000 pounds, the vendor explains.
As you consider your trailer options, keep in mind the potential maintenance on various models. That ties into the trailer manufacturer’s warranty as well as the service that stands behind their warranty. “Buyers should ask if the trailer has to be sent to the dealer or manufacturer to be fixed or if they can have it fixed themselves,” says one vendor. Quick turnaround on any required maintenance or repairs is critical, he adds, since “downtime can kill a hauler. We look at downtime as being important—it costs the trailer owner more than anything else.”
It’s important, then, to deal with a trailer vendor who understands that reality and who, in turn, is responsive and flexible. “We have an open door as far as repairs are concerned,” says one trailer producer. “Almost any shop can do the repair as long as the customer goes through the procedures of getting us the right information as to what happened and what it’s going to take to get it fixed.”
Continuous Improvements
Trailer manufacturers are always looking for ways to improve their products. For producers of steel trailers, improvement depends in part on the steel industry and its development of lighter, yet higher-strength steels. “A lighter trailer that will hold up with a bigger payload is the major factor today and in the future,” says one vendor.
Aluminum-trailer producers, meanwhile, are working hard to make their units strong enough to overcome steel’s dominant role in the marketplace.
For all trailermakers, “design changes can mean improved stability, longevity, fuel efficiency, and even better looks,” notes one trailer expert. “To beat the competition, we have to look at making every aspect of our trailers better. While I don’t really see any great innovations for trailers in the future, I do see continued improvements in their performance.”
As a veteran trailermaker sums up, “We all talk about craftsmanship. Every manufacturer makes their trailers a bit different, and every manufacturer thinks theirs are the best. On that we all agree—we each think our trailers are the best.”
Jim Fowler is retired publisher and editorial director of Scrap.
When buying a trailer, your options include roll-off or end-dump, framed or frameless, steel or aluminum, fixed or live floor, and more. This review can help you weigh these options and make the choice that’s right for your operation.