TheThe global economy relies heavily on the various unique transportation activities and types used to achieve the wide range of shipping and logistics goals on a daily basis. You can find several of these different transportation types under the overhead of the trucking industry. There are many different reasons why you may be wondering about the specific details of the different transportation types in the trucking industry. You may be looking to become more deeply involved in a trucking career as a driver, business owner, and more. Perhaps you simply have a vested interest in the different types of trucking as a hobby or personal pursuit.
Whatever your reasons, there are some significant differences between the different trucking types, and knowing these distinctions can positively impact your relationship with the industry and your career and business decisions if you’re an active participant. In this article, we’ll discuss the different trucking definitions you can come across on a consistent basis, the distinction of short haul vs. long haul trucking specifically, and the best place for short haul trucking.
Trucking Definitions
Resulting from the consistent expansion of the trucking industry, (owing largely to the ranging needs of shipping and logistics), there are several different types of trucks out there, each with its own distinctions. The different types each with their own trucking definitions include dump, flatbed, tank, trailer, forklift, refrigerator, and semi-trailer trucks.
Dump Truck
Used predominantly to transport some of the heaviest types of conceivable or constructed freight, dump trucks are among the most robust trucks. Some transported freight can include machinery, cattle, boats, produce, and equipment.
Flatbed Truck
Instead of transporting freight inside a closed trailer, flatbed trucks have open, flat trailers without any sides or roofs. They are often used for oversized loads, and cargo secures using straps.
Tank Truck
In reflection of their name, these trucks have a design attuned to haul liquid or gaseous substances. These substances are the exclusive freight of tank or tanker trucks.
Trailer Truck
Also known as truck trailers, these vehicles have the ability to quickly unload and load cargo, and their loading capacity is among the highest. You can store many items, and the general weight range is 16-25 tons.
Forklift Truck
Used to move various materials across short distances, forklift trucks are frequently present in warehouses, which are important industrial spaces for storage and movement. Forklift trucks can significantly impact warehouse success. Their capabilities enable them to handle, move, lift, and stack a range of materials, including pallets and other freight.
Refrigerator Truck
The purpose of these trucks is predominantly to haul various types of perishable goods, including different pharmaceuticals, fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural products. The most common type of refrigerator truck is the 18-wheeler or semi-trailer.
Semi Trailer Truck
Also known as semi-trailers, semi trucks, 18-wheelers, tractor-trailers, and big rigs, these transportation vehicles are one of the most common types involved in long haul trucking. They are so named because of the design has no front wheels or front axle, instead resting on a fifth-wheel coupling or hitch.
Short Haul Trucking
In the trucking industry, short haul trucking generally refers to some of the aforementioned trucks and other commercial vehicles that drive relatively short distances, typically within one day. The distance is often under 250 miles and within one city area. The given vehicle is used to transport goods and other cargo, and then returns to its original home base at the end of a given shift. Types of transport trucks involved in short haul trucking often include straight trucks, dump trucks, and box trucks. These trucks have a fixed trailer.
The short haul truckers generally drive multiple unique routes within one day. Short haul and long haul are the two main types of trucking, with drivers choosing from one of these types of routes and essential routines to engage in on a consistent basis. Short haul and long haul truck drivers typically follow different laws, including those related to hours of service.
Long Haul Trucking
When discussing short haul vs. long haul, long haul trucking is often what many people think of first when considering truck driving as a career and industrial activity. Long haul truck drivers can often spend days or even weeks traveling on the road at a given time. They don’t typically return to their original home base at the end of a given shift and log the majority of their miles on interstates and freeways, whereas short haul truck drivers drive predominantly on city streets and to and from pick-up and drop-off locations, especially those in populous urban areas. Long haul truck drivers often cover routes of up to 100 miles long, typically spanning multiple states. They can cover many areas in the course of their career in this way, whereas short haul truck drivers may predominantly cover single areas.
There is often a greater demand for short haul than long haul in shipping and logistics operations, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to deeply affect freight transportation movement and other activities. However, both types are essential to the ultimate success of global businesses in receiving, transporting, and delivering the wide range of freight these businesses can have a vested interest in.
The Best Place for Short Haul Trucking
While both long and short-distance hauling play essential roles in global shipping and logistics success, there are some significant differences and benefits to each. If you have a current interest, determining which particular type may be right for you can depend on a number of different factors, including your desired routine, work hours, personal time, and more. If short haul trucking is more attractive to you, the best place to find one of these positions or vehicles is Heavy Weight Transport. Whether you want to drive your own short haul truck or use the services of one for your own specific business efforts, Heavy Weight Transport has all the heavy weight cargo, container tracking, and other benefits you’ll love.
