The Bobtail Express Team works hard to provide hot-shot delivery service, including less than truckloads (LTLs) and full truckloads (FTLs), to anywhere in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Arkansas.  Another service offered by Bobtail Express is a drop trailer program.  Our drop trailer service benefits both the shipper and us, the carrier, in many ways. 

What is a Drop Trailer?

There are two ways to load a trailer: live loading and using drop trailers, also known as “drop and hook.” 

Live loading is when the shipper loads a trailer that has been provided by the carrier, the driver waits for it to be loaded, then departs for delivery. The drop trailer method is when the shipper has loaded a trailer prior to a driver’s arrival, then a driver “drops and hooks” onto the loaded trailer for departure.  

Advantages of Using a Drop Trailer Program

Considered a favorite loading method by most drivers, drop trailers provide many benefits to both the shipper and carrier:

• Shippers can load trailers on their own time. Some freight takes longer to load and shippers can load and re-package at their own convenience.
• Drivers won’t be wasting time waiting for their truck to be loaded.  Typically, if a live load takes longer than two hours, a detention is billed to the shipper. Using a drop trailer can potentially save on incurring extra fees. 
• The shipper nor the carrier need to worry about whether a driver is late for an appointment to load a trailer. For loading docks that require appointments to receive trucks, having a carrier arrive too early or late can throw off the supply chain. 

Disadvantages of a Drop Trailer Program

Not all shippers or carriers have a need for drop trailers. Many shippers prefer to keep all loads on a schedule and have definitive departure and arrival times. Additionally, not all carriers have the trailer inventory to drop trailers and not utilize them for days to weeks at a time.

Though there are many benefits to using drop trailers in the trucking industry, we would be remiss not to include the potential disadvantages:

• Potential for drop trailers to be used as warehouses. Due to the lack of time sensitivity for most drop trailers, they can sit on yards from days to weeks.
• Not suitable for all types of freight. Goods such as perishable items should not be shipped via the drop trailer method as products may spoil and will cause the carrier to lose revenue.
• Time sensitive loads. If a shipper knows a load must be delivered by a certain time or day, then using the drop trailer method may not be the most effective way to ship the freight.
• Keeping tabs on multiple drop trailers. If a shipper or carrier isn’t careful, they could lose track of drop trailers, especially if there are multiple trailers assigned to multiple carriers and vice versa. 

Our drop trailer program is another solution offered to Bobtail Express customers.  We have the trailer capacity to provide this service for shippers who look to improve the efficiency of their supply chain. You can read more about the services we provide to our customers here or contact us for questions or to receive a quote.