Conestoga
A flatbed or step deck carrying a rolling tarp on a steel frame. It closes like a curtain and opens in minutes, which means freight gets weather protection without anyone spending an hour throwing tarps in a yard.
Conestoga, side elevation
| Base trailer | Built on a flatbed or a step deck |
|---|---|
| Length | 48 or 53 ft, matching the deck underneath |
| Deck width | Roughly 102 in |
| Usable interior width | Roughly 98 in, narrower than the deck because of the frame |
| Interior height | Roughly 96 in to 102 in under the bows |
| Legal freight height | Governed by the deck, the same as an open trailer |
| Max payload | Roughly 42,000 to 44,000 lb, under a bare flatbed by the tarp weight |
| Loading | Side and overhead, with the tarp rolled back |
Figures are industry standard and vary by manufacturer and by carrier. Confirm exact dimensions against the specific trailer before you plan a load to the inch.
When a Conestoga earns its money
Two situations. The first is freight that must not get wet but still has to load from the side or the top, because a crane or a forklift cannot reach into a van. The second is repeat lanes with tarping on them: the equipment costs more per mile than a bare flatbed, and it wins that back in labour and in loads that leave on time.
What we need to quote one
The same as any open deck load, plus one extra. Dimensions and weight, whether it loads by crane or forklift, and whether the receiver has the room to open a tarp system on their yard. That last one catches people out. A Conestoga needs clearance along the full side of the trailer to roll back, and a tight loading bay can make the equipment useless at the exact moment you need it.
Typical commodities
Steel and aluminium products, machinery and parts, building materials, packaged goods too tall or wide for a van, palletized freight going to sites with no dock, and anything that would otherwise need tarping.
Operating notes
What actually goes wrong with this equipment
It is not a dry van
The system sheds weather. It is not sealed, not insulated, and holds no temperature. Freight that must stay genuinely dry and secure belongs in a dry van.
You are paying for the clock
The real saving is tarping time. A crew that would spend forty minutes tarping a load in the rain rolls a Conestoga closed in a few. On multi stop freight that difference compounds.
The frame costs you space
Bows and rails eat a few inches of width and some payload. Freight sized right to the inch for a flatbed may not fit under a Conestoga, so give us real dimensions.
Other equipment
Know what you need?
Send the lane and the freight profile and we will price it.