Double Drop Deck and Lowboy Trailer Transportation Services
The movement of large equipment, machinery, and materials that exceed the standard range of transportation weights and dimensions is critical for numerous industries. As the leading freight broker, Next Exit Logistics knows how important double drop trailers are when it comes to moving oversized loads. We specialize in moving difficult, unique, and impossible shipments and saving our customers time and frustration!
What is a Double Drop Deck Trailer?
A double drop deck trailer (also called a lowboy trailer) is a specialized flatbed trailer designed specifically to haul oversized shipments. It features a deck that falls below a truck’s axle height, giving it a lower center of gravity and greater vertical clearance for the cargo. This design allows for the hauling of larger and taller loads that would be impossible to transport on a flatbed trailer.
Double drop trailers can range from 48 feet to 53 feet in length and have a weight capacity of 35 tons to over 50 tons. The cargo bed of these trailers can be as low as just 18 inches off the ground.
The low stance also makes double drop trailers different from both standard flatbed trailers and step deck or single drop trailers. Flatbed trailers have a single-level deck, while step deck trailers have a two-level deck.
Double drop trailers, meanwhile, have two drops in the deck that create three sections – an upper deck at standard height, a middle deck at a lower height, and a second upper deck that is higher than the first but lower than the standard flatbed height. Next Exit Logistics has brokered countless double drop deck transportation shipments, arranging for the successful transport of massive military vehicles, oversized construction equipment, several types of aircraft, and more.
Types of Loads Transported
Here are some more examples of common types of cargo transported using double deck drop trailers:
- Heavy Machinery: Excavators, cranes, forklifts, and bulldozers
- Construction Equipment: Precast concrete, backhoes, graders, and concrete mixers
- Industrial Equipment: Electrical transformers, pumps, compressors, and generators.
- Agricultural Equipment: Combine harvesters, tractors, plows, and sprayers.
- Oil & Gas Equipment: Oilfield machinery, oil rig parts and components, and drill pipes.
- Wind Turbine Components: Wind tower sections, blades, and nacelles.
Industries like construction, mining, railroads, energy and power generation, heavy manufacturing, and aerospace/aviation routinely rely on double drop trailer services to transport equipment and materials essential to their operations.
Advantages of Using a Double Drop Deck Trailer
The low-profile design of double drop trailers gives shippers several unique advantages:
- Enhanced Cargo Capacity: The ability to carry multiple shipments of varying sizes in one consignment. A company working on a highway construction project, for instance, can fit an excavator, cable drums, and steel beams of varying lengths and sizes on one truckload.
- Simplified Loading and Unloading: The low deck makes it easier to load and unload heavy equipment. Transporting a 40-ton custom CNC machine, for instance, is made significantly easier when loading and unloading can be done with forklifts and cranes.
- Increased Safety: A low center of gravity minimizes the chance of cargo shifting or tipping. When a massive wind turbine gearbox needs to be moved to a remote wind farm, using a double drop truck for this job improves stability and ensures smoother transport.
Here’s a chart that explains how the odds stack up for a standard trailer and lowboy vs double drop.
| Feature | Double Drop Trailer | Stepdeck Trailer | Flatbed Trailer |
| Deck Height | Extremely low (lowest being middle deck). | Low but slightly higher than double drop. | High (standard flat deck). |
| Best For | Tall and heavy loads that need extra clearance. | Heavy loads that are not necessarily tall. | General cargo crates and palletized loads. |
| Center of Gravity | Lowest - offers the most stability. | Low - good for heavy loads. | High - good for standard palletized loads. |
| Ease of Loading/Unloading | Very easy for tall loads due to the low deck and built-in ramps. | Easy, often with hydraulic ramps. | Easy transfer of pallets at loading bays. Not suitable for oversized equipment. |
| Weight Capacity | High - can handle very heavy loads. | Very high - built for extreme weights. | Moderate. |
| Permitting Needs | Often requires permits for oversized loads. | Requires special permits for extreme weights. | Fewer permits needed. |
Next Exit Logistics and Double Drop Deck Transport
Next Exit Logistics specializes in the brokerage of complex freight solutions involving double drop trailers for oversized and super heavy cargo.
Here’s what makes us the preferred choice for double drop trailer freight brokerage:
- Proven reliability. We have a reputation for success with oversized loads.
- Extensive experience handling difficult loads for a variety of industries.
- Established network of connections with carriers that handle loads of every size and weight.
- Strict carrier evaluation based on FMCSA ratings, insurance coverage, and liability protection.
- Upfront pricing and no hidden terms.
- Responsive customer care via phone, email, or chat.
Choose Next Exit Logistics for Double Drop Deck Transportation
Partnering with Next Exit Logistics for double drop trailer transportation means customized logistics planning for safe and efficient deliveries.
From enhanced cargo capacity and increased freight safety to simplified loading and unloading, we bring you the best benefits of double drop trailer shipping with complete peace of mind.
Our proven reliability, strict carrier evaluation practices, and knowledge of industry regulations are what set us apart from the competition.
We have worked hard to become one of the nation’s top heavy equipment brokers and transportation arrangers. Whether your heavy equipment shipment is local or transcontinental, we have the technology, human workforce, and logistics to get your freight to its destination according to your expectations.
Ready to streamline your double drop trailer transportation? Contact our experts today for seamless solutions.