finding a vehicle for a growing family

If you're new to the trucking industry, one of the best trailers you can buy is a dry van trailer. Its enclosed design means that you can securely haul all sorts of different products for your clients. When you're ready to buy a dry van trailer, you'll want to visit a trailer supplier that has many different options available. As you check out some different trailers, you'll commonly notice that their back doors can vary considerably. Here are three popular door options that you'll find in dry van trailers. 

Hinged Doors

One of the most common door options you'll find when you shop for a dry van trailer is a pair of hinged doors. These doors allow quick and easy access to whatever you're carrying, whether you're backed up to a loading dock or parked in an open area. Some trucking professionals appreciate hinged doors because they can open just one door. For example, if you're going to be walking in and out of the trailer repeatedly—perhaps while you inspect your load before you depart—you can quickly open one door rather than have to open both doors.

Roll-Up Door

Another popular door option that you'll see on a lot of dry van trailers is a roll-up door. As its name indicates, this is a door that you roll upward when you want to open it—somewhat similar to a roll-up door that you might find on a commercial building. Roll-up doors are fairly quick to operate; once you release the latch that holds the door down and push the handle upward, the door will typically roll up to reveal the back of the dry van trailer. A major advantage of a roll-up door is that you can open and close it after you back up to a loading dock, which isn't always possible with hinged doors.

Liftgate

You'll also see dry van trailers that have liftgates at the rear. Liftgates can vary considerably in design, but consist of a powered lift that you can use to load heavy objects into the trailer. A trailer with a liftgate is especially valuable when you don't have a loading dock. In this scenario, you'll lower the liftgate, fill it with the items you wish to haul, and then raise the liftgate so that you can transfer these items into the trailer. Using the liftgate means that you won't have to physically lift each of the items from the ground to the trailer. When you're done loading, the liftgate will fold up and serve as the door at the rear of the trailer.

Contact a local auto dealer to learn more about dry van trailers.