When did they start this?

[BigPapa]

When did they start this? Never seen this before:

 

[fest3er]

Container(s)?

 

[Bill Lins]

What we used to call a "pup" trailer.

 

[Wayne M.]

That might be the size of a pup, but that's not what it is.
I wonder if the box truck is under CDL, and this is a underhanded tactic to skirt the A?
I'm all over the NE corridor, and I haven't seen that. I don't like it. Looks poor handling.

 

[mwilson]

Only one cup of coffee in so far BUT it appears to be a truck body due to construction and placement of side marker and tail lights. A lot of Fed Ex Ground equipment is owned by contractors so it may be a home grown rig to avoid the doubles / triples license endorsement..

 

[mwilson]

Gotta' be for high cube, low weight freight. I followed the mud flap and looked at Wil-Ro's website. They build all kind of truck bodies but no mention of trailers...someone built that rolling platform for the truck body. Looks like Dexter Air Brake axles under it.....

Looks tippy to me....

 

[GAmes]

The axles are about the same distance behind the center line of any travel trailer or cargo trailer. Looks OK to me (and I'll bet it doesn't have a sway control device either).

 

[Wayne M.]

Betcha the loaded CG is too high.

 

[mwilson]

Betcha the loaded CG is too high.

That is my concern as well. If it cubes out with light stuff no big deal. It will rear it's ugly head when loaded heavy. You don't see pups with 17.5 rubber for good reason.

 

[Tractorat]

In seattle now you can get a mortgage for air. Maybe it is a load of air ?:-laf

 

[MarkEagleUSA]

Betcha the loaded CG is too high.

That doesn't bother me as much as the hitch does. It appears the truck has a liftgate so I'm questioning how that thing is actually attached and whether it can handle the weight that trailer might carry.

 

[GAmes]

Betcha the loaded CG is too high.

The vertical CG won't change because of axle placement. It is the same height as every other enclosed semi trailer on the road. The hitch, I'm sure, is the same pintle hitch that any other large cargo trailer has.

 

[mwilson]

The vertical CG won't change because of axle placement. It is the same height as every other enclosed semi trailer on the road. The hitch, I'm sure, is the same pintle hitch that any other large cargo trailer has.

No, it's a good 6" higher in relation to the axles and suspension if not more. Granted the cargo box is the same rough height as it would be if mounted a truck.

The axle centers are higher when using 22.5 or 24.5 rubber like a normal semi trailer uses. Those are 17.5 tires which lowers the axle center.

Plus I can't see how the suspension is mounted, whether it's air ride or spring ride. It will probably be just fine when used for it's intended purpose.

What the concern about the hitch is that the trailer is connected to the truck right in the spot that should be occupied by the liftgate. So either the liftgate has been removed and they simply left the side steps in place which allowed construction of an end of frame mounted pintle hitch...OR they custom scabbed on some kind of hitch that is below the liftgate which would be terrifying........

 

[Wayne M.]

Good points Mike, and what I was thinking. It might have juice brakes all around, so I doubt a air suspension.
Earlier this eve, I was on that corridor, and 4 lanes over going opposite, I saw one of the FedEx custom critical rigs, the CL8 straight box truck with the condo sleeper, and it was towing a pup or something like this. But I couldn't get a real good look.

 

[Missouri Mule]

I see fed ex semi's pulling tandem trailers all the time. The set up in the photo is a smaller set up. The truck isn't delivering to businesses or houses it going to the distribution center where the truck can drop the trailer at the dock then the driver will back up the truck to the dock. There is one in Tampa on the same road the market is and it is huge. Airport is about 7-8 miles down the road.

 

[BigPapa]

This one was about two miles from the Ground terminal here in Nashville. If you look at the back of the trailer either it's old enough to be beat up or it's had a very rough start.

 

[GAmes]

Considering the bad press that big trucks have been getting lately, and the sue happy atmosphere we live in I doubt FedEx would be using a combo that is any less safe than any other combo.

 

[Wayne M.]

Just did a search in Google and bing for fed ex truck images. I saw nothing like this. Many mediums but none towing. All pups are conventional 5th wheel trailers with dollies.

 

[BigPapa]

As mentioned above, I'd say this rig belongs to a local contractor, especially noting the mud flaps and tags, not FedEx proper.

 

[Wayne M.]

I'd believe that. My neighborhood ground van is a old clapped out stepmaster with a ISB and sounds great.