Is a Conestoga the same as a curtain side trailer?

Yes. "Conestoga" and "curtain side trailer" describe the same equipment: a flatbed with a retractable tarp-and-curtain cover on a rolling frame. The names are used interchangeably across the industry. Whichever term your shipping team uses, it is the same trailer and the same capability.

How does a curtain side trailer work?

The cover rides on a frame of bows and tracks running the length of the trailer. The driver rolls it to one end to expose the deck from the top and sides for forklift or crane loading, then rolls it back over the secured load and latches it down. No tarps are handled by hand.

When should I use a curtain side trailer instead of a flatbed?

Use a curtain side trailer when freight needs open-deck loading and weather protection at the same time, or when hand-tarping is slowing your dock down. If the freight tolerates the weather, a plain flatbed is cheaper and carries slightly more. A good rule: if you would tarp it on a flatbed anyway, a curtain side trailer is worth it.

What freight is a curtain side trailer best for?

It is best for high-value or weather-sensitive freight that still loads from the side or top: finished steel and steel products, sensitive machinery, and plastic injection molds. These are loads that need open-deck access but cannot risk a wet or torn tarp, so they need both protection and side loading at once.

Does a curtain side trailer carry less than a flatbed?

Slightly. The cover system adds weight, generally a couple thousand pounds compared with a bare flatbed, and the framing slightly reduces interior width. For most freight that is well within limits, but it is worth knowing when a load is close to maximum legal weight.

What is a step deck Conestoga?

A step deck Conestoga combines the lower deck of a step deck trailer with the same retractable cover as a standard Conestoga. It carries taller freight that needs both extra vertical clearance and weather protection, without hand-tarping and without losing side-load access. Most regional carriers do not run them.

Why are they called both Conestoga and curtain side trailers?

The two names describe the same equipment. "Conestoga" traces back to the covered wagons of the same name and became common for rolling-tarp flatbeds; "curtain side" more literally describes how the sliding cover works. The trailer and its capability are identical under either name.

Does Laufer run curtain side trailers?

Yes. Laufer is an asset-based, family-owned carrier running Conestogas, including step deck Conestogas, out of Hartford, Wisconsin. Running both gives the fleet a genuine specialty: protected, open-deck capacity for steel and high-value manufacturing freight that many regional carriers cannot offer.