We often talk about the importance of maintaining your trucks here on Team Run Smart, but a well-maintained truck is no good without a well-maintained wagon to pull behind it! Whether it is your own trailer or a trailer owned by the company you drive for, keeping your wagon in good working condition can keep you from having unwanted setbacks 
happen to you later on down the road. The last thing you want out on the road is to not be able to load your freight, or worse yet, have a customer actually refuse to put their freight on your trailer!
Having hauled many different types of trailers throughout my career, I know that there are different things to maintain based on various specific operations. Personally I have had to have various repairs done ranging from welding of holes on a pneumatic tanker, replacing tie down anchors on a double-decker flatbed, and even patching holes on the 
side of a metal shipping container. My newest venture of owning my own dry van has brought with it it's own unique set of maintenance challenges as well.
When it comes to a dry van, providing the customer a sealed weather-tight box is of the utmost importance! From the roof to the floorboards there are countless ways that water, dust, and even unwanted insects can enter a trailer if not taken care of. Besides basic roadworthiness of the driving systems such as tires, brakes, and suspension, the roof and floor are probably the two most key elements to maintaining a dependable sealed unit.
Even though I bought a trailer of my own that had a recent roof replacement, to convert it from a translucent roof to a metal roof, I’m not one to take chances. I was lucky enough after buying the trailer to have had it sit empty one day parked at the yard through a thunderstorm, which revealed a little bit of water leaking in a couple spots of the roof that they had put on. Sure enough, the next day I was up on top of the trailer with my ladder and a couple gallons of UV reflective roof sealant. Although these 2 gallons of sealant and a brush to apply it with probably cost me close to $100 and a couple hours of my time, the fact that I have not had a single roof leak since has been worth much more to me in piece of mind than that initial monetary investment.
After six months of use on this trailer now and many loads hauled with it, it was pretty much expected by me that some wear and tear would occur. Being made of wood and metal makes these trailers strong and resistant to damage, but not damage-proof. Just this past weekend I spent a couple more hours of my time (and a few dollars out of my company’s pocket) in an effort to make sure my trailer remains in top condition. I began noticing some light gaps in some of my floorboards and quickly set out to Home Depot once again to grab a few supplies. A few tubes of silicone and a couple of cans of rubberized undercoating quickly remedied the situation and once again insured that my trailer would meet and exceed my customer's expectations.
Pulling a rickety wagon down the road, or showing up to a customer with one and disappointing them, can lead to a bad image for your business and can leave a bad taste in their mouth for your “flavor” of service. Simple maintenance such as a few rattle cans of paint, some silicone caulking, or even a little welding here and there, will only help to ensure your continued success and build your reputation for dependability. Ultimately, maximum uptime can only be achieved if every piece of the operation is in good running order. Whether you pull a parking lot, a refrigerated trailer, a dry van, a flatbed, or an attached expedite box, the urgency is still there to make sure that what is actually holding the freight is in the proper condition to do so! When it comes to maintenance, make sure you're not laggin' on your wagon!