Power only trailer pools: how drop trailers work

How a trailer pool works

• Preloaded trailer: the shipper loads a pool trailer ahead of time. You arrive, hook it and go, often without waiting at a dock.
• Empty to the shipper: you pick up an empty from a drop yard and take it to the shipper to be loaded, or drop it and hook a loaded one.
• Drop at the receiver: you leave the loaded trailer and may pull an empty back to the yard. Check whether that empty move pays.

The rate confirmation should say where to pick up and drop each trailer, the trailer number and who pays for empty moves. If it doesn't, ask before you accept. Our power only guide covers the basics and our drop and hook vs live loads guide compares the two kinds of stops.

Someone else's trailer, your inspection

• Before you drive: 49 CFR 396.13 says you must be satisfied the vehicle is in safe operating condition, and review the last inspection report where one is required. That includes the trailer: brakes and brake connections, lights and reflectors, tires, wheels and rims, and the coupling (49 CFR 392.7(a)).
• Annual inspection: every trailer in a combination must have passed a periodic inspection in the last 12 months, and the proof must be on the vehicle: the report or a sticker or decal showing the date and where the report is kept (49 CFR 396.17(c)). The inspection report is kept 14 months (49 CFR 396.21).
• No sticker, no go. If you can't find proof of the annual inspection, or something is broken, call the pool owner before you leave the yard.
• Take photos of all four sides, the tires and any damage when you hook, and again when you drop. That's your record if someone later says you damaged it.

Use our pre-trip inspection checklist.

The trailer agreement

The federal interchange rule, 49 CFR 376.31, requires a written agreement when equipment passes between two for-hire motor carriers. It doesn't apply to a trailer that belongs to a shipper or broker (49 CFR 376.1 and 376.2). That means a pool's terms come from the pool owner's own trailer use agreement or the rate confirmation. Before you sign, look for:

• Who pays for tires, lights and roadside repairs, and who you call when something breaks
• Who pays for damage, and how damage is documented at hook and drop
• Late return or dwell charges if the trailer sits too long
• Insurance the owner requires and the limits
• Where empties go, and whether empty miles pay

Insurance for a trailer you don't own

Your auto liability and cargo policies don't automatically pay for damage to someone else's trailer. Pool owners usually require one of two kinds of physical damage coverage for the trailer:

• Trailer interchange: written for trailers you pull under a written interchange or trailer use agreement.
• Non-owned trailer physical damage: written for trailers you pull without that kind of agreement.

Send the pool's agreement to your insurance agent and ask which one fits and what limit the owner wants. Our insurance checklist lists the rest of what brokers ask for.

Markings, seals and paperwork

• Markings: your USDOT number goes on your power unit. A trailer that isn't intermodal equipment doesn't need your number (49 CFR 390.21T).
• Seals: we found no federal rule requiring seals on domestic loads, but most shippers seal preloaded trailers. Check that the seal number matches the bill of lading before you leave, and write it down. If a seal is broken or missing, call before you move.
• Sealed loads on the road: if you're ordered not to open a sealed trailer, you're excused from the en-route cargo securement checks (49 CFR 392.9(b)(4)).
• Trailer number: make sure the trailer number on the paperwork matches the trailer you hooked. Wrong-trailer pickups happen in busy yards.

Is a trailer pool right for you?

A dispatcher can compare pool loads with regular freight on your lanes. See power only dispatch. Fleetorica is a dispatch service, not a broker or carrier.

Questions carriers ask