Wabash Equipment Shipping
Now part of Wabash National Corporation (NYSE: WNC)Source
Wabash sizes its DuraPlate dry van and Acutherm refrigerated van at 53 ft by 102⅜ in by 13 ft 6 in, and the DuraPlate pup van at 28 ft. All three are wider than a container door and too tall for a flat rack, so they are towed aboard a RoRo ship.
How each Wabash model ships
Weights and transport dimensions come from the manufacturer's published specifications (linked under each model). The method is worked out from those dimensions against container, flat rack and RoRo limits, in the order we quote them.
| Model | Weight | L × W × H (transport) | Best method | Preparation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wabash DuraPlate Dry Van53 ft dry van trailerSpec source | not publishedweighed at pickup | 53 ft × 8 ft 6 in × 13 ft 6 in (16.15 × 2.6 × 4.12 m) | RoRoWhere a RoRo lane serves the destination | Drives on assembled where a RoRo lane serves the destination. |
| Wabash DuraPlate Pup Van28 ft pup van trailerSpec source | not publishedweighed at pickup | 28 ft × 8 ft 6 in × 13 ft 6 in (8.53 × 2.6 × 4.12 m) | RoRoWhere a RoRo lane serves the destination | Drives on assembled where a RoRo lane serves the destination. |
| Wabash Acutherm Refrigerated Van53 ft refrigerated trailerSpec source | not publishedweighed at pickup | 53 ft × 8 ft 6 in × 13 ft 6 in (16.15 × 2.6 × 4.12 m) | RoRoWhere a RoRo lane serves the destination | Drives on assembled where a RoRo lane serves the destination. |
Dimensions vary with shoes, tyres, buckets and options, so we confirm them on your machine before booking. Container limits used: 40 ft high-cube door 7 ft 8 in (2.34 m) wide and 8 ft 6 in (2.58 m) high, 39 ft 6 in (12.03 m) long inside.
Container, flat rack, RoRo or breakbulk?
We quote in this order because it is usually cheapest first. Most machines that look too big for a box fit once our crew takes off the bucket, boom, cab or wheels; larger ones are taken further apart across several containers, and pieces too big or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer go breakbulk.
01Container
- Work needed
- We partially disassemble when needed (bucket, boom, cab, wheels), or take larger machines further apart across several high-cubes and open-tops, then crate, block and lash every part.
- Destinations
- Widest: almost every port worldwide, plus inland delivery by rail.
- Typical cost
- Usually the lowest, with no out-of-gauge surcharges.
- Protection
- Sealed steel box; loose parts and attachments travel locked inside.
- Best for
- Most machines: compact ones as they are, others after partial disassembly, and large ones split across several containers.
02Flat rack
- Work needed
- Ships assembled, blocked and lashed. Surcharges apply when wider than 2.4 m or taller than about 1.95 m.
- Destinations
- Most container ports, on the same vessels as containers.
- Typical cost
- Moderate; rises with every centimetre out of gauge.
- Protection
- Open to the weather; we protect cabs, electronics and hydraulics.
- Best for
- Excavators, dozers and loaders too wide for a container door.
03RoRo
Best fit- Work needed
- Drives on assembled; non-runners go on a roll trailer.
- Destinations
- Fewer destinations: regular lanes to Europe, West Africa, the Middle East, Oceania and parts of Latin America.
- Typical cost
- Often competitive for large self-propelled machines where a lane exists.
- Protection
- Below deck, but loose items and attachments cannot ride inside the cab.
- Best for
- Running machines going to a port with regular RoRo sailings.
04Breakbulk
- Work needed
- Lifted aboard piece by piece by ship’s or shore cranes, on its own skids or cradle, then stowed and lashed in the hold or on deck.
- Destinations
- Ports with breakbulk berths and heavy-lift cranes; sailings are booked voyage by voyage.
- Typical cost
- Usually the highest for a single small machine; often the only option for the largest pieces.
- Protection
- In the hold or lashed on deck; we crate, wrap and protect exposed parts.
- Best for
- Pieces too large or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer: transformers, process modules, mining trucks, crane sections.
Preparing Wabash machines for export
- Tyres, brakes, lights and landing gear are checked so the trailer can be towed aboard, and the doors are sealed.
- The VIN plate, title and any lien release go with the trailer, and a reefer's fuel tank is drawn down.
- Wabash sizes its 53 ft vans at 53 ft by 102⅜ in by 13 ft 6 in: 53 ft (16.15 m) long and 8 ft 6 in (2.60 m) wide, so they are towed aboard a RoRo ship.
- The 28 ft DuraPlate pup van is 28 ft (8.53 m) long, short enough for a 40 ft flat rack, but at 13 ft 6 in (4.12 m) tall it is over the 13 ft 1 in (4.0 m) most carriers take, so it also goes RoRo.
- Wabash's reefer figures are for the trailer, so the survey measures the refrigeration unit on the front wall.
Containerizing a machine means taking off the parts that stop it fitting, then crating, labelling and lashing them in the same box. See how we containerize heavy equipment
Where Wabash machines go from the U.S.
The destinations we see most for Wabash equipment, with the import rule that most often catches buyers out.
VenezuelaTransit 8-10 daysTrailers under heading 87.16 are largely exempt from Decreto 5.103's age rule, but no scheduled RoRo sails.
Quote to Venezuela
EcuadorTransit 7-22 daysThe rule for used trailers is unconfirmed and duty under 8716 runs from 0% to 20%, so ask your broker first.
Quote to Ecuador
ChileTransit 16-32 daysNo source covers used highway trailers or dry vans, so treat them as unconfirmed and ask before you buy.
Quote to Chile
Equipment Types We Ship
Wabash was founded in 1985 in Lafayette, Indiana, as a dry van trailer manufacturer. It now builds dry and refrigerated vans, platform and tank trailers and truck bodies, and its DuraPlate composite panels are used across its vans.
Why Ship Wabash with Us
- Model pages built from Wabash's own product sheets
- Trailers towed to the RoRo terminal by our drivers, with the landing gear and lights checked first
- Destination rules for used trailers checked with your broker before you buy
Wabash shipping questions
How do you ship a Wabash 53 ft dry van?
Towed aboard a RoRo ship. At 53 ft (16.15 m) long and 8 ft 6 in (2.60 m) wide it is longer than a 40 ft flat rack and wider than a container door.
Can a Wabash pup trailer go on a flat rack?
At 28 ft it fits a 40 ft flat rack's length, but it stands 13 ft 6 in (13 ft 6 in / 4.12 m), above the 13 ft 1 in (4.0 m) most carriers accept, so we book it RoRo or ask the carrier for an over-height slot.
Wabash and its logo are trademarks of their respective owner, shown only to identify the equipment we ship. Seaway Project Cargo is an independent shipper and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Wabash.
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