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Trailer Type, Length & Accent

Set trailer equipment on Truckload and Drayage loads with three fields: Trailer Type, Length, and the optional Trailer Type Accent.

What this does

Trailer equipment is captured as three separate fields — Trailer Type, Trailer Length, and an optional Trailer Type Accent — instead of one combined trailer name. The Accent holds the variant or material (for example Stainless Steel, Kosher, or Flexibag), so you pick equipment from shorter lists and can search, filter, and report on the exact configuration.

  • Pick equipment faster from shorter, cleaner dropdowns instead of one giant combined list.
  • Search, filter, and match loads on the specific variant (for example, a Tanker that is Kosher or Stainless Steel).
  • Structured support for niche and liquid-bulk configurations, aligned with standard industry equipment catalogs.
  • More accurate quotes, loadboard posts, and reports because each attribute is its own value.

User Guide

Before you start — what you need first

  • This applies to Truckload and Drayage shipments; the three fields appear together wherever you enter equipment.
  • Trailer Type names no longer include the length or the accent — choose Dry Van + 53 ft + (optional) accent rather than one combined “53 ft Dry Van” entry.
  • Accent is optional; Type is the core selection. Add an Accent only when the variant matters.

How to select trailer equipment on a shipment

Where to go: Open or create a Truckload or Drayage shipment and find the equipment fields in the Shipment Information section.

  • Trailer Type — the base equipment (Dry Van, Flatbed, Reefer, Tanker, Container, etc.). Choose this first.
  • Trailer Length — selected separately from a dropdown, 12–53 ft.
  • Trailer Type Accent — the optional variant or material, shown to the right of Trailer Type. Set it when the equipment has a meaningful sub-type (for example, a Tanker that must be Stainless Steel or Kosher).

How to set the accent elsewhere in the TMS

Where to go: The same three fields appear beyond the shipment screen.

  • Create Shipment modal and inline (grid) edits on the shipment list.
  • Truckload Quoting (shipment info and quote entry).
  • Company Loadboard posts.
  • Saved Search filters and columns.
  • Content and email templates that reference equipment.
  • Carrier trailer-type settings and the shipment importer.

Trailer Types available

Base Trailer Types (length and accent are selected separately): Conestoga / Curtain Side, City Truck w/ Liftgate, Container, Double Drop, Dry Van, Dump, Enclosed Car Carrier, Open Car Carrier, Flatbed, Hopper, Hotshot, Landoll, Livestock, Low Boy / RG, Low Pro Step Deck, Other, Power Only, Reefer, Sprinter Van, Step Deck, Straight Truck, Super B, Tanker, and Van.

Trailer Type Accents available

Accents describe the variant or material of the base type. Common accents include Air Ride, Standard, Heavy, High Cube, Intermodal, and OOG; Dry, Heat, and Reefer (including Tandem, Tri-Axle, and Quad-Axle variants); Conestoga, Curtain Side, Tarp, Plate Trailer, Vented, Flatbed, and RG; and material variants such as Aluminum, Steel, Stainless Steel, Fiberglass, Plastite-Lined, and Rubber-Lined. New specialized variants in this release include Tanker accents (Fiberglass, Stainless Steel, Kosher, Multi-Compartment, Plastite-Lined, Pneumatic, Rubber-Lined, Aluminum, Intermodal, Steel), Container | Flexibag, Flatbed Tri-Axle and Maxi, and Landoll.

Tips & best practices

  • Choose Trailer Type first, then Length, then add an Accent only if the variant matters.
  • Leave Accent blank rather than guessing — an empty accent simply means “no specific variant.”
  • If you have custom reports, saved searches, or workflows built on the old combined trailer name, review them so they also account for Length and Accent.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to set an accent on every shipment?

No. Accent is optional — use it only when the equipment variant matters; otherwise leave it blank.

What happened to my old combined trailer type, like “53 ft Dry Van”?

It was split into separate Type, Length, and Accent values automatically, so nothing is lost and older records stay searchable.

Will my integrations and EDI partners still get the right trailer type?

Yes. The legacy trailer type is still sent to external systems and stays in sync with the three new fields.

Can I search or report on the accent?

Yes. Accent is available as a searchable and exportable field in Saved Search and custom reports.

If something doesn’t work

  • If the equipment fields look blank after an update, refresh the page and re-open the shipment before re-entering values.
  • If a selection doesn’t appear to save, confirm you selected Trailer Type first, then Length and the optional Accent, and save again.
  • If a specific accent you expect isn’t listed, it may not apply to that base type — pick the closest base type, or contact support to confirm the variant is available.
  • If a historical record shows an unexpected accent, contact Tai support with the shipment ID so the mapping can be reviewed.

To learn more, see the related Truckload shipment articles in the Knowledge Base.

Applies to: TMS Truckload & Drayage shipments (Flexible Trailer Types Phase 2) · Last updated: 2026-06-16