Not everything fits in a container. That’s what dry vans and flatbeds are for.

• 48’ dry van. Interior dimensions, volume, tare and pallet positions: no manufacturer spec sheet was found; they are confirmed with the equipment assigned.
• Reefer trailer. Compared with the 53’ dry van it loses 9 to 10 cm of width, 11 to 17 cm of height and 9 to 11% of volume.
• Reefer trailer tare. The low end (5,420 kg) is the factory weight without the refrigeration unit (Hyundai Translead; Great Dane publishes a base weight of 5,443 kg). For planning, the leasing company’s spec sheet is used: 6,641 kg ±3%, or 15,540 lb (≈ 7,049 kg) with a roll-up door.

• Central American Agreement. 37,000 kg − tractor − dry van 6,060 kg (one manufacturer’s spec sheet). The range corresponds to tractors of 12,000 kg and of 7,000 kg; with one of 8,500 kg it gives ≈22,400 kg. In Guatemala the total length of the combination must be checked against 22.00 m (according to the DGC, 2012). Applies to Guatemala (international cargo), El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. Indicative estimate, not a legal limit: the limit of each axle group governs, and it is usually reached before the gross total; the total assumes the front axle loaded to its maximum, which rarely happens. It is confirmed with the actual tare of the equipment.
• Guatemala (domestic dry cargo). 37,960 kg (domestic limit according to the DGC, 2012; indicative figure) − tractor 8,500 kg − dry van 6,060 kg. Low confidence. The total length of the combination must be checked against 22.00 m (according to the DGC, 2012). Indicative estimate, not a legal limit: the limit of each axle group governs, and it is usually reached before the gross total; the total assumes the front axle loaded to its maximum, which rarely happens. It is confirmed with the actual tare of the equipment.
• Costa Rica. 39,000 kg − tractor − dry van 6,060 kg (one manufacturer’s spec sheet). The range corresponds to tractors of 12,000 kg and of 7,000 kg; with one of 8,500 kg it gives ≈24,400 kg. The total length of the combination must be checked against 21.00 m. Indicative estimate, not a legal limit: the limit of each axle group governs, and it is usually reached before the gross total; the total assumes the front axle loaded to its maximum, which rarely happens. It is confirmed with the actual tare of the equipment.

Special permit (Art. 11): only for long objects or pieces that cannot be divided; each country grants it and it is valid for a single trip.

Special permit valid for a maximum of 3 business days and for a single origin-destination trip (Arts. 25-27). Indivisible cargo requires an additional permit and, if the total weight exceeds 51 t, technical authorization from MOPT (Art. 28).

• Traffic Police escort and a pilot vehicle if the cargo exceeds 3.65 m in width or 22 m in length (Art. 56).
• Cargo may overhang up to 1 m at the rear and 0.40 m per side without exceeding 2.60 m in total width; nothing beyond the front bumper (Art. 12).
• 53’ dry van: the actual length of the tractor and dry van combination must be measured against the 21.00 m maximum; it was not verified.

Special per-trip permit for specialized or oversize cargo (Law 616 of 2007, Art. 64, according to an unofficial reproduction); current cost not verified.

• Width, height and length: not verified in a Nicaraguan source; the Central American Agreement values are shown.

Permiso Eventual Especial (special one-off permit) from IHTT for a single trip, requested at least 3 days in advance; seasonal permit, up to 6 months for seasonal activities (Arts. 21 and 28).

• Width of 2.60 m and height of 4.15 m: the regulation does not set them expressly; they apply on a supplementary basis from the Central American Agreement (Art. 62). This is a legal inference, not a value written in the Honduran rule.
• With a special permit: daytime travel (6:00 to 18:00), not on Sundays or holidays, maximum 10 km/h on bridges and no crossing of Bailey bridges; IHTT may adjust these conditions case by case (Arts. 23 and 29).

Mandatory for hazardous cargo and indivisible objects that exceed weights and dimensions; it is issued by the Dirección General de Transporte de Carga and the authorized route cannot be changed (Arts. 17 and 27).

Specialized or indivisible cargo: application on Forma 1-83 to the Dirección General de Caminos; processing takes 3 days for loads under 55 t and up to 15 days for heavier ones, and may require escorts and bridge shoring (according to the DGC, 2012).

• Length of 22.00 m according to the DGC (2012): it is lower than that of the Central American Agreement and is shown as a prudent value; with a 53’ dry van the actual combination must be measured. Width and height match the Agreement.

Permiso Especial de Operación (special operating permit) from ATTT for loads that exceed Law 10: a single trip and a single vehicle, valid for a maximum of 5 business days, cost of B/.8.00, mandatory escort and fixed route and schedule; it is issued in 1 business day with the complete application (Executive Decree 229 of 2018, Arts. 27-38).

• Width of 2.50 m and length of 16.70 m for articulated vehicles (20.0 m for a combination of vehicles): they are lower than those of the Central American Agreement, which SIECA reports as in force for Panama since 2017. The Panamanian rules of 2017 and 2018 still refer to Law 10 and its values are applied as a prudent criterion.
• A 53’ dry van measures ≈2.60 m in exterior width and 16.15 m in length without the tractor: it exceeds the 2.50 m width and, with the tractor, the 16.70 m length, so it would require a Permiso Especial de Operación (our own calculation from a manufacturer’s spec sheet).
• Cargo does not overhang more than 1 m at the front or at the rear, and carries red flags (Art. 14).

• Height: a High Cube container on a chassis or a 53’ dry van (≈4.11 m) sits a few centimeters below the 4.15 m maximum; it is advisable to measure the actual combination (our own estimate).
• Height on the road (indicative calculation): a High Cube container on a standard flatbed stands at ≈ 4.41 m and exceeds the 4.15 m maximum of the Central American Agreement; an 8’6” one stands at ≈ 4.10 m.

• Customs office of destination and, where it applies, the bonded warehouse, free trade zone or company of destination (it must be an authorized location).
• Phytosanitary or zoosanitary certificates and other permits, if the cargo is of quarantine interest or regulated.
• Overseas cargo: bill of lading. Consolidated cargo for several consignees: data for the manifest and for each consignee’s declarations and transport documents.
• Cargo leaving the Colón Free Zone: endorsed Declaración de Salida de Mercancías, the declaration of exit of goods (Costa Rica requires it on entry, according to the Ministry of Finance manual of 2021; indicative). indicative
• Packing list: recommended; it is not a mandatory document under the regional regulation.
• Confirm with the carrier the country where the cargo is loaded: Panama prohibits carriers with CR, NI and HN codes from loading there (Memorandum 021-2025-DG of March 12, 2025, a measure subject to change), and Costa Rica does not allow foreign units to do domestic transport. indicative
• Route through Peñas Blancas: confirm that the unit carries an RFID tag, mandatory since November 2025 according to a notice from Panama’s customs authority dated September 30, 2025 (not confirmed in a Costa Rican source). indicative

• Weight and axles. Each country sets a maximum gross weight according to the axles of the combination. A load that exceeds it calls for another axle configuration or a special permit, and risks being held at a scale.
• Dimensions beyond the legal limits. Whatever exceeds the maximum length, width or height needs a special permit per trip in each country, and the authority can set the route, the schedule and an escort.
• Type of equipment. A reefer trailer, a flatbed or a lowboy does not cost the same as a dry van: the availability and the cost of running the equipment change.
• Loading and unloading. On a flatbed the cargo goes up by crane or forklift and is secured before departure. Every hour the operation takes is an hour with the truck standing still.
• Waiting time (truck detention). A truck held at the gate, while loading or while unloading, cannot make another trip. Once the agreed free time is over, the wait is charged as truck detention.
• Border crossings and customs. A long line, a physical inspection or a document with errors can leave the equipment stopped for hours or days.
• Empty return (deadhead). If the equipment comes back without cargo, or has to be taken empty to the loading point, that leg is also part of the trip.
• Season. In peak season there can be more cargo than equipment available. During Holy Week and at year-end, on top of that, some countries ban heavy trucks.

According to manufacturer spec sheets, the 53’ dry van measures 16.00 × 2.54 × 2.79 m inside (length × width × height), with a door of 2.50 × 2.79 m and 115.2 m³ of volume: 26 US pallets, not stacked. The 53’ reefer trailer measures 15.90 × 2.47 × 2.63 m and 102.4 m³, because the insulation takes up space. These are indicative dimensions and the assigned unit may differ: the full sheet is in the dry vans, flatbeds and chassis guide.

The container is the box that travels on the ship, and on the road it rides on a chassis; the dry van is a closed semitrailer that makes the whole trip by land. The 53’ dry van gives 115.2 m³ and 26 US pallets, not stacked; the 40’ HC, 75.9 m³ and 20–21. If the cargo does not go through a port, the dry van carries more volume per trip: the full comparison is on this page.

Whatever does not fit through the rear door of a dry van: cargo loaded from the side or from above, and long cargo of up to 16 m, or irregularly shaped cargo. A flatbed has no walls or roof, so it is not for cargo that needs protection from the weather. If the piece is tall, or is heavy machinery, a lowboy is the equipment for it.

When the loaded vehicle exceeds the maximum dimensions of the country it travels through. The Central American Agreement sets 22.40 m in length, 2.60 m in width and 4.15 m in height for articulated vehicles; Costa Rica applies 21.00 m in length, and Panama, 2.50 m in width and 16.70 m in length. Above that, a special permit is needed in each country: the table is on this page and in the weights and dimensions guide.

The permit is granted by the authority of each country on the route and, as a rule, it is valid for a single trip. Oversize cargo is quoted case by case: with the actual dimensions and weight we tell you which permits the route requires and how they are handled on that trip.

The manufacturer’s sheet gives 24,948 kg of design payload, but the legal weight on the road governs. With a three-axle tractor and a two-axle dry van (T3-S2), the estimated payload is 18,900–23,900 kg under the Central American Agreement and 20,900–25,900 kg in Costa Rica. It is an indicative calculation, which depends on the actual tare of the tractor and of the dry van: test your case in the load calculator.

A flatbed is a flat-deck semitrailer, with no walls or roof, 16.15 m long and 2.60 m wide. A lowboy is a semitrailer with the center deck dropped between the neck and the axles, for heavy machinery and tall cargo. On a flatbed, the height of the deck adds to the height of the cargo; that is why a tall piece goes on a lowboy, whose availability is checked when quoting.

Length, width, height and weight of each piece; whether it can be divided or not; how it is loaded and unloaded (crane, forklift or ramp); photos or a drawing; the exact origin and destination, and the loading date. With that we choose the equipment and review the limits of each country on the route. You can send it through the Get a quote page or by WhatsApp.