A dry van is the everyday enclosed box trailer — the most common type on the road. It hauls general, non-perishable freight that just needs to be protected from weather and theft, from packaged consumer goods to palletized products.
Because it’s so versatile and widely available, dry-van freight is the baseline of the trucking market. It contrasts with a reefer, which adds refrigeration, and a flatbed, which is open for oversized or awkward loads. Most dry vans close with either swing doors or a roll-up door.