Laminated Oak Flooring

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– Our floors are made of 100% oak.
– Our flooring has the highest content of white oak in the industry.
– Our quality assures the best available raw materials for flooring is being utilized.
– Our flooring is manufactured based on several decades of experience and expertise.
– We have been in business for over 25 years.
– We have excellent service and competitive prices.
– Our flooring is known for long term durability and lower maintenance cost.
– HAVCO means NO SURPRISES down the road.
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No. Hardwoods vary considerably in strength, resistance to decay, water absorption characteristics, ability to nail, history of use, and ease of identification.
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White and red oaks are well known for the following features:
–  High strength.
–  Highest resistance to decay compared to maple, birch and ash in the decay hazard areas of the Midwest and Southeastern U.S.
–  Very high resistance to splitting upon nailing (compared to maple and birch)
–  White oak is known to be very resistant to penetration of water, which makes it even useful for wine and whiskey barrels.
–  White and red oaks are plentiful.
–  Oak is a true hardwood unlike yellow poplar and soft maple, which are considered soft hardwoods.
–  Oak logs have a large amount of decay-resistant "heartwood", whereas maple logs have "non-resistant" "interior" wood.
–  Longest history (over 30 years) of use in the trailer industry compared to other hardwoods.
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In the past, several fleets unknowingly specified hardwood flooring for their trailer flooring presuming that all types of hardwood flooring were the same. However, the term "hardwood" forced the fleets to accept any hardwood specie including soft maple, hard maple, birch, ash, beech, etc., or a mix. We recommend that it is best for fleets to specify trailer flooring by brand name or at least by the specie of wood, such as oak. This helps to avoid having to accept unwanted wood species that are non-resistant to decay.
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NO. The industry has experimented with a variety of other hardwoods such as elm, hickory, yellow poplar, beech, ash, hard and soft maples. HAVCO™ does not believe in mixing unrelated hardwoods in flooring because the various species of hardwoods differ in physical properties and chemical composition, resulting in a wide range of performance and durability.

Our floors are 100% oak, 100% of the time. Anything less is simply unproven and will be more costly in the future.
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Natural durability or decay resistance of hardwoods varies depending on each hardwood's chemical makeup and microscopic structure. Scientists have studied the long-term effects of exposing woods to the environment for use above the ground. Their conclusions are as follows:

Grouping of Woods for Above Ground Decay Resistance
(Mississippi Climate)

Most Resistant (higher than 20 yrs.)
– Red Oak (Sapwood)
– Red Oak (Heartwood)
­– White Oak (Heartwood)

Non-Resistant (less than 7 yrs.)
– Yellow Birch (Interior Wood)*
– Sugar Maple (Interior Wood)*

*True heartwood is not formed in these species; hence the term "interior" wood is used.

Reference: "Longevity of Untreated Wood in Use above Ground" Authors: Wallace E. Eslyn, Terry L. Highley and Frances F. Lombard USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Lab., Madison, WI Forest Products Journal, 35(5):28-35


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Yes. In above ground testing, samples of various wood species are simply exposed to the environment for many years and periodically analyzed by scientists. The results of this testing applies to trailer flooring since it is an application where wood is used above ground and exposed to various environmental conditions.

As proven by the aforementioned testing, red oak and white oak are categorized as most resistant to decay in above-ground use. Additionally, white oak is well known to be resistant to decay even in harsher ground contact conditions. For above-ground use of hardwoods such as in trailer flooring, both red and white oaks are suitable.

Based on the same above-ground testing, maple and birch are categorized by scientists as non-resistant to decay. The implication of this categorization of woods is as follows. Essentially, trailer flooring made of non-resistant hardwoods can decay at a much faster rate compared to most resistant hardwoods under similar conditions of use.
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No. Over 50% of hardwood flooring in the trailer industry is made of oak. This means we have to be competitive with the prevailing market prices of oak flooring. It is possible that certain mixed hardwood flooring may be priced lower than oak flooring. However, the long-term cost or life cycle cost of HAVCO™ flooring is proven to be lower because of lower maintenance and reduced trailer down-time costs.
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Maples (both hard and soft) are non-resistant to decay. While hard maple is stronger, soft maple has significantly lower strength. If a considerable amount of soft maple is mixed with hard maple in the construction of a floor, the strength of the resulting product will be significantly lower compared to a 100% hard maple floor.
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Hardwood trailer flooring is expected to last for about 10 years in road service. During this time, trailer flooring will most likely be exposed to moisture and warm weather conditions. Under these harsh conditions, fungal decay of wood can progress at a faster rate than in dry and cool environments. Trailers with flooring made of wood species categorized as "non-resistant" have been found to require repairs in as little as 2 years.
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Even though wood can be infected with a fungus in most environments, decay is caused when conditions are suitable for fungal growth. Suitable conditions exist when the moisture content of wood is at least 20% and temperature is between 50° F to 95° F. Under these conditions and in the presence of air, fungi can feed on wood, causing loss of strength and toughness of the flooring. Rate of decay depends on the specie of wood.

When non-resistant hardwood is used in trailer flooring, it is important to keep the flooring dry to prevent decay. This is one reason to know the hardwood species of your flooring. Resistance to decay for all hardwood species is not all the same.
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Decay causes weight loss of wood in flooring. A 10% weight loss can result in higher than 50% loss of strength, even though decay is not visible to the naked eyes. Visible decay usually means very high loss of strength and failure of flooring, needing immediate repairs.
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One way to avoid decay or ensure prolonged life of flooring is to use decay-resistant hardwood flooring. Red and white oaks are the only hardwood species that are proven to be naturally decay resistant, suitable for trailer flooring and available to OEMs and fleets.

When using non-resistant hardwood species for your flooring, special care should be taken to keep the flooring dry, especially under the threshold plate, at the side rails and upper coupler plate connections and in and around the screw holes in trailers.
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We are not aware nor have we seen any oak flooring in the industry that has been mixed with birch, beech, soft maple or hard maple. However, mixing of different hardwoods has been found in maple flooring. Soft and hard maples look closely alike which makes them difficult to recognize and therefore easy to mix. The expertise of wood scientists is needed to identify these species in floor samples.
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"Flooring" is the term used for laminated hardwood boards that are installed on top of cross-members in a trailer or container. "Floor System" is used to describe the combination of flooring, cross-member supports and their connections.
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Floor rating is based on testing the floor system in a trailer according to TTMA RP No. 37-02. The Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association (TTMA) Recommended Practice (RP) is the industry standard to rate trailer floor systems. Performance of hardwood flooring in this test is only one aspect of rating the floor system.

This method is useful to qualify the dynamic and fatigue characteristics of flooring. Dynamic loads are generated from impact on flooring upon entry of lift trucks and sudden change in movement of a loaded lift truck upon braking. Fatigue loads are produced by lift trucks cycling in and out of a trailer.
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Technically, flooring by itself is not given a load rating; only the floor system is rated. Usually, OEMs conduct TTMA RP 37-02 testing to determine floor or floor system rating. According to the RP, rating can depend on the number of load cycles. When a floor system is tested at lower loads, a higher number of load cycles is required and vice versa when tested at higher loads. Hence, it is possible for a floor system to have multiple ratings. The intended use of the trailer can help to determine which rating is most applicable depending on frequency of loading and other service factors. Therefore, it is best to ascertain floor rating and its meaning through OEMs.
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No. The effect of climate and decay resistance of hardwood is not considered as part of TTMA RP 37-02.
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Clearly, the TTMA load rating is a very useful parameter to describe the floor's capability in a relatively new trailer. As a first step, fleets should check if the load rating of their floor system is sufficient to withstand the service loads. To further ensure long-term performance, it helps to consider additional performance-related aspects of the flooring. They are as follows:

– Decay resistance of the hardwood species used in flooring.
– Bending and shear strengths of floorboards.
– Historic service data and performance of various brands of hardwood flooring available in the market.
– Reputation for quality and service of flooring manufacturer.
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In case of non-resistant hardwoods such as maple, birch, beech and ash, decay of wood can occur at a fast rate. For trailers operating in the southeastern and mid-western U.S. locations, decay hazard is significant due to warm weather and high humidity. Care should be taken to keep non-resistant hardwood flooring dry at all times. If non-resistant flooring cannot be kept dry, pressure treatment of hardwood flooring before installation in trailers can be an option.

Non-resistant hardwood flooring in trailers should be checked on a frequent basis. Potential locations for water entrapment and premature decay of non-resistant hardwood flooring include the underside of the threshold plate, at the lips of rails and channel, and at the connection of boards to the coupler plate and screw holes.

Laminated wood flooring for trailers is usually shipped from the factories at about 8% moisture content. Generally, wood flooring can undergo fluctuation of moisture content in service depending on the geographical location of trailers and the related environments without causing problems. However, when dedicated trailers are continuously operated in dry environments (such as in Arizona and Nevada) for prolonged periods of time, wood can rapidly loose a significant amount of moisture, especially during the summer months. This can lead to cracking of floorboards. Coating the topside of flooring with a durable sealant prior to the exposure may help prevent rapid loss of moisture and its related effects.

If wood floors are washed or if a trailer is allowed to collect water (e.g. doors are kept open during rain), floorboards can absorb excessive amounts of moisture leading to swelling in thickness and width of the boards. Drying of wood will typically follow the wetting stage, leading to some degree of cracking of the floorboards. This phenomenon is usually found to occur at the door of trailers after several years of road service. Coating the topside of flooring with a durable sealant for about three to five feet from the door may help to prevent or mitigate this phenomenon.

Floorboards should not be loosely (e.g. without proper adhesive bonding) covered by plastic film or sheet metal at the underside to avoid the possible entrapment of water. Also, installation of floorboards over the coupler plate should be avoided, if possible, for the same reason. Entrapment of water below the board can lead to warping of floorboards. In the case of non-resistant hardwood flooring, water entrapment can also lead to premature decay of wood. Warping occurs due to expansion of the bottom side of boards relative to the topside.

Overloading a trailer floor beyond its rated load capacity with a heavy lift truck or clamp truck carrying a heavy piece of cargo should be avoided. Overloading can lead to the breaking of floor screws and floorboards. It can also lead to permanent settling of cross-members. Problems from overloading the floor can be avoided by ensuring a sufficiently rated floor system for the service conditions.
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No. Laminated oak flooring can be used in dry van trailers, containers and truck bodies only.
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