Document and Entity Information (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2011	Feb. 22, 2012	Jun. 30, 2011
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2011
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2011
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Trading Symbol	WNC
Entity Registrant Name	WABASH NATIONAL CORP /DE
Entity Central Index Key	0000879526
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		68,321,729
Entity Public Float			$ 638,210,171