Methods for restoring coal flowability are considered and some of them are accentuated. The results of the analysis of load-carrying structures of low-sided cars when exposed to thermal methods of restoring coal flowability are presented. The study was conducted using the industrial FEM software complex. The assessment was carried out for two typical low-sided car structures - with a solid floor and hatches on the frame. Studies have shown that thermal loading significantly affects the low-sided car supporting structures and should be taken into consideration when designing cars of enhanced performance properties. The main low-sided car design feature, considered in the paper, is the presence or absence of load-bearing flooring with longitudinal reinforcements. The presence of a carrier floor in the body reduces the load level of the lower trim in its average section. When comparing the loading of both types of bodies, it can be seen that the backward body of the low-sided car perceives loads, both power and thermal, better. According to the results of the calculations, it is possible to say about the priority of the use of infrared irradiation, as a scheme for restoring the flowability by the criterion of minimizing the thermal loading of the supporting systems of the low-sided cars.