Home / Services / Flatbed & step deck dispatch
Flatbed & step deck dispatch
Flatbed pays the strongest rates per mile of any standard trailer, and takes the most work per load to get right. Securement, tarps, permits, and shippers who load on their schedule.
or $400/week flat
The market
Flatbed is a skill market, not a volume market
Building materials, steel, coil, lumber, machinery, pipe and equipment move on flatbeds and step decks, and the freight is concentrated around industrial and construction corridors rather than spread evenly like van freight. That makes lane planning both harder and more valuable — the difference between a well-planned week and a badly planned one is much larger than in dry van.
Flatbed is also weather-exposed and construction-driven, so it swings with the season and with regional building activity. A carrier who can move between the Gulf Coast, the Southeast and the Midwest through the year will run far better than one locked to a single region.
How we run a flatbed
- Tarp pay negotiated separately. Tarping is an hour of hard physical work in whatever weather you're in. It is a line item, not something folded into the linehaul.
- Securement requirements confirmed before booking. Number of straps and chains, edge protection, dunnage, coil racks — confirmed against what you actually carry.
- Permits and escorts handled. For oversize and overweight, we coordinate state permits and route surveys, and the cost and lead time go into the rate before you commit.
- Loading reality checked. Whether the shipper loads, whether you need to be there at 6am for a 2pm load, and whether there's a crane on site. This is where flatbed days get destroyed.
- Step deck and RGN freight. If you run a step deck or double drop, we work the machinery and equipment brokers who pay for that capability rather than treating it as a flatbed with a dip in it.
Answers
Flatbed & step deck dispatch — questions
How much does flatbed dispatch cost?
8% of gross linehaul revenue, or $400 per truck per week flat. Flatbed sits at the top of our rate card because the coordination per load is genuinely higher — securement checks, tarp negotiation and permit work. Tarp pay, detention and permit reimbursement are yours in full and are never included in the percentage.
Do you negotiate tarp pay?
Yes, on every tarped load, as a separate line item from the linehaul. Tarp pay in the US market commonly runs between $50 and $150 per load depending on the commodity and how many tarps are needed. We do not accept it being absorbed into the rate per mile.
Can you get oversize and overweight loads?
Yes. We coordinate state permits, route surveys and escort requirements, and we build the permit cost and the extra transit time into the rate before you accept the load. You'll need the right insurance limits and a clean safety record — some oversize brokers set a minimum on both.
I run a step deck. Is that the same rate?
Same rate card — 8% or $400 flat. The freight is different, though. Step deck and double drop open up machinery, equipment and taller loads that flatbeds can't legally take, and we work a different broker list for it.
Want to see what's moving in your lanes this week?
Send your MC number and your usual lanes. We'll pull live loads you could run and show you the rates before you commit to anything.