Flatbed Dispatch Services for Owner-Operators and Small Fleets
Flatbed pays well because the work is genuinely harder: securement, tarping, and load-specific rules that vary by commodity and state. Carriers who are good at it build relationships with steel mills, lumber yards, and machinery dealers that keep them off the load board.
- Indicative rate
- $2.85 - $3.50
- Per mile, national average
- Typical use
- Steel, lumber, machinery
- Dispatch fee
- 5%
- Of gross linehaul
- Coverage
- 48 states
- 24/7 dispatch desk
What moves on flatbed
- Steel, pipe, and coil
- Lumber and building materials
- Construction and agricultural machinery
- Concrete and precast products
- Wind and energy components
- Roofing and drywall
Common lanes
- Birmingham and the Southeast steel corridor outbound
- Houston and the Gulf Coast energy and pipe market
- Pacific Northwest and Southeast lumber to construction markets
- Midwest machinery from Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana nationwide
Where it pays
- Higher rates than dry van, with fewer carriers competing
- Strong relationship-driven repeat freight from mills and yards
- Less dependent on retail seasonality
- Wide range of commodity types keeps options open
What to watch
- Physically demanding: strapping, chaining, and tarping in all weather
- Securement rules are commodity-specific and enforcement is real
- Weather exposure affects both loading and load integrity
- Higher injury risk than van work
How our dispatchers work flatbed
The habits that separate carriers who do well in this segment from carriers who grind.
Know the securement rules for your commodity
Federal cargo securement standards set minimums by commodity, and coil, pipe, and machinery each have their own requirements. Getting this wrong is both a safety issue and an out-of-service violation.
Price tarping separately
Tarping is an hour of hard work and should be paid for. Many brokers add a tarp fee if asked and do not if not asked.
Build direct relationships
Flatbed is the segment where consistent shippers matter most. Mills, yards, and dealers ship repeatedly on the same lanes and will call a carrier they trust before posting.
Tarp pay and securement: what we negotiate for
Tarping is an hour of hard work and should be paid. We ask for tarp pay on every covered load, confirm securement requirements for coil, pipe and machinery before you accept, and get detention terms in writing because mills and yards run long. Over-height freight gets routed to the step deck page, not forced onto a flat.
Rolling in 24 hours, not 24 days
Onboarding is deliberately boring. Four steps, one phone call, and a short document list.
Onboarding call
A 15-minute call to map your equipment, home base, preferred lanes, and the rate floor you refuse to go below.
Paperwork setup
We collect your MC authority, W-9, certificate of insurance, and factoring notice, then set you up across our broker and shipper network.
First load booked
Most carriers are rolling within 24 hours. Nothing gets booked without your approval on the rate. Ever.
Keep rolling
Your dispatcher pre-plans the next load, files the paperwork, and invoices the broker while you are still on the road.
Flatbed questions
Beyond the trailer, you need a full securement kit: straps, chains, binders, edge protectors, and tarps sized for your typical loads. Tarps are a significant cost on their own and shippers will expect you to have them.
Physically, yes. You are handling securement and often tarping on every load, in whatever weather there is. The rates are higher because of it, and many flatbed carriers would not go back to van work.
Drivers who stopped hunting loads
Names and companies used with permission. Ask us for a reference in your lane and we will connect you.
Put your flatbed to work
Send your MC number and your lanes. We will pull real rates and tell you honestly whether we can beat what you are getting now.