Step Deck and Drop Deck Dispatch Services
Step deck exists to move freight that will not legally fit on a standard flatbed. The lower deck height buys you roughly two extra feet of legal load height, which opens up machinery and equipment freight that flatbed carriers have to turn down.
- Indicative rate
- $3.00 - $4.00
- Per mile, national average
- Typical use
- Over-dimensional freight
- Dispatch fee
- 5%
- Of gross linehaul
- Coverage
- 48 states
- 24/7 dispatch desk
What moves on step deck
- Construction equipment and excavators
- Agricultural machinery
- Industrial equipment and tanks
- Tall crated freight
- Modular and prefabricated components
Common lanes
- Midwest agricultural machinery from Iowa and Illinois nationwide
- Gulf Coast industrial and energy equipment out of Texas and Louisiana
- Construction equipment into growth markets in the Southeast and Southwest
- Wind and energy components across the Plains states
Where it pays
- Higher rates than flatbed for over-height freight
- Access to machinery and equipment freight flatbeds cannot legally take
- Ramps allow self-loading of wheeled and tracked equipment
- Smaller carrier pool means less rate competition
What to watch
- Oversize and overweight permits on many loads
- Route restrictions, curfews, and occasional escort requirements
- More complex securement for machinery
- Fewer loads overall than flatbed
How our dispatchers work step deck
The habits that separate carriers who do well in this segment from carriers who grind.
Get permits sorted before you commit
Permit cost and lead time vary a lot by state and route, and a load that looks profitable can lose money once permits and an escort are priced in. Confirm before accepting, not after.
Measure everything yourself
Shipper-provided dimensions are wrong often enough that you should verify height and width before leaving. You are the one at the low bridge, not them.
Learn your ramps
Self-loading wheeled equipment is a real advantage, but ramp angle and capacity limits are specific to your trailer. Know them before a dealer expects you to load.
Permits: who pulls them and who pays
Permit cost and lead time vary by state and route, and a load that looks profitable can lose money once permits and an escort are priced in. We price the permits into the rate before you accept, confirm whether the broker or the carrier is pulling them, and build the routing around curfews and bridge restrictions.
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.
Step Deck questions
A step deck has a lower main deck behind the raised front section, which allows taller freight to travel legally. A standard flatbed deck sits higher, so freight over roughly 8 feet 6 inches often needs a step deck to stay within legal height.
No. Many loads fit within legal dimensions on a step deck precisely because the deck is lower. Permits come in when a load exceeds legal height, width, length, or weight, and requirements vary state by state along your route.
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 step deck 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.