Trucking services · Flatbed
Flatbed freight, tarped and secured to spec.
Open-deck freight is loaded from the side, from the top, or by crane — building materials, steel, lumber, machinery, anything that can't go through a dock door. Our CDL-A flatbed division runs it with securement and tarping handled to spec, priced per lane on a written rate confirmation.
Have a load that fits? Quotes are per lane, in writing, from a person.
Trucking services / Flatbed
Freight that belongs on a flatbed
If a forklift or crane has to reach the load from outside, you're on a flat. Common flatbed lengths run 48 and 53 ft, and the deck takes what an enclosed trailer structurally can't: side-loaded coils and beams, top-loaded lumber units, machinery that gets lifted on, oversized crates that will never see a dock.
- Building materials & construction — lumber, rebar, trusses, panels
- Metals — steel, coils, beams, plate (dunnage and securement planned to the commodity)
- Machinery & equipment — crated or exposed, craned or driven on
- Anything side- or top-loaded that rides at legal height on a standard deck
Tarping and securement, done properly
Open-deck freight that needs weather protection is tarped by hand — heavy, time-consuming, and dependent on how the load builds, which is why tarping is an accessorial quoted per lane rather than a flat line. Securement runs to FMCSA cargo-securement rules: chains, straps, edge protection, and dunnage matched to the commodity. Tell the desk what the freight is and whether it tarps, and both are on the rate confirmation before the truck moves — no surprises on the invoice.
When the freight is too tall: step-deck
Legal height is commonly around 13′6″, set by state — and when your freight on a standard flatbed would break it, the answer is usually a step-deck, not a permit. If the dimensions put you near the line, say so at tender: the desk will route it to the right deck the first time. See our step-deck service for how that works.
How tendering works
Commodity, dimensions, weight, loading method, and windows — send those and pricing comes back quoted per lane on a written rate confirmation, accessorials named up front. Every truck runs an ELD for live pickup-to-delivery visibility, claims run to 49 CFR Part 370, and the authority behind the quote is MC #1800150 — verify it on SAFER before you tender anything.
Flatbed questions, answered
Do you handle tarping, and what does it cost?
Yes — flatbed freight that needs weather protection is tarped to spec. Tarping is quoted per lane as a named accessorial (it varies with the build of the load), agreed in writing on the rate confirmation before dispatch — never a surprise on the invoice.
Can you haul oversize loads?
Loads over legal size or weight are permit territory, quoted per lane with lead time for permits and routing. Raise it with the desk early — who orders permits and plans routing is agreed in writing before the load moves.
How do I verify you before tendering?
Look up MC #1800150 on the government's SAFER system — authority status, safety record, and insurance filing are public. Then ask for the certificate of insurance before the load moves; our Trust Center explains how.