Step deck dispatch for freight that needs your deck height
Step deck dispatch done right means booking the loads a flatbed can't legally carry: tall machinery, equipment and crates that need your lower deck. For Conestogas, it means covered freight priced as covered freight. And on every load, it means checking the height before the rate, so a permit load never surprises you at the shipper.
5% of gross for one truck, no contract, and you approve every load.
What do you run?
Dimensions and deck fit on every offer
Every step deck offer shows the commodity, weight, length, width and height, and whether it rides on the upper or lower deck. You decide with the drawing in your head. If you book it, the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you. If you pass, that's the end of it.
Load offer / Step deck
Peoria, IL to Indianapolis, IN
- Miles
- 220
- Rate
- $1,050
- Per mile
- $4.77
On the rate con: excavator, 10' 2" tall, ramps required
Pickup: Mon 08:00
Nothing is booked until you say so. You see the lane, the miles, the rate and every extra before anyone commits your truck.
Same load, two decks: which one keeps it legal?
Drag the load height and switch between a flatbed deck and a step deck lower deck. The dashed envelope is the width and height we plan against. There's no federal height limit; states set it, and FHWA lists state standards from 13.6 to 14.6 feet. We plan against 13 ft 6 in unless your route allows more.
8' 0"
9' 0" + deck 5' 0" = 14' 0"
Past the envelope: this becomes a permit load. State rules vary by route, so check every state you cross.
Source:FHWA, Federal size and weight standards overview (width 102 in, no federal height limit, 48 ft semitrailer, 80,000 lb) · checked 2026-10(102 in width on the National Network; no federal height limit)
Deck heights in the drawing are an example. Measure your own trailer: deck heights vary by make, tires and suspension.
The math is simple and it decides everything. Load height plus deck height is your overall height. A machine that stands 9 feet tall rides at 14 feet on a 5-foot flatbed deck, past the line in most states. The same machine on a lower deck around 3 feet 4 inches rides near 12 feet 4 inches, inside it. That difference is the whole reason step deck freight exists, and why it can pay more than flatbed freight on the same lane.
Width works the same way. Anything wider than 102 inches on the National Network is oversize regardless of deck. When a load won't fit either deck legally, it's a permit load, and it may belong on an RGN or lowboy instead. Our oversize and heavy haul dispatch page covers that work, and the oversize load checker runs any set of dimensions.
The step deck freight we book
Step deck freight is mostly freight with height. Here's what that looks like and what each type asks of you.
- Construction equipment
- Skid steers, small excavators, lifts and attachments that run too tall on a flatbed. Ramps open far more of this freight.
- Agricultural equipment
- Tractors, implements and sprayers, often seasonal and often heading to dealers in farm country.
- Industrial machinery
- Machines on skids, compressors, generators and process equipment that need the lower deck for height.
- Tall crates and tanks
- Crated equipment, tanks and vessels where the extra height of the lower deck keeps the load legal.
- Building materials
- Trusses, prefab parts and bundles that stack tall. Some fit a flatbed; the tall ones need a step.
- Conestoga covered freight
- Finished goods, sensitive machinery and anything the shipper doesn't want exposed to weather, with no tarping.
For what moves on step decks and where it comes from, see the step deck loads guide. The trailer itself, with deck lengths and heights, is covered in our step deck truck guide.
Upper deck, lower deck and ramps
A step deck is two decks in one trailer. Using both well is the difference between a full load and a half-empty one.
Upper deck
The short upper deck sits over the fifth wheel at about flatbed height. It carries freight that isn't tall: lumber, pipe, building materials or the shorter pieces of a mixed load. We count its length when we look at partials and mixed loads.
Lower deck
The long lower deck is where the height advantage lives. Tall machinery, equipment and crates go here. Weight distribution matters, so we look at where heavy pieces sit relative to your axles before we offer the load.
Ramps
Loading ramps let self-propelled equipment drive on where there's no loading dock or forklift. Carriers with ramps see far more equipment freight. Tell us if you carry them, and whether they're rated for the weights you want to haul.
Conestoga: covered freight, priced as covered freight
A Conestoga is a flatbed or step deck with a rolling tarp system on a frame. It loads from the side and top like an open deck and protects freight like a van. Shippers use it for finished goods, sensitive machinery and anything that can't take weather or the risk of a tarp blowing loose.
The trade-offs are real. The frame and tarp system add weight, which cuts your payload, and the inside height is limited by the frame. A Conestoga running open-deck freight at open-deck rates is wasting the system it paid for. We look for covered freight first and tell you plainly when an offer doesn't justify the setup. If your trailer takes a removable Conestoga kit, tell us. Some carriers run covered freight in one season and open deck in another, and we plan offers around whichever setup is on the trailer.
The full guide to the trailer is in our Conestoga truck guide, and if you're still deciding between decks, compare flatbed and step deck dispatch.
Step deck or flatbed: where each one wins
Neither deck is better. Each wins on different freight. Knowing which loads favor your trailer is how a dispatcher keeps it on the right board.
| Question | Flatbed | Step deck |
|---|---|---|
| Tall freight | Limited by deck height, often past the line | Lower deck adds roughly 1.5 to 2 ft of clearance |
| Side and top loading | Yes, the whole deck | Yes, both decks |
| Drive-on equipment | Needs a dock or a crane | Ramps on many step decks |
| Long, flat freight | One continuous deck | Split by the step, so less flexible |
| Trailer weight | Usually lighter | Usually heavier |
| Freight pool | Larger, more competition | Smaller, fewer trailers can haul it |
The clearance figure is approximate and depends on your trailer's deck heights. Measure yours.
Do step deck loads pay more than flatbed?
Often, when the load actually needs a step deck. Freight that only a step deck can haul legally has fewer trucks competing for it, and brokers pay for that. The catch is that step decks can also haul plenty of ordinary flatbed freight, and when they do, they usually get ordinary flatbed rates while carrying a heavier trailer.
So the job of a step deck dispatcher is to keep you on the freight that uses the drop. We look for tall loads first, equipment loads where your ramps matter second, and flatbed freight only when it sets up a better reload or fills a gap in your week. When we do offer you flatbed-type freight, you'll know why.
Weight and balance on two decks
Height is the step deck's advantage. Weight is where it can get you in trouble, because heavy pieces on the lower deck change how the load sits on your axles.
On the Interstate, federal limits are 20,000 lb on a single axle, 34,000 lb on a tandem and 80,000 lb gross, and the bridge formula can lower the gross depending on your axle count and spacing. A step deck's own weight leaves less room for cargo than a lighter flatbed, so a heavy machine that fits on paper can still put you over on an axle group.
Before we offer a heavy load, we ask the shipper for piece weights and where they sit, and we compare that with your empty weight. If a load only works with careful placement, you hear that up front. The axle weight calculator helps you check a layout before you load it.
- Single axle
- 20,000 lb
- Tandem axle
- 34,000 lb
- Gross
- 80,000 lb
Source:FHWA, Federal size and weight standards overview (width 102 in, no federal height limit, 48 ft semitrailer, 80,000 lb) · checked 2026-10
Drive-on equipment and the reload after it
What we confirm before an equipment load
Equipment loads go wrong in predictable ways: the machine is heavier than the listing, the attachments come along unannounced, nobody on site can run it up the ramps, or the tracks are packed with mud that adds weight and makes securement harder. Before we offer you a drive-on load, we ask the shipper for the make and model, the operating weight, what attachments ride with it, and who loads it.
You still decide how to secure it, and you can refuse a machine that isn't what the paperwork said. If that happens, call us from the yard. We deal with the broker so you aren't arguing with a dealer about a load that never matched.
Reloads out of farm and equipment country
Equipment often moves to dealers and job sites in places that don't ship much back out. A good step deck rate into a quiet market can turn into a long empty run. We check the outbound freight before we offer the load, and when the reload looks thin, we look for a flatbed-type load or a short hop to a stronger market so the trip still pays as a whole.
Ag equipment also runs on the farm calendar, heavy ahead of planting and harvest, so we plan your lanes around where the machines are heading next.
Our checklist before a step deck offer reaches you
Every step deck load gets the same six checks. If it fails one, you don't hear about it, or you hear about it with the problem spelled out.
- 01DimensionsLength, width and height from the shipper, checked against your deck and the planning envelope.
- 02Weight and balanceTotal weight against your legal limits, and where heavy pieces will sit on the deck.
- 03Deck fitUpper deck, lower deck or both, and whether it needs ramps.
- 04SecurementChains, binders and straps against the weight, plus any commodity rules for machinery.
- 05PermitsIf it's over size, you hear that first, with what permits and escorts it would need.
- 06Rate and extrasLoading time, securement time and detention terms on the rate con, not just the linehaul.
5% of gross on loads you haul
Step deck and Conestoga dispatch is 5% of load revenue for one truck with an MC older than 6 months. Fleets of 2 or more trucks pay 4%, and new authorities pay 7% until month 6. Reimbursed permits and escorts aren't in the fee base.
No setup fee, no minimums, month-to-month with 30 days notice. Full details are on the dispatch pricing page.
- Load rate
- $2,400
- Permit reimbursed
- $180
- Fee base
- $2,400
- Fee at 5%
- $120
Step deck dispatch questions
Note 01How much does step deck dispatch cost?
5% of the load's gross for one truck with an MC older than 6 months, charged only on loads you haul. New MCs pay 7% until month 6, and fleets of 2 or more trucks pay 4%. Reimbursed permits aren't in the fee base. No setup fee, no minimums, month-to-month with 30 days notice to cancel.
Note 02Do you dispatch Conestoga trailers?
Yes. Conestogas get booked on covered freight where the rolling tarp system earns its keep: loads the shipper wants protected from weather and loads that would otherwise need tarping. We price that freight as covered freight, not as open-deck freight with a free tarp thrown in, and we tell you when a flatbed-rate offer isn't worth taking.
Note 03What loads need a step deck instead of a flatbed?
Freight that's too tall to stay inside the legal height on a flatbed but fits on the lower deck of a step deck. Machinery, equipment and tall crates are the usual examples. The lower deck sits closer to the ground, so the same load ends up shorter overall. Try it in the height planner on this page.
Note 04Can a new MC get step deck loads?
Yes. Brokers will check your insurance and gear, and some want to see securement experience on equipment loads. The first weeks focus on brokers that set up new authorities. New MCs pay 7% for the first 6 months, then the standard rate for step deck automatically.
Note 05Do I approve every load?
Every one. You see the commodity, weight, dimensions, deck fit, securement needs, lane, rate and extras before deciding. If you book it, the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you to read and sign. A no costs nothing, and loads that won't fit your deck or your gear never reach you.
Note 06What happens when a load is over legal height?
It becomes a permit load, and we tell you that before you say yes. If you want it, we can coordinate the permit requests and any escorts you ask for. You stay responsible for your permits and compliance, and permit costs are yours or billed to the customer per the rate con, not part of our fee.
Load offer
Pickup → delivery, miles, rate, accessorials
The rate con comes from the broker straight to you.
Got the deck height? Let's use it.
Send your trailer and gear. Get offers that fit them.