Step deck dispatch for the freight that's too tall for a flatbed
Load offer · 48 ft step deck with ramps
Fort Wayne, IN Louisville, KY
- RATE
- $980
- MILES
- 215+18
- ALL-IN RPM
- $4.21
- Freight: Packaging machine, 10 ft 2 in tall, 24,000 lb
- Pickup: Wed 07:00 · Deliver: Wed 15:00
- Tarp pay $100
- Detention $75/hr after 2 hrs
Height check
Will this load fit under the limit?
Pick your trailer, then slide the load height. The check adds your deck height and compares the total with state height limits, which range from 13.6 to 14.6 feet because there's no federal limit. It's the first question we answer about any tall load, before rate.
- Total height
- 13 ft 2 in
- Clearance to 13 ft 6 in
- 0 ft 4 in
Deck heights are typical values; measure your own trailer. No federal height limit exists; states set limits from 13.6 to 14.6 ft (FHWA). Bridges and wires on a route can be lower than the state limit.
Source: FHWA, October 2026
State limits are only the start. A low bridge, an overpass under construction or a power line on a rural road can be lower than the limit, so tall loads near the top of the range get a route check too. A few inches of difference between trailers is often what decides whether a load is routine or needs a permit.
Step deck dispatcher
Freight we find for step decks
Step deck freight is mostly about height and loading method. These are the groups we work most, and what each needs from your trailer.
Machinery
Packaging lines, presses, generators and plant equipment that's too tall for a flatbed but within legal height on a lower deck.Drivable equipment
Skid steers, compact tractors and small machines that roll on with ramps instead of a crane.Tall crates and components
Crated equipment, HVAC units and industrial components that need extra headroom.Agricultural equipment
Implements and machines moving between dealers and farms, busiest around planting and harvest.Construction equipment
Smaller equipment and attachments between rental yards, dealers and job sites.Conestoga freight
High-value or weather-sensitive freight that benefits from a rolling tarp enclosure.
Conestoga dispatch
Conestogas: flatbed access, van protection
A Conestoga's rolling tarp system slides back to load from the side or top like a flatbed, then closes to protect the freight like a van. That makes it a strong fit for freight that hates weather and can't be loaded through rear doors.
No tarping at the dock
The system covers the load, saving time and the physical work of throwing tarps.Protected freight
Machinery, steel and finished goods stay dry and clean, which shippers will often pay for.Higher equipment cost
The trailer costs more and weighs more, which cuts payload. The rate has to cover both.
Run a Conestoga? Tell us its interior height and width, because those, not the deck height, decide which tall loads fit.
Ramps and loading
Ramps, winches and how the load gets on
How a load gets on and off your deck matters as much as whether it fits. A machine that needs a crane at a site without one is a wasted trip.
Ramps
Let drivable equipment roll on and off. Opens a large share of step deck freight that flatbeds without ramps can't take.
Winch
Pulls non-running equipment up the ramps. Needed for dead machines and some vehicles.
Crane or forklift
Most heavy machinery loads this way. We confirm the equipment exists at both ends before you accept.
Pick the right deck
Step deck vs flatbed vs RGN
Each open deck wins different freight. Knowing where yours fits keeps you out of loads that need another trailer.
Flatbed
Most freight and most brokers: steel, lumber, building materials. Tall loads run over height fast.
Step deck
Tall freight within legal height, drivable equipment with ramps. Fewer loads, often better pay.
RGN / lowboy
The tallest and heaviest equipment, often under permit. More planning, higher rates.
See flatbed dispatch and oversize and heavy haul dispatch for those trailers.
Step deck rates
What moves a step deck rate
Step deck rates often run above flatbed because fewer trucks can take the freight, but that premium depends on the load.
Height
Loads that truly need the lower deck pay for it. Loads that would fit a flatbed pay like flatbed loads.Loading time
Machinery loads with rigging can take hours. That time belongs in the rate or in detention terms.Permits
Slightly over-width loads need permits and more planning. The rate should cover the extra days.
The other lever is the reload. Machinery often ships from industrial areas into job sites and farms that don't ship much back. We look at what leaves the delivery area before you accept, and when the honest answer is a flatbed load home, we price that leg into the decision instead of leaving you to find it after you unload.
Before you accept
The step deck load check
Tall freight fails on details. Tap through the checks we run on every load's details before it reaches you.
Step deck load check
1/5 CHECKED
Confirmed by the shipper for the machine as it will ship, including anything bolted on.
Length against your lower deck, weight against your axles, height against the route.
Ramps, winch, forklift or crane, and confirmed equipment at the pickup and the delivery.
Chains and binders for machinery, tarps if required, and tarp pay on the offer.
Rigging and loading delays covered on the rate con before you accept.
Securing machinery
Chains, binders and the rules for heavy equipment
Most step deck freight is heavy and top-heavy, which makes securement the part of the job that can't be rushed. The federal minimums are the floor: the aggregate working load limit of all tiedowns must be at least half the cargo weight, and minimum tiedowns by length: one for articles 5 ft or shorter weighing 1,100 lb or less, two up to 10 ft, plus one for each additional 10 ft or part of it. Machinery and heavy vehicles have their own extra rules on top, so check the regulations for the specific equipment.
Before a machinery load reaches you, we ask the shipper for the weight, tie-down points and any blocking it needs, so you know what to bring. Plan the count with the securement calculator on the flatbed page, then inspect within the first 50 miles and at every stop after.
Source: FMCSA cargo securement rules, 49 CFR 393.110, October 2026
Avoid these
Where step deck owners lose money
Trusting the listed height
A machine listed at 10 ft can be 10 ft 8 in with its exhaust stack. Measure before you load.No crane at the delivery
Arriving with a machine and nothing to unload it with turns into a layover nobody priced.Tarping machinery for free
Machinery tarps are heavy and awkward. If tarps are required, tarp pay should be on the rate con.Taking flatbed freight at flatbed rates
Your lower deck has value. Fill gaps with flatbed loads, but don't let them crowd out the tall freight that pays more.
The step deck year
When step deck freight moves
Equipment moves with the seasons that use it. Agricultural machines move ahead of planting and harvest, construction equipment picks up as building season starts, and plants schedule installs and upgrades around their own slow periods. In colder states, winter can thin out construction loads while manufacturing freight keeps going. We plan ahead for the slow months so your lower deck isn't sitting empty waiting for spring.
Getting set up
What brokers check on a step deck carrier
Equipment shippers want to know your deck can take their machine before they tender it.
- Upper and lower deck lengths and the lower deck height
- Ramps, winch and their capacity
- Chains, binders, straps and tarps on board
- Cargo coverage sized to the equipment's value
- Experience with machinery and permitted loads
- Photos of past secured equipment loads
EXAMPLE week
What a step deck week can look like
An illustration of a Midwest week mixing machinery and drivable equipment, not a promise of lanes or rates.
Weekly settlement
EXAMPLE| Lane | Loaded | Empty | Linehaul | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Wayne, IN > Louisville, KY | 215 | 18 | $980 | $100 |
| Louisville, KY > Nashville, TN | 175 | 12 | $720 | - |
| Nashville, TN > Indianapolis, IN | 290 | 20 | $1,100 | $150 |
| Indianapolis, IN > Fort Wayne, IN | 125 | 8 | $560 | - |
- GROSS
- $3,610
- ALL-IN RPM
- $4.18
- FEE 5%
- $181
- YOU KEEP
- $3,430
Your call, every load
How a step deck load reaches you, and what it costs
Every load comes to you with the commodity, dimensions, weight, loading method, tarp needs, times and pay. You say yes or no; nothing is booked without your yes. On a yes, the broker emails the rate confirmation to you. The fee is 5% of gross for one truck with authority older than 6 months, 7% for newer authorities and 4% for fleets. EXAMPLE: a $6,500 week costs $325.
Check axle weights with the axle weight calculator, compare fees on the pricing page, or read dispatch for a new MC.