Flatbed dispatch for drivers who strap, chain and tarp for a living
Flatbedding is skilled, physical work: steel coils, lumber, pipe, machinery, all strapped or chained by hand and often tarped in the wind. Our flatbed dispatch desk finds open-deck loads that pay for that work, asks for tarp pay before you're loaded, and plans your next load around the freight that suits your trailer. You approve every load, and the rate con comes straight to you.
We send you the commodity, weight, dimensions and tarp needs with every offer, so the only surprise at the shipper is the coffee.
PICK YOUR TRUCK
Flatbed
An open deck with no walls or roof. Freight is strapped or chained down.
- FREIGHT
- Steel, lumber, building materials, machinery
- CDL
- Yes
OUR FEE
5%
of gross (7% while your MC is under 6 months)
CH 02
A flatbed week: tarp pay, permits and what we book
Flatbed freight follows construction, manufacturing and the seasons. Building materials and lumber move with the building season. Steel, pipe and machinery keep moving most of the year. Many flatbed loads are heavy and short, others are long hauls of equipment headed to job sites with fixed delivery windows.
Three things make or break a flatbed week. First, tarp pay: a tarped load takes longer to secure and wears out expensive tarps, so the rate has to reflect it. Second, weight: a load that fits the deck can still be over your legal weight, so we check it against your tractor and trailer before you see the offer. Third, the reload: flatbed freight clusters around mills, yards and plants, and a delivery to a quiet job site can mean a long drive empty.
What we book for flatbeds
- Steel: coils, plate, beams and pipe, with chains, coil racks or dunnage as required.
- Lumber and building materials, often tarped.
- Machinery and equipment that a dry van can't load from the side or top.
- Precast, block and brick, usually heavy and short.
Loads that are too wide, too tall or too heavy for a standard flatbed move to a step deck or oversize setup. If you're thinking about adding a lower deck, see our page on step deck dispatch.
CH 03
A flatbed offer, tarps and all
Every flatbed offer from us lists the commodity, weight, dimensions, tarp requirement and securement notes along with the rate and all-in rate per mile. Try the example: lumber with tarps, and see how we handle tarp pay.
If you don't tarp, or you won't haul coils, tell us once and those offers stop. Your rules go on your file, and we filter every load against them before it reaches your phone.
CH 04
Count your tiedowns before you strap
Enter an article's length and weight and the counter shows the minimum number of tiedowns under federal rules for cargo that isn't blocked from sliding forward 49 CFR 393.110 Minimum number of tiedownseCFR (Office of the Federal Register), 2026. Checked 2026-10-10.Open the source. That's the count. The strength matters too: the working load limits of all your tiedowns together must add up to at least half the cargo's weight 49 CFR 393.106(d) Aggregate working load limiteCFR (Office of the Federal Register), 2026. Checked 2026-10-10.Open the source.
Some freight, like coils, logs, machinery and concrete pipe, has its own specific rules on top of these. Those rules, and the shipper's instructions, always win. The counter is a quick check, not a securement plan.
Weight is the other half of flatbed safety. Check your legal limits with the truck weight limit checker before you take a heavy load.
CH 05
Flatbed dispatch costs 5% of gross
Our fee for one flatbed on a seasoned MC, six months or more, is 5% of the gross on each load it moves. A brand-new authority pays 7% through month six, and two or more flatbeds qualify for the 4% fleet rate while we offer it.
Tarp pay is part of the load's gross when it's on the rate con, and the fee is a percent of that gross, nothing more. There's no fee to join, no load quota, and a pass on a bad offer is free. Check our math against your own on the dispatch costs page.
What flatbed brokers ask before they load you
- Deck length and type, and whether you have a ramp or a spread axle.
- How many straps, chains and binders you carry, and their working load limits.
- Tarps: how many, what sizes (lumber tarps, steel tarps, smoke tarps), and edge protection.
- Coil racks, dunnage and corner protectors for steel loads.
- Cargo coverage that matches the value of what you'll haul.
We put this in your carrier packet once and keep it current. When a broker asks for something you don't carry, we tell you before you accept, not when you're standing at the shipper.
Flatbed mistakes that cost the most
- Free tarping. Tarping without tarp pay is unpaid labor and tarp wear. Ask every time.
- Overweight on a short run. Heavy flatbed freight can push you over axle limits even when the gross weight looks fine.
- Not checking straps after the first miles. Loads settle. A quick check after the first stretch catches loose straps before a scale house or a trooper does.
- Long empty runs from rural deliveries. Job sites and farms rarely have freight out. Plan the reload before you accept.
- Unclear securement responsibility. If the shipper loads it, you still own the securement once you sign. Check it yourself.
New to flatbed?
Many flatbedders came from dry van and learned securement on the job. If that's you, say so on the first call. We'll start you on loads that are simpler to secure, with shippers known for loading well, and save the coils and odd machinery for later. Learning from an experienced flatbed driver before your first solo load is worth more than any page you'll read.
If you're still deciding what to run, our guide to the types of semi trucks explains how flatbeds, step decks and enclosed trailers compare.
Weather and the open deck
Rain, snow and wind change flatbed work more than any other trailer. Tarping in high wind is dangerous, some freight can't get wet at all, and winter securement on icy decks takes longer. We build extra time into appointments when weather is coming and tell you when a load is likely to be a hard tarp day.
If you'd rather not tarp in winter, or skip certain regions in the cold months, put it in your rules. We'll plan around it, and you can change it any time.
Planning around mills, yards and plants
Flatbed freight starts where things are made or stored: steel mills and service centers, lumber yards, pipe yards, precast plants and equipment dealers. Those places tend to cluster, which is good news for a reload if you deliver near one and bad news if you deliver to a remote job site. When we plan your week, we look at where each delivery sits relative to the next cluster of shippers, and we'll often suggest a slightly lower rate into a strong freight area over a high rate into nowhere.
Mills and yards also keep their own hours and rules: loading windows, safety gear, check-in procedures. We put those notes on the offer, so you show up with the right gear at the right time.
CH 06
Flatbed dispatch questions
CH 01Is flatbed harder than dry van?
Physically, yes. You load-check, strap, chain and often tarp the freight yourself, in every kind of weather, and securement mistakes can be dangerous and costly. In return, flatbed loads often pay more for that skill and work, and many drivers like the variety. If you're new to open-deck freight, start with simpler loads and build up.
CH 02Can a new MC get flatbed loads?
Yes. Plenty of flatbed brokers work with new authorities, though some want to see securement equipment, cargo coverage that fits the freight, and a clean safety record first. Have your strap, chain and tarp count ready for your carrier packet, and we'll start with brokers that set up new carriers.
CH 03Do you dispatch step decks too?
Yes. Step decks and Conestogas are open-deck trailers with lower decks for taller freight, and we dispatch them alongside flatbeds. Many brokers post the same freight for both. Our step deck page covers how they differ, including height limits and when a step deck gets the load a flatbed can't legally carry.
CH 04Do you negotiate tarp pay?
Every time a load needs tarps. Tarping a load takes time and wears out tarps, so we ask for tarp pay on the rate con before you accept. If a broker won't pay for tarping, we tell you, and you decide whether the line haul still makes the load worth it. You'll never find out about tarps at the shipper.
CH 05Will you force me to take loads?
No. Every flatbed load comes to you as an offer with the commodity, weight, dimensions, tarp needs and securement notes, plus the rate and miles. You say yes or no, and passing costs nothing. Once you accept, the broker sends the rate confirmation directly to you to sign.
Get flatbed offers with tarp pay already asked for
Tell us your deck, your straps and tarps, and the freight you like. Every load still waits for your yes.