Step decks and Conestogas

Step deck dispatch for machinery and tall freight, with the paperwork that proves how it was loaded.

A step deck earns its keep on freight a flatbed can't carry legally: tall machinery, equipment that drives on, building loads that need the lower deck. That freight comes with questions a posting rarely answers. How tall is it really? Does it need ramps, a permit, a crane? Who signs for the scratch that was already on it? Our step deck dispatcher desk answers those before the offer reaches you, and makes sure the paperwork records how it went on your deck.

Step decks, Conestogas, drop decks with or without ramps. Same fee and same rules as every truck we dispatch, and every load is your call.

Dispatch my step deck

The paperwork a machinery load needs, and who handles it.

On the left are the documents a machinery load creates. Tap each one for what it has to show and what to photograph. On the right, switch between running the load yourself and running it with us, to see which of those jobs move off your plate.

Some things never move: you check the bill of lading at pickup, you take the loading photos, and you sign. What moves is the chasing. Getting real dimensions from a shipper who first said "about ten feet tall," finding out whether a permit is needed, and building the invoice with the proof attached all take time a driver doesn't have.

Good paperwork also makes the next load easier. Shippers of expensive machinery remember the carrier whose photos settled a question in five minutes.

A machinery load's paperwork

Dimensions sheet

From the shipper, confirmed before booking.

Length, width, height: Measured, not estimated. Height decides deck and route.
Weight and tie points: Gross weight and where the machine can be chained.

Who handles it

Dimensions and weight in writingWe get them on the rate con before the offer
Deck height and ramp checkMatched to your deck before you see it
Permit, if neededWe confirm who orders and pays it
Bill of lading with dimensionsYou check it at pickup; we tell you what to look for
Loading and securement photosYou take them; we file them with the load
Signed POD and invoiceWe build and send it with proof attached

What we book on a step deck.

Machinery and equipment. Construction, farm and industrial machines that are too tall for a flatbed but within legal width, chained at their tie points.
Drive-on loads. Tractors, lifts and rolling equipment for decks with ramps.
Tall building materials. Trusses, crated units and stacked loads that need the lower deck height.
Covered freight on a Conestoga. Loads that must stay dry and secure, without hand-tarping.

Height is the question that matters most.

Legal height limits are set by each state, and the load's height plus your deck height has to fit under them, or the load needs a permit and a planned route. A few inches decide whether a machine rides legal on your lower deck or needs a permit, and a shipper's estimate isn't good enough for that decision. We ask for measured dimensions, compare them with your deck height, and tell you which case you're in.

When a load goes over legal size or weight, the plan changes: permits for each state, travel windows, sometimes escorts, and layover terms for the days a window closes. Our oversize load dispatch page covers how we handle that side.

Securement follows the same federal minimums as flatbed freight, plus specific rules for heavy machinery. Work out a load's tiedown minimums with the load securement calculator.

Before a step deck offer reaches you, we check:

Measured length, width, height and weight
Your deck height and length against the load
Ramps, crane or forklift needed to load and unload
Whether a permit is needed, and who orders and pays
Tarping or covered-deck requirements, and the pay for them
Free time, detention and layover terms at both ends

Loading day, done right.

Machinery loads often run on the shipper's crane or a crew with their own schedule, and they take longer than a forklift loading pallets. Get the check-in time on paper. Walk the machine before it goes on and photograph any damage already there, then note it on the bill of lading. Position it for legal axle weights, chain it at its tie points, and photograph the secured load from every side before you leave. If loading drags past free time, message us; we notify the broker in writing so the time can be billed.

Conestoga dispatch: freight that has to stay covered.

A Conestoga's rolling tarp system turns an open deck into a covered one in minutes, which makes it the truck shippers want for freight that must stay dry and clean but can't be loaded from a dock: aircraft parts, sensitive machinery, finished goods that would otherwise need hand tarping. We look for freight where that covered deck is the reason you're booked, and we price it that way rather than offering you ordinary flatbed loads.

Conestoga loads still need the same checks: measured dimensions, the inside clearance of your system, how it loads, and whether the shipper expects side or top loading.

Your settings for a step deck.

On the first call we write down what your deck can do, and every offer is checked against it before you see it:

Upper and lower deck lengths and heights
Ramp type and rating, if you have them
Tarps, chains and binders you carry
Whether you take permitted loads, and which states
Freight you won't haul, and shippers to avoid
Your rate floor, loaded and with deadhead counted

Load offer 1 of 2

Example

Wichita, KS to Denver, CO

Miles: 520
Rate: $1,780
Per mile: $3.42

Dimensions and weight on the rate con
Ramps needed, confirmed before booking
Detention after 2 hrs at shipper

Pickup Tue 08:00

A step deck dispatcher that won't guess at a height.

The second made-up offer pays well per mile but comes with an estimated height and no detention terms. On a step deck, that estimate is the difference between a legal load and a ticket. We show you exactly what's confirmed and what isn't, and you decide.

Accept, and the rate con comes straight to you. Decline, and it costs nothing.

At delivery, the same care applies in reverse. Confirm the receiver has the crane, forklift or ramp space to unload before you arrive, walk the machine with the receiver, and get any new damage written on the POD before you sign. Then send us the photos and the signed POD the same day so the invoice goes out with the proof attached.

The fee: one rate for every deck.

5% of linehaul and accessorial pay collected for one truck past 6 months of authority; 4% for two trucks or more; 7% for a new MC until month 7. Tarp pay and detention count as load pay; reimbursed permits, tolls and scale tickets never do. Example A $1,780 load with $120 in detention carries a fee of $95. More on the pricing page.

Open-deck work that fits a flatbed: flatbed dispatch. Other trucks, same rules: reefer dispatch and box truck dispatch.

Step deck dispatch questions

What paperwork does a machinery load need?

Confirmed dimensions and weight before booking, a bill of lading that describes the machine and notes any existing damage, photos of it loaded and secured, and a permit if it's over legal size or weight. At delivery, a signed POD. Those records protect you if the receiver finds a scratch or a broken part and asks when it happened.

Do step decks get paid more than flatbeds?

Often a bit more, because step decks carry taller freight a flatbed can't, and fewer trucks run them. That isn't true on every lane; rates move with the market and the load. What matters more is matching the right freight to your deck, so you're carrying loads that actually need a step deck rather than flatbed freight at flatbed rates.

Do Conestogas get better rates?

Conestogas, with their rolling tarp systems, often earn more on freight that must stay covered, because they save the shipper the cost and time of tarping and protect the load better. It depends on the freight and the lane. We look for loads where the covered deck is the reason you're booked, not just a nice extra.

Do you handle oversize permits?

We confirm who orders and pays for permits on every load that needs them, and we build the travel windows and escort rules into the timing before the offer. Sometimes the shipper or broker orders them; sometimes the carrier does and is reimbursed. That arrangement goes on the rate con. Reimbursed permit costs are never in our fee.

Can you dispatch a step deck with ramps?

Yes, and ramps open a lot of freight: rolling equipment, tractors and machinery that drive on. Tell us your ramp type and rating, and we match loads that need them. If a load needs ramps and you don't have them, you won't see it, because loading equipment at the shipper isn't always available.

Do I see the load dimensions before I accept?

Always. Every step deck offer comes with the length, width, height and weight, how it loads, whether a permit is needed and the terms. If the shipper can't confirm the dimensions, we tell you that too. You decide, and the rate con comes straight to you to sign. Declining costs nothing.

Measured, matched, loaded right.

Send the application with your deck height, length and ramps. Your first step deck offer comes with confirmed dimensions and the terms in writing.

Dispatch my step deck

You approve every load. No setup fee. No contract.