LoadHoller
POST 01 / FLATBED

Flatbed dispatch that prices the tarps, the stops and the strapping, not just the miles

A flatbed rate is never just a linehaul number. There's the tarp you'll throw in the wind, the extra stop at a job site, the hour of securing an odd load, and the crane that may or may not be there to unload you. Postings leave most of that out, and a rate that looks strong at $3 a mile can end up thin once the work is counted.

Our flatbed dispatch builds the rate from all of it. We read what the posting leaves out, ask for tarp pay and stop pay in writing, check the broker and counter above your floor. Then the load comes to you to approve, and the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you.

Book my flatbed
  • 5% of gross, 1 truck
  • 7% new MC
  • 4% fleets
  • No setup fee
EXAMPLE

STEEL COILS 2 STOPS TARP 6 FT

Read the extras first

A coil load with two drops and a 6 ft tarp is a different job from a straight load of lumber on the same lane. The extras decide the rate.

ask for tarp pay

POST 02 / FLATBED RATE BOARD

How an all-in flatbed rate gets built

Here's how three EXAMPLE flatbed loads add up once the extras are on the card. The lanes and numbers are made up to show the math. Public market figures for flatbed appear on this site only with a named source and a date; averages are context, and the extras below are where a good load and a bad one usually split.

EXAMPLE FLATBED LOADS, ALL-IN BUILD
LoadLinehaulTarp payExtra stopAll-inMiles$/mi
Lumber, no tarp, 1 stop$1,900$0$0$1,900720$2.64
Steel coils, tarp, 2 stops$2,050$100$75$2,225760$2.93
Machinery, tarp, 1 stop$2,400$150$0$2,550880$2.90

The miles column includes empty miles to the pickup. That's the honest denominator, and it's the one we use on every counter. Want to run your own? The flatbed rate calculator builds the all-in rate from linehaul, tarp pay, stops and deadhead.

POST 03 / TARP PAY AND EXTRAS

What we negotiate on top of the linehaul

Flatbed has more paid extras than any other open-deck freight, and more of them get skipped when nobody asks. These are the ones we put on the table before you say yes.

  • Tarp pay. Tarping takes time and wears out tarps. The usual practice is a flat amount per load that rises with tarp size. We ask for it in writing, and we confirm the tarp size so you don't show up with 4 ft tarps for a load that needs 8.
  • Extra stops. A second or third drop at a job site adds hours and risk. Each stop should pay.
  • Detention and layover. Flatbed loading often waits on a crane or forklift. Free time and the hourly rate after it go in the rate con.
  • Securement time and gear. Odd-shaped loads, edge protection, extra chains and binders. If the load needs more than the usual setup, the rate should say so.
  • Unloading. Is there a crane or forklift at the delivery, or are you expected to help unload? Hand-unloading is a different job and should be priced like one.
  • Permits. If a load is over legal width or height, it's an oversize load with permits and possibly escorts, and the rate needs to cover them.

None of these is guaranteed. Brokers say no to some of them. But asked for every time, they add up over a month, and the rate con you sign will show exactly what was agreed.

POST 04 / WHAT A POSTING LEAVES OUT

Questions we ask on every flatbed posting

A flatbed posting often fits in one line: origin, destination, weight, rate. The details that decide whether you can haul it legally and safely are usually missing, so we ask before we counter.

  • What exactly is the freight, and how is it packaged or bundled?
  • Dimensions of the largest piece: length, width and height.
  • Tarps required, and what size?
  • How many pieces, and how many straps or chains will it take to secure them?
  • Loading and unloading method at both ends: crane, forklift, or by hand?
  • Appointment times, job site access and whether a site contact will be there.

If the freight is too tall for a flatbed, it may suit a step deck instead. We dispatch both, and our step deck dispatch page covers how those loads differ.

POST 05 / SEASONS

Flatbed follows construction and manufacturing

Flatbed freight rises and falls with building and manufacturing. In much of the country it picks up in spring as construction starts, stays busy through summer and fall, and slows in winter when job sites shut down and weather makes open-deck work harder. Steel, lumber and building materials move in their own cycles inside that pattern.

Knowing the calendar helps you plan. In the busy months, the counter can push harder and you can be pickier about lanes. In the slow months, keeping the truck moving and cutting empty miles matters more than squeezing every load. Our freight seasonality calendar lays out the patterns by equipment type, with sources where they exist.

POST 06 / SECUREMENT

Securement, gear and a new MC on flatbed

Federal cargo securement rules are in 49 CFR Part 393, Subpart I, with extra requirements for certain commodities like metal coils, lumber and heavy machinery. Brokers and shippers expect your gear to match: enough straps and chains with working load limits for the freight, binders, edge protectors, and tarps in the sizes the load calls for. A short setup costs you the load, or worse, a ticket on the road.

Before we book anything unusual, we confirm your gear fits it. Tell us what you carry on the first call and we'll keep it on your card.

Running a new MC on a flatbed? Many brokers want some history before they'll load a new carrier with open-deck freight, because securement mistakes are expensive. Clean, on-time deliveries with no claims build that history quickly. We aim early loads at brokers who work with new authorities and send everything to you to approve.

POST 07 / WHAT WE HANDLE

What our flatbed dispatchers handle

  • Searching the major boards and our broker and shipper contacts for open-deck freight on your lanes.
  • Asking the questions the posting skipped: dims, piece count, tarps, loading method and site access.
  • Negotiating tarp pay, stop pay and detention into the rate con, not as an afterthought.
  • Checking that your gear can secure the freight before the load reaches you.
  • Broker checks on FMCSA's public records before every counter.
  • Reload planning before delivery, check calls, detention and layover claims, and a weekly report.

Construction deliveries often come with a site contact who isn't answering and a gate that opens late. We confirm site details the day before where we can, so the morning starts with a delivery instead of a phone tree.

We also keep track of how each broker treats the extras. Some pay tarp money without a fight, some only when it's asked for on the first call, and some quietly leave it off the rate con. After a few loads, you'll see that pattern on your weekly report too, and it tells you which brokers are worth hauling for again.

POST 08 / YOUR CALL

You see every load, extras included, before it's booked

Every flatbed load comes to you with the lane, miles, rate, tarp size, tarp pay, stops, loading method and appointment times. You decide. Say yes and the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you, with the extras written in. Say no and you owe nothing.

That matters on open-deck freight more than most. A load that needs 8 ft tarps when you carry 6 ft, or a crane that isn't on site, is a load you should be able to turn down before you drive to it. That's the point of seeing it first.

Loading the calculator...

Loading the calculator...

POST 09 / THE FEE

What flatbed dispatch costs

5% of the gross on loads you haul for one flatbed with authority 6 months or older. 7% while your MC is under 6 months. 4% for two or more trucks while the fleet rate lasts.

No setup fee, no minimum, month-to-month and 30 days notice to cancel. A week off costs nothing. The fee breakdown has the full math.

POST 10 / STRAIGHT ANSWERS

Flatbed dispatcher questions

What is a good flatbed rate per mile?
One that clears your own cost per mile plus your margin, counted on every mile including deadhead, with tarp pay and stop pay added. Flatbed averages swing with the season, so treat any public figure as context. The flatbed rate calculator builds the all-in rate from your own load details.
When is flatbed season?
In much of the country, flatbed freight builds in spring as construction starts, stays busy through summer and into fall, then slows in winter. Warmer regions stay steadier. Steel, lumber and building materials each have their own swings inside that pattern, which our seasonality calendar covers.
Can a new MC get flatbed loads?
Yes, though many brokers want some history first, because open-deck freight is easy to damage and securement mistakes are costly. Clean deliveries build that record fast. We aim early loads at brokers who accept new authorities and confirm your gear matches each load before it reaches you.
Do you negotiate tarp pay?
On every tarped load. We confirm the tarp size the shipper requires and ask for tarp pay in the rate confirmation before you say yes. Some brokers pay a flat amount and some build it into the rate. Either way, you'll see it in writing on the rate con the broker sends you.
What securement gear do I need?
Enough straps and chains, with working load limits that meet 49 CFR Part 393 for the freight you haul, plus binders, edge protectors and tarps in common sizes. Coils, lumber and machinery have specific rules. Tell us what you carry and we'll only send loads your gear can secure.

WANTED

Flatbeds that count the tarp time.

5% standard, 7% new authority, 4% fleets. No haul, no pay.

Book my flatbed