Line 01 / Step deck dispatch
Step deck dispatch for the freight that's too tall for a flatbed
A step deck earns on height: machinery, equipment and tall loads that need the lower deck to stay legal. The money questions follow: who pays the permit when it isn't legal, does a Conestoga pay its way, what a slow week costs. Answers first, then the permit math on a receipt.
Line 02 / Quick answers
Step deck dispatcher questions, first
Step deck and Conestoga owners ask about money before they ask about loads. These are the questions we hear on the first call, and the answers we give.
Benchmark: DAT national flatbed spot linehaul $2.72/mi, week ending Aug 14, 2026.
Source: DAT, Flatbed Report, Aug 17, 2026 · checked Oct 2026
Who pays for permits on step deck loads?
It should be settled on the rate confirmation before you accept. Many brokers reimburse oversize permits and escorts as separate line items; some fold them into the rate; some leave the rate con silent and hope you don't ask. We ask, and we get the answer in writing.
Is the dispatch fee charged on permit reimbursements?
No. The fee is 5% of the load revenue. Permit and escort reimbursements that only pay back what you spent are pass-through lines: you paid them, the broker paid them back, and we don't take a cut of money that was never profit.
Do Conestogas get better rates?
Often, because fewer trucks run them and some shippers require covered freight without the time and risk of manual tarping. But the trailer costs more, and Conestoga-only shippers are fewer. Whether it pays better for you depends on your lanes and on whether you can keep it loaded.
How much does step deck dispatch cost?
5% of gross for one truck with 6+ months of authority, 7% while your MC is under 6 months, and 4% per truck for 2 or more (limited time). No setup fee, no monthly minimum, no contract.
Do step decks get paid more than flatbeds?
Usually a little, for the same reason: taller freight that a flatbed can't take legally without a permit. DAT's national flatbed benchmark was $2.72 a mile for the week ending Aug 14, 2026; step deck loads are priced off similar freight, with the extra height as the premium. Check each lane rather than assuming.
How tall can freight be on a step deck?
States set the legal height limit, commonly between 13 ft 6 in and 14 ft. A step deck's lower deck sits lower than a flatbed's, so it can carry taller freight within that limit. Measure your own deck height and confirm each state's limit on the route.
Do you dispatch oversize step deck loads?
Yes, when you want them and your equipment and permits allow. We check the dimensions against each state on the route, price permits and escorts into the offer, and send you the full picture before you accept.
Do I need ramps for step deck freight?
For anything that drives on, such as equipment and vehicles, yes. Tell us whether you carry ramps, their rating and length, and we'll only bring you drive-on loads you can actually load.
What does a slow week on a step deck cost me?
Your fixed costs don't stop: the truck note, insurance, and a trailer that usually costs more than a flatbed. Divide your monthly fixed costs by 30 and multiply by the days parked. That number is why we fill gaps with flatbed loads your deck can also take, instead of waiting days for a tall load.
Can you find step deck loads with a backhaul?
We try on every trip. Tall freight often runs one way, from a plant or port to a job site, so we plan the reload before we book the trip in. Sometimes the best reload is a flatbed-height load your step deck can haul just as well.
Do I need a TWIC card or special training?
For some ports, refineries and plants, yes. A TWIC card or a site safety course can open freight that other step decks can't take. Tell us what you hold, and we'll show you which loads it unlocks on your lanes.
Will you force me to take loads?
Never. Every load is offered with dimensions, weight, permits, tarp needs and rate. The rate confirmation goes straight to you, and you confirm or decline. Declining is free.
Line 03 / Permit pass-through
One permitted load, two rate cons, two very different nets
Same load, same permits, same miles. Flip between a rate con that reimburses permits and escorts as pass-through lines and one that says nothing about them. The receipt prints what is left after the permits and the 5% fee. The fee is on the linehaul only; we don't take a percentage of money that just pays back your costs.
EXAMPLE
Pass-through: you paid it, the broker paid it back, the fee doesn't touch it.
The difference on the receipt is the whole case for reading the rate con before you accept. A permit bought in your name and never reimbursed comes straight out of the load's profit, and on a short permitted run it can be most of it. We price permits and escorts into every offer and confirm in writing who pays them, so the number you approve is the number you keep.
Before any permitted load
- + Exact dimensions and weight, from the shipper in writing
- + Each state's permit, route restrictions and travel-time limits
- + Escort requirements by state, and who books them
- + Reimbursement terms on the rate con, line by line
Check a load's dimensions against legal limits with the oversize load checker.
When it gets bigger
Loads beyond a step deck's limits move to lowboys, RGNs and heavy haul, where routes, escorts and permits become most of the job. See oversize dispatch. For freight that fits a standard deck height, flatbed dispatch covers tarp pay and securement.
Step deck freight we book
Construction and farm equipment that drives on with ramps, industrial machinery, transformers and generators, tall crates and HVAC units, and steel or lumber that a flatbed could take when step deck freight is thin. Conestogas add covered freight: finished goods, aerospace parts, and anything a shipper won't let sit under a tarp.
What we need from you
Upper and lower deck heights and lengths, legal payload, ramp type and rating, whether you have a Conestoga kit, your securement gear and tarps, any TWIC or site training, and the states you will or won't run with permits. With that, every offer we bring you fits the trailer before you read the rate.
Line 04 / The fee
Conestoga dispatch and step deck, one fee
5% of gross for one truck with 6+ months of authority. 7% while your MC is under 6 months. 4% per truck for two or more, a limited-time rate. Permit and escort reimbursements are pass-through and carry no fee. No setup fee, no contract, cancel with 30 days notice. Every line is on our dispatch fees.
A slow week on a step deck
Specialized freight comes in waves: construction season, equipment auctions, plant shutdowns. A slow week on a step deck still carries the truck note, insurance and a more expensive trailer. We plan around the waves, and when the step deck freight is thin we look at flatbed loads your deck can also take, so the truck doesn't sit waiting for the perfect tall load.
Keep the deck loaded all quarter
Send your trailer, deck heights, ramps and gear. We book step deck and Conestoga loads with permits and tarp pay on the rate con, and you confirm every one.
5% of gross. No setup fee. Cancel with 30 days notice.
IFTA quarters: next four due dates
Weekend due dates roll to the next business day