FLATBED / 48, 53, SPREAD AXLE, TRIDEM
Flatbed dispatch that gets the tarp pay
Flatbed is checklist work. The right chains, the right tarps, the right axle spread, then the rate. We match every load to what is on your truck, negotiate tarp pay up front and send the rate con to you to sign.
Book my flatbedSECUREMENT CHECKLIST
Tick your gear. See your freight.
Every flatbed load starts with one question: can you secure it? Tick what you carry and see which freight opens up. This is how a good flatbed dispatcher filters the board before a load ever reaches you.
Building materials
Bundled drywall, block and roofing. Edge protectors keep straps from cutting.
Missing: Edge protectors
Lumber
Usually strapped and often tarped with tall lumber tarps.
Missing: Edge protectors, 8 ft lumber tarps
Steel beams and plate
Chains and binders, dunnage between layers, smaller steel tarps when required.
Missing: Dunnage, 4 ft drop tarps
Steel coils
Coil racks or blocking and chains through the eye, per the coil rules.
Missing: Coil racks, Dunnage
Machinery
Chained at the tie points; tarps only if the shipper asks.
Missing: Dunnage
Tarped freight, mixed
Pallets and crates that need weather protection on an open deck.
Missing: 6 ft drop tarps, Edge protectors
SOURCE: TIEDOWN COUNT: eCFR, 49 CFR 393.110; WORKING LOAD LIMIT: eCFR, 49 CFR 393.106. CHECKED OCTOBER 2026. GEAR NEEDS SHOWN ARE COMMON PRACTICE; THE SHIPPER'S AND THE RULES' REQUIREMENTS WIN.
THE RULES, PLAINLY
Federal securement in three lines
We don't secure your load, you do. But a flatbed dispatcher who knows the rules won't book you on something you can't legally tie down with what you carry.
- 01
Enough tiedowns
The minimum depends on each article's length and weight: one for short, light pieces, two for most, and one more for every extra 10 feet.
- 02
Enough strength
Add up the working load limits of every tiedown. The total has to be at least half the weight of the cargo it holds.
- 03
Special rules for special freight
Coils, logs, dressed lumber, concrete pipe, heavy machinery and a few others have their own sections with extra requirements.
TARP PAY AND TIME
Tarping is work. It gets paid.
Throwing tarps on a load can take an hour or more, longer in wind or rain, and taking them off again at delivery takes time too. Too many flatbedders accept a rate and find out at the shipper that the load needs tarps.
We ask before we book: tarp or no tarp, what drop size, and what the tarp pay is. If the broker leaves tarp pay off, we negotiate it on. If they won't pay it, you see that on the offer before you decide, and the rate con spells it out before you sign.
The same goes for extra stops, loading by crane and waiting at mills. Every one of them is time, and time on a flatbed is money.
- Linehaul, 410 miles
- $1,150
- Tarp pay, written on the rate con
- $100
- Detention, 2 hours past free time
- $150
SPREAD AXLE AND TRIDEM
Your axles decide your loads
On the Interstate the federal limit is 80,000 lb gross, 34,000 lb on a tandem and 20,000 lb on a single axle, with the bridge formula on top. A spread axle trailer pulls its two axles far enough apart that many states rate them like two single axles, so it can carry more on the trailer legally. A tridem adds a third axle for heavier freight in states that allow it.
The catch: rules differ by state, so a load legal in one state may not be in the next. We check every state on the route against your axle setup before we quote the load. Read more in spread axle trailers explained or check a load with the axle weight calculator.
SOURCE: eCFR, 23 CFR 658.17, CHECKED OCTOBER 2026. STATE AXLE RULES VARY.
| Setup | Where it shines | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Standard tandem | Most flatbed freight and lanes | Heavy steel can hit axle limits first |
| Spread axle | Heavier steel, machinery, shippers that ask for it | State-by-state spacing rules |
| Tridem | Heavy loads in states that allow it | Fewer loads posted; route planning matters |
Taller freight that won't fit under bridges on a flat goes to a step deck. See step deck dispatch.
FLATBED BY SEASON
The flat market moves with the weather
Flatbed freight follows construction. Spring and summer bring building materials, lumber and equipment moves, and rates tend to firm up as job sites get busy. Late fall and winter slow building work in the north, and more flatbeds chase fewer loads.
Steel and machinery are steadier through the year, but they ask more of you: chains, coil racks, experience and patience at the mill. We plan your year around both: chase the building season when it is strong, and keep you set up with steel and machinery brokers for the slower months.
None of that is a forecast. We look at the current market in your lanes every week and tell you what we see.
ON EVERY FLATBED LOAD
What the flatbed dispatcher checks first
- Dimensions and weight. Length, width, height and weight of each piece, so it is legal on your deck and your axles.
- Securement and tarps. Chains or straps, tarp drop size, edge protection. Written into the load details before you sign.
- Loading method. Forklift, crane or overhead, at both ends, so you are not stuck at a site with no way to unload.
- Appointment and free time. When to be there and how long they can keep you before detention starts.
- Pay lines. Linehaul, tarp pay, extra stops and detention terms, all on the rate con that comes to you.
FEE AND QUESTIONS
Flatbed dispatch service at 5%
A flatbed dispatcher on the same rate card as every truck we run. On the week below, the gap against a 10% desk is real money. Full pricing on dispatch cost.
- Gross, incl. tarp and detention
- $7,900
- Our fee at 5%
- $395
- A 10% desk
- $790
01How much does flatbed dispatch cost?
5% of gross for one truck with an MC at least 6 months old, 7% while your MC is newer, and 4% for two trucks or more. Tarp pay and detention are claimed for you. No setup fee and no contract.
02Do you book spread axle loads?
Yes. A spread axle trailer can carry more weight legally in many states, and some steel and machinery shippers ask for one by name. Tell us your axle spacing and we search for loads that use it, and we check each state on the route because spread axle rules are not uniform.
03Do you handle permit loads?
We dispatch oversize and permitted loads through our oversize desk, with permits and routes confirmed before you sign. On a standard flatbed we keep you on legal-size freight unless you tell us you want permit work. See oversize dispatch for how that works.
04Do flatbed loads have more detention?
Often, yes. Steel mills, lumber yards and job sites can be slow to load and unload, and tarping adds time. That is why we read the free time and detention terms on every rate con, log your arrival, and file the claim when the clock runs out.
05What flatbed freight pays best?
It changes with the season and the lane. Freight that needs tarps, heavy securement or a specific trailer usually pays more than plain lumber on a flat, because fewer trucks can take it. Construction season lifts building materials; winter slows it. We price each load against your floor.
06Do you dispatch conestoga trailers?
Yes. A conestoga's rolling tarp system saves tarping time and opens freight that shippers want covered but loaded from the side. We list it as its own trailer type with brokers, because some loads are posted for conestogas only and often pay a little more for the convenience.
07Will you book me on loads that need a crane or forklift at delivery?
Only when the rate con says the receiver unloads it. If a site has no forklift or crane, the load either needs a different plan or a different truck. We confirm the unloading method before you sign, so you are not stuck at a job site with no way to get the freight off.
08Can a new MC get flatbed loads?
Yes. Some steel and machinery shippers want experience, but plenty of brokers book new flatbed authorities, especially for building materials. We start there and keep your fee at 7% until month 6, then 5%.
CHAINS ON, TARPS PACKED?
Send your gear list. We'll match the freight.
Apply in two minutes, tell us your trailer and what you carry, and the first rate con comes to you to sign or decline.