Step Deck Load Board
Step Deck Load Board
Access the most valuable step deck loads with DAT’s load board.
- Find the best step deck loads at the best rates.
- Join the largest freight network in North America.
- Capitalize on all of DAT’s money-saving services for carriers.
Find the best step deck loads at the best rates.
With DAT’s load board, you’ll never miss out on the most valuable step deck loads!
With over 400 million loads posted annually, DAT has built a one-of-a-kind, unrivalled freight superdatabase. Carriers can quickly identify the most valuable step deck loads in the area using DAT’s load board and can also access exclusive listings across more than 70 different types of freight. With advanced analytics on lanes, brokers, and market conditions at your fingertips, you can trust you’re always landing the best rates.
Join the largest freight network in North America.
Be a part of the premier freight marketplace, build connections, and drive your business forward.
Although DAT offers a menu of different load board packages to meet your specific freight needs, each plan follows the same, consistent pricing model. For a flat, monthly rate, carriers rely on DAT’s step deck freight load board to streamline the step deck load-finding process, connect to proven industry players, and grow their businesses with confidence. You can tap into the DAT Directory to start growing a robust pipeline of professional contacts and read through our customer reviews and broker data to vet potential business partners ahead of time.
Capitalize on all of DAT’s money-saving services for carriers.
Carriers are empowered with the tools they need to maximize vehicle uptime and thrive long-term.
DAT has developed into the only provider that can meet all of your freight needs. Included in your step deck load board package is DAT’s unparalleled suite of tools to help carriers efficiently scale operations. DAT’s TriHaul, Market Conditions Index (MCI), and load count data by state help your fleet navigate the most in-demand areas. With instant alerts, DAT makes it easy for you to seize on new step-deck loads that fit your exact freight criteria.
Carriers use step deck trailers to safely transport step deck loads. Since step deck trailers are specifically designed to haul freight that is too tall for flatbeds, step deck loads can often be tall, large, and heavy. Step deck trucks allow carriers to haul oversized cargo without having to obtain special permits. With limited barriers to entry, step deck carriers can fill a profitable freight niche with relative ease.
Unlike flatbeds, step deck trailers have two separate decks — an upper and lower deck. This is the dominant characteristic of step deck trailers and where the “step” name comes from.
A full-time step deck driver in the United States makes around $100,000 annually, on average. At the top end of the pay scale, step deck carriers in the United States can take home an estimated $205,000 per year. For drivers, step deck trucking offers a broader range of loads than traditional flatbed trucking. Owner operators that pair a semi truck with a step deck trailer often earn up to 90% of a load’s gross value.
Because of their design, step deck trailers are commonly used to haul a wide variety of heavy cargo. Some of the most popular kinds of step deck loads include:
- Tractors
- Agricultural Materials
- Building Materials
- Excavators
- Heavy Machinery
Step deck trailers are perfectly suited for many of these oversized, tall goods that often exceed the maximum height allowed by flatbeds. When driving across low bridges and tunnels, the “step” feature of step deck trailers provides carriers the additional room and storage capacity they need to safely and legally haul taller items.
From a carrier’s perspective, step deck trailers have a few notable advantages over regular flatbed trailers, including:
Height: Step deck trailers stand at a maximum of 10 feet tall from the lower deck, which is a foot and half taller than the 8’6’’ maximum height standard flatbeds. A lowboy, also known as a double-drop trailer, can extend step decks even further to a maximum height of 11’6’’.
Maneuverability: Since step deck trailers are lower to the ground than flatbeds, it’s easier and safer for forklifts to maneuver step deck loads compared to flatbed cargo.
Large Loads: Step decks can be especially useful for securely hauling oversized and over-dimensional loads.
Carriers search step deck freight load boards to find new step deck loads. But be warned — not all step deck load boards are the same. The right load board for step decks should save you time during the load-finding process and improve your business’ bottom-line.
DAT’s load board for step decks accomplishes just that — for an affordable price, carriers can unlock new step deck opportunities and leverage the most active, on-demand freight marketplace in the country to maximize their success.