What is flatbed?
A flatbed is an open trailer with no sides or roof, used for freight that cannot be loaded through the rear doors of an enclosed trailer, such as steel, lumber, machinery and building materials.
Loads are secured with straps and chains and often covered with tarps. Load securement is the driver's responsibility and is inspected on the road.
Flatbed work is more physical than van work and the skill of securing a load properly is a real barrier to entry, which keeps capacity tighter.
What it means on a dispatch desk
Flatbed rates look better than van rates partly because the tarping and securement time is unpaid unless it is billed as an accessorial. Confirm the tarp charge before accepting rather than after, because an untarped quote on a load that turns out to need one converts an hour of hard work into free labour.
Related terms
- Step deckA step deck is a flatbed trailer with two deck heights, the rear section sitting lower than the front. The drop lets it carry taller freight without exceeding legal height limits.
- Dry vanA dry van is an enclosed trailer with no temperature control, used for freight that needs protection from weather and theft but not refrigeration. It is the most common trailer type on the road.
- AccessorialAn accessorial is any charge for work beyond moving the freight from origin to destination. Detention, layover, driver-assisted unloading, extra stops and tarping are all accessorials.
- Power onlyPower only is work where the carrier supplies just the tractor and driver, pulling a trailer that belongs to the shipper, broker or another carrier. No trailer of their own is involved.
- HotshotHotshot trucking moves smaller, time-sensitive loads using a heavy-duty pickup pulling a gooseneck or flatbed trailer, rather than a semi truck. It suits urgent freight too small to justify a full trailer.
- ReeferA reefer is a temperature-controlled trailer with its own refrigeration unit, used for food, pharmaceuticals and anything else that must stay within a temperature range in transit.
Knowing the term is the easy half
Knowing which carriers are worth calling this morning is the hard half.
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