What is step deck?
Also called drop deck
A step deck is a flatbed trailer with two deck heights, the rear section sitting lower than the front. The drop adds cargo headroom; total loaded height still needs to meet route and permit requirements.
The lower deck gains roughly a foot and a half of usable height compared with a standard flatbed, which is often the difference between a legal load and one needing permits.
It is otherwise loaded and secured like a flatbed, with the same strapping and tarping work.
What it means on a dispatch desk
A step deck can expand the machinery and taller-cargo work a carrier considers. Confirm deck dimensions, loading equipment, securement, loaded height and route limits for the actual shipment. Equipment fit and operating cost matter more than assuming a fixed price premium or an automatic permit exemption.
Related terms
- FlatbedA 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Put step deck in context when researching carrier leads by state, including Texas, Alabama and Pennsylvania.
Carrier sales software for dispatch teams
Keep the conversation and its next step together
Use clear freight language in your carrier conversations. KeepCarrier gives dispatch sales teams assigned queues, recorded outcomes and scheduled follow-ups in one workspace.
Explore carrier targeting, the team workspace, our truck dispatch software and the dispatch board.
2 working-agent seats. No credit card required. Calling-provider charges are separate.