Guide to Open Deck Trailers: Shipping With Flatbeds, Step Decks, Goosenecks & More
When you’re moving steel beams or vehicles to a construction site, machinery to a factory, or rolls of sod from a farm, a dry van and pallets aren’t going to cut it.
Your freight is large. It’s heavy. Its shape might not even fit in a trailer. It sounds like you’re looking for an open deck carrier.
That’s great! But that’s not all you need to know.
Learn about the different kinds of open deck trailers and find out what you need to do to make the best use of them.
Shipper's Guide to Open Deck: Overview
When Should You Look for an Open Deck Trailer?
First things first: Do you know if you actually need to book a flatbed?
Open deck carriers are best-suited for some specific use cases. In general, you’ll want to find one if your freight has any of the following characteristics.
1. It’s a dense bulk commodity.
Building and landscaping materials of all kinds fit into this category. They’re dense, they’re dirty and often the only way to load or offload the material for transport is with a forklift or a crane. The accessibility of an open deck trailer is ideal for these commodities.
Some common bulk commodities are:
steel (coils, bars, sheets, rods), conduits, pipes, brick, lumber, insulation, salt, sod and mulch.
2. It’s irregular in size and shape.
Another major use for open deck trailers is factory machinery or construction equipment. These objects often don’t fit neatly within the confines of a dry van trailer and need some space to be transported safely.
Irregularly shaped freight includes:
tractors, forklifts, drills and conveyor belts.
3. It's oversize or overweight.
Much of the freight in this category is basically the same as the one above, but on a larger and heavier scale. Your heavy duty construction equipment will fit here, as will some additional massive objects.
Oversize and overweight freight includes excavators, cranes, turbine blades, prefabricated houses or larger factory equipment.
What Types of Open Deck Equipment Are Available?
When you book a standard dry van or reefer truckload, you know what you’re getting in terms of space — a trailer that’s 53’ long, 9'2” high and 8’6” wide.
But if you’re looking for open deck capacity, you have many more options available to you.
There’s equipment out there for every size, shape and weight of open deck freight. If you know your load details precisely, you can zero in on the equipment that will meet your needs.
Download this as a high-resolution PDF and save it to your desktop.
The Most Common Types of Open Deck Trailers
Flatbed Trailer
This is the most common open deck equipment, consisting of a single, long platform the width of a standard dry van trailer and of varying lengths up to 53’.
Many of the most common open deck commodities can travel comfortably on a standard flatbed. Pipes, brick, lumber — any of your basic building materials.
Length: 48' standard (45' and 53' also available)
Width: 8'6"
Height: 8'6"
Standard Weight Limit: 48,000 lbs.
Download the open deck equipment cheat sheet as a high-resolution PDF & save it to your desktop.
Step Deck Trailer
As the name implies, this consists of a two-level deck that “steps” down from a shorter front platform to a longer rear one.
You should consider choosing a step deck trailer if you need to haul freight that exceeds the height limit for a standard flatbed or if you may also need ramps for loading and unloading lighter equipment or vehicles.
The extra depth provided by the step down means your freight can be taller and still fit under the 8’6” legal maximum in most states, and the lower deck is more conducive to using ramps if needed.
Length:
48' trailer:
Front deck: 10'-11'
Main deck: 37′-38′53' trailer:
Front deck: 10'-11'
Main deck: 42′-43'Width: 8'6"
Height:
Front deck: 8'6"
Main deck: 10'Standard Weight Limit: 46,500 lbs. (both decks total)
Download the open deck equipment cheat sheet as a high-resolution PDF & save it to your desktop.
Double Drop Trailer
Similar in shape to the step deck trailer, a double drop also consists of a short platform and a long platform of different heights.
However, the drop between them is roughly twice as deep for a double drop trailer as it is for a standard step deck. For this reason, double drop trailers are often used for extremely large pieces of equipment or machinery (which are also frequently heavy haul).
Length:
Front deck: 10'
Main deck / well: 24'-29'
Rear deck: 10'Width: 8'6"
Height:
Front deck: 10'
Main deck / well: 11'6"
Rear deck: 10'Standard Weight Limit: 35,000 lbs. (all decks total)
Download the open deck equipment cheat sheet as a high-resolution PDF & save it to your desktop.
Removeable Gooseneck Trailer (RGN)
Hauling heavy construction machinery to a work site? Your best bet will probably be a removeable gooseneck trailer, or RGN.
RGNs feature a low-riding trailer deck that detaches at the front, allowing it to rest on the ground and form a ramp.
You can drive a vehicle up onto the trailer via this ramp, then reattach it to the tractor for hauling.
Length:
Main deck / well: 24'-29'
Rear deck: 10'Width: 8'6"
Height:
Main deck / well: 11'6"
Rear deck: 10'Standard Weight Limit: 35,000 lbs. (both decks total)
Download the open deck equipment cheat sheet as a high-resolution PDF & save it to your desktop.
Hotshot
Trailers of varying shapes and sizes that are hauled by heavy-duty pickup trucks (often called dual rear-wheel drive trucks or “duallies”) are known as “hotshots.”
These are great for transporting smaller pieces of machinery or construction equipment. If you can find a hotshot that meets your size and weight requirements, you may be able to save some money compared to larger open deck equipment.
What Are the Characteristics of the Open Deck Freight Market?
With all the equipment options available, it’s no surprise that the open deck market is quite fragmented.
While there are some carriers who specialize in open deck freight, others will interchangeably haul open deck equipment or a dry van trailer depending on demand.
Exact statistics about the number of open deck drivers and carriers out there are difficult to pin down, but here are some fast facts about the market:
- Open deck freight accounts for roughly 20% of the $700 billion North American transportation market.
- There is a great deal of fragmentation in the open deck market; it is a segment of the truckload market, which skews heavily toward smaller carriers and owner-operators over carriers with large fleets.
- A majority of the 350,000 owner-operator drivers in the U.S. will haul open deck trailers either primarily or in addition to dry vans and/or refrigerated trailers.
- Industries that most frequently ship open deck are industrial production, oil and gas, construction and housing, and landscaping.
Is Demand for Open Deck Trailers Seasonal?
It sure is, and for good reason — the industries and projects that typically require open deck equipment are themselves seasonal.
Construction Season
In many parts of the country, construction projects can’t get underway until the threat of severe winter weather has passed for the year.
Even in more moderate climates, they don’t really get under way until the weather warms up in springtime.
Much like produce season, construction and landscaping season begins early in the spring in the South and heats up with the temperature in the North and Midwest several months later. You can expect demand for open deck capacity to track with these seasons.
Landscaping Season
Similar to construction season, these projects can't get underway until the weather heats up.
Hurricane Recovery
Throughout the south, demand can remain elevated into the fall in areas that were damaged by severe weather during hurricane season.
Winter Weather
Particularly in the northeast, major snow and ice storms can spur sudden and intense demand for road salt.
Christmas Trees
November and December typically see increased demand to haul trees from the Pacific Northwest in preparation for the holiday season.
6 Things You Need to Know to Ship Open Deck
The differences between shipping standard truckload and shipping open deck don’t stop at equipment, markets and demand centers.
If you’re shipping open deck, you should be aware of some key details that can make your booking and pick-up go smoothly and help ensure your freight arrives safely.
1. You need to be as specific about your commodity as possible to get an accurate quote.
Flatbed freight is tougher to quote than palletized dry van freight because it is so much more unique. In order to get a reliable quote from your provider, you need to come with as much detail as possible.
What you’re shipping gives your provider a lot of information, from what type of equipment to source, to how it may need to be secured, to whether it probably needs to be tarped. In order to get a reliable quote from your provider, being specific about your freight is key.
Accurate dimensions and weight are the most important, as they’ll be the primary determinant for equipment type and whether you need oversize permits for your load.
Beyond that, there’s no such thing as too much information. Tell your provider the commodity, dimensions, weight and any other driver or equipment requirements you may have and trust that a good provider will ask you the right questions to fill in any gaps.
2. You might need special equipment to load and unload your freight.
Outside of transport, you’ll want to ensure you’ve arranged for any special equipment (like cranes or forklifts) you may need to load and unload the trailer upon arrival.
If a crane is needed — and it very well might be for larger/heavier commodities — be sure to agree on delivery and pick-up dates you’re 100% sure you can commit to and reserve it with plenty of lead time. Communicate this booking information clearly with your transportation provider in advance of booking.
3. Oversize and overweight freight require permits and may require escorts.
Any freight that exceeds the loadable dimensions and/or legal weight limit for your trailer will require a permit from any U.S. states and Canadian provinces that the truck will pass through.
The only exception to this rule is that many (but not all) states permit an overhand at the front of rear of your trailer by up to 5’.
For freight that is larger than 12’ wide or 13’6” high, you may also need an escort to scout the route ahead and warn your driver of upcoming hazards or road restrictions. Carriers are typically responsible for securing escorts.
4. The more specialized the equipment, the more lead time you need.
Some of the equipment types listed above are quite scarce across the U.S. If you need anything beyond a standard flatbed trailer (and even for those), be sure you provide as much lead time as possible to give yourself a chance of finding it.
5. Carriers will reward you for helping with loading and tarping.
One of the best ways to stay on your open deck carriers’ good side and attain that coveted “Shipper of Choice” status is to be willing to lend a hand.
Be sure your facility is staffed appropriately with a team that is ready to handle the labor involved with getting your freight on the trailer.
The easier you can make loading and tarping for your carrier, the more they’ll want to work with you in the future.
6. Work with a 3PL to get it all right.
Unsure about anything you’ve read so far? You’re definitely not alone. Booking an open deck load can be complicated, and the best way to ensure you do it correctly is to get some help.
Third-party logistics providers (3PLs) can help you understand what kind of equipment your freight needs, know whether you’ll need permits to move your load, help you find a great carrier in a fragmented market and teach you the ins and outs of open deck shipping.
Talk to Our Specialists for All Your Open Deck Trailer Needs
Our knowledgeable and experienced open deck specialists can connect you to a network of 8,000 open deck carriers to move your most unique loads.
Get in touch today to ask us about equipment, size and weight limits, state and national regulations, permit requirements, and anything else you can think of. We want your next open deck load to move so smoothly you’ll trust us with the one after that as well.