Flatbed

Freight that loads by crane or forklift from the side, and never fits through a dry van's door.

Some freight was never going to go in a box. Machinery, steel, lumber, pipe, pallets of block and anything a crane has to set down needs an open deck, and it needs securement that holds it there: straps, chains, corner protection and a driver who checks it again after the first few miles.

Open-deck work is judged on the load plan and the tie-down, not the trip. Tell us the dimensions, the weight and how it will be loaded and unloaded at each end, and we will tell you what the trailer and the securement need to be before you are committed to anything.

Loads that need a flatbed

Machinery and equipment loaded by crane or forklift
Building materials: lumber, block, pipe, steel, rebar
Freight that is too tall or too wide for a dry van door
Deliveries to sites with no dock and no doors
Anything that has to load or unload from the side or the top

How we run open deck

Confirm dimensions, weight and how it loads at both ends
Match the trailer and the securement to the freight
Strap, chain and protect corners, then recheck after the first miles
Tarp where the cargo and the weather call for it
Deliver and confirm it came off the way it went on

Common questions

What do you need to quote a flatbed load?

Length, width, height, weight, and how it is loaded and unloaded at each end. Those five answers are the whole quote, and guessing at any of them is how a load turns up with the wrong trailer.

Do you handle oversize or overweight loads?

Anything beyond legal dimensions needs permits and sometimes an escort, so ask before you assume. We will tell you plainly whether a load is ours to run or whether it needs a specialist.

Can you unload at a site with no forklift?

That is what the piggyback forklift is for. It rides on the truck and takes the freight off wherever it lands, which is usually the difference between a delivery and a wasted trip.

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