Flatbed Trucking and Freight Shipping
Vetted flatbed trucking companies for steel, lumber, precast and machinery in all 48 states
Quick answer
What fits on a standard flatbed?
A standard 48 to 53 ft flatbed carries up to about 48,000 lbs of payload within the 80,000 lbs gross limit, and freight up to 8 ft 6 in wide and about 8 ft 6 in tall without an oversize permit. Steel, lumber, precast concrete and smaller machines fit that window. Wider freight needs a permit, and taller freight needs a step deck or RGN.
Updated November 2026 by the Quickway Transports broker team (FMCSA MC# 1245224).
Flatbed trucking for freight that will not fit in a van
Flatbed trucking carries freight that has to be loaded from the side or the top: steel coils and beams, lumber and sheet goods, precast concrete, pipe, and machinery that cannot be boxed. A standard flatbed is 48 or 53 ft long and 102 in wide, with the deck about 5 ft off the road, which leaves roughly 8 ft 6 in of freight height under a 13 ft 6 in limit.
Quickway Transports is a freight broker, not a trucking company. We book flatbed trucking companies from a vetted carrier network, check that the trailer, tarps and securement suit the load, and arrange oversize permits through the carrier's permit service when freight runs wider or taller than legal.
FMCSA Licensed
Broker MC# 1245224
48 and 53 ft decks
Steel, aluminum, combo
Tarps and securement
Booked to suit the load
Free Quotes
Commercial shippers
Flatbed Freight We Book
Steel & Metal Products
Coils, beams, plates, pipe, rebar and structural steel. A coil puts its weight on a few feet of deck, so it needs a trailer with a high concentrated load rating and coil-specific securement.
Lumber & Building Materials
Dimensional lumber, OSB, plywood and engineered wood. Moisture-sensitive bundles ride under lumber tarps, which the carrier needs to know about before dispatch.
Precast Concrete
Wall panels, utility vaults and concrete pipe that load from the top or side. Long bridge beams usually move as oversize loads on extendable trailers.
Small Construction Equipment
Skid steers, compact track loaders, mini excavators and compact wheel loaders that stay under about 8 ft 6 in tall on a 5 ft deck.
Electrical & Power Equipment
Pad-mounted transformers, switchgear, poles and generator sets within legal height. Taller units move on a step deck instead.
Machinery & Fabricated Parts
Machine frames, fabricated steel, HVAC curb units and crated industrial parts. Skidded machines need the pick or forklift points listed so the carrier can plan the securement.
How we choose flatbed trucking companies for a load
Authority and safety record
Each carrier's FMCSA operating authority and safety record are checked before booking, and its insurance certificate has to be on file.
The right deck
Length, steel or aluminum construction and the concentrated load rating have to suit the freight. The table below shows how much those ratings differ between trailer models.
Tarps and securement
Every load is secured to the federal cargo securement rules in 49 CFR 393 Subpart I, which set working load limits for chains and straps. If the freight needs tarps, the carrier has to bring them.
Permits when it goes over
Freight wider than 8 ft 6 in or taller than the state's height limit needs an oversize permit for each state on the route, coordinated with the carrier's permit service.
Flatbed trailer dimensions and ratings
Published figures for common 48 and 53 ft flatbeds. The concentrated rating matters for coils, machinery and anything sitting on a short footprint; the distributed rating applies to loads spread along the deck.
| Trailer model | Length | Deck height | Freight height under 13 ft 6 in | Rated capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utility Trailer 4000S | 48 ft | 58.2 in | about 8 ft 7 in | 80,000 lbs distributed |
| Utility Trailer 4000AE | 48 ft | 58.2 in | about 8 ft 7 in | 80,000 lbs distributed |
| Fontaine Trailer Revolution 52 flatbed | 45, 48, 53 ft | not published | not published | 80,000 lbs distributed; 52,000 lbs in 4 ft |
| Fontaine Trailer Revolution 60 tridem flatbed | not published | not published | not published | 80,000 lbs distributed; 60,000 lbs in 4 ft |
| Great Dane Freedom Steel | 28, 45, 48, 53 ft | not published | not published | 80,000 lbs distributed; 50,000 lbs in 4 ft |
| Great Dane Freedom Combo | 45, 48, 53 ft | not published | not published | 80,000 lbs distributed; 50,000 lbs in 4 ft |
| East Trailers Beast (BST) flatbed | up to 53 ft | not published | not published | 90,000 lbs distributed; 52,000 lbs in 4 ft |
| East Trailers Beast II (BST II) flatbed | up to 53 ft | not published | not published | 100,000 lbs distributed; 65,000 lbs in 4 ft |
Manufacturer figures from each maker's spec sheet or product page, checked October 2026. Freight height is 13 ft 6 in minus the published deck height; tarps, blocking and deck deflection reduce it, and the carrier's actual trailer can differ.
What sets a flatbed trucking rate
- check_circle Distance and lane: carriers price by the mile, and how easily they can find the next load near your delivery point affects the rate.
- check_circle Deck space and weight: a full 48 ft deck costs more than freight that shares a trailer as a partial load.
- check_circle Tarping: loads that ride under tarps usually carry a tarp charge.
- check_circle Oversize: permits, escorts and slower routing add cost once freight is wider or taller than legal.
- check_circle Extra stops, waiting time at pickup or delivery, and any loading equipment the carrier has to supply.
Freight that fills only part of a deck can move as a partial load and LTL flatbed shipping load.
Flatbed Trucking Questions
Weights, dimensions, permits and securement for flatbed freight.
How much weight can a flatbed carry?
What are standard flatbed trailer dimensions?
When does flatbed freight need an oversize permit?
Should my load go on a flatbed or a step deck?
How are flatbed loads secured?
Sources
We last checked the figures above against these official sources in November 2026. Before each move, the carrier's permit service confirms the rules in force that day.
Get a Flatbed Trucking Quote
Free flatbed freight quote
Send the freight type, dimensions, weight and both addresses. We confirm the trailer, flag anything that needs a permit or tarps, and book a vetted flatbed carrier.
Keep reading
- Partial Load & LTL Flatbed →Pay for the deck space your freight uses when it does not fill a whole flatbed or step deck.
- Heavy Haul Trucking →Oversize and overweight loads on RGN, step-deck and flatbed trailers, with permits, pilot cars and route surveys arranged.
- RGN Transport →Removable gooseneck and lowboy trailers for machines that drive on, from mid-size excavators to mining dozers.
- Step-Deck Transport →Drop-deck trailers for freight up to about 10 ft tall that would be over height on a standard flatbed.