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Step deck trailer carrying tall freight
Quickway Transports

Step Deck Trucking and Trailer Dimensions

Drop deck trailers for freight too tall for a flatbed, booked with vetted carriers in all 48 states

Quick answer

When should freight go on a step deck?

Use a step deck when freight is too tall for a flatbed but does not need a lowboy. The lower deck sits about 34 to 40 inches off the road, so loads up to about 10 ft tall stay under a 13 ft 6 in height limit, against about 8 ft 6 in on a flatbed. Tractors, mid-size loaders and tall crated machinery are typical step-deck loads.

Updated November 2026 by the Quickway Transports broker team (FMCSA MC# 1245224).

Step Deck Trucking

When freight is too tall for a flatbed

A step deck, also called a drop deck, has a short upper deck over the fifth wheel, usually 9 to 11 ft long, and a long lower deck that sits about 3 ft off the road. That drop of roughly 2 ft against a flatbed is the point: under a 13 ft 6 in height limit, the lower deck takes freight up to about 10 ft tall, where a flatbed stops at about 8 ft 6 in.

We book step deck trucking companies for tractors, telehandlers, mid-size machines, tall crates and switchgear, and match the deck height to the load: some step decks ride as low as 34 in, and hydraulic-tail models let wheeled machines drive on at the rear. Quickway is a broker; the carrier runs the trailer and its permit service files any oversize permit.

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Broker MC# 1245224

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34 to 40 in decks

Lower deck, maker specs

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About 10 ft of freight

Under a 13 ft 6 in limit

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Commercial shippers

Step deck vs flatbed

Step deck vs flatbed: which trailer fits the freight

The two trailers carry the same kinds of freight; the deck height decides which one keeps a load legal.

FlatbedStep deck
Deck heightAbout 5 ft (Utility 4000S: 58 3/16 in)About 3 ft on the lower deck (34 to 40 in)
Freight height under 13 ft 6 inAbout 8 ft 7 inAbout 10 ft to 10 ft 8 in
Deck layoutOne flat deck, 48 or 53 ft9 to 11 ft upper deck plus a 38 to 42 ft lower deck
LoadingForklift or crane from the side or topThe same, plus ramps or a hydraulic tail on some models for wheeled machines
Typical freightSteel, lumber, precast, low machineryTractors, telehandlers, tall crates, switchgear
Trailer specs

Step deck trailer dimensions

Lower-deck heights published by the makers of common step deck and hydraulic-tail trailers. Every inch of deck height is an inch less for the freight.

Trailer model Length Lower deck height Freight height under 13 ft 6 in Rated capacity
Trail King TK80ACS-34 48 ft 34 in about 10 ft 8 in 80,000 lbs distributed
Trail King TK80ACS-38 48 ft 38 in about 10 ft 4 in 80,000 lbs distributed
Trail King TK80ACS-40 48 ft 40 in about 10 ft 2 in 80,000 lbs distributed
XL Specialized Trailers XL 80 SD 48 ft 39.5 in about 10 ft 2 in 80,000 lbs distributed
Fontaine Trailer Infinity rear sliding axle air ride low height dropdeck 53 ft 36 in about 10 ft 6 in 80,000 lbs distributed
Utility Trailer 4000AE Drop Deck 48 ft 40.3 in about 10 ft 1 in 80,000 lbs distributed
East Trailers Extreme Low Deck (XLD) not published 36 in about 10 ft 6 in not published
Landoll 930E-48-15 48 ft 38 in about 10 ft 4 in 70,000 lbs distributed
Talbert Manufacturing 35HT not published 36.3 in about 10 ft 5 in 70,000 lbs distributed
Fontaine Specialized Traverse HT (48 ft) 48 ft 35 in about 10 ft 7 in 80,000 lbs distributed
Trail King TK80HT 48 ft 35.5 in about 10 ft 6 in 80,000 lbs distributed

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.

Freight Types

Step Deck Freight We Book

agriculture

Tractors & Farm Equipment

Tractors, planters, tillage tools and sprayers with booms folded. Large combines stand over 13 ft on their own, so they are over height on any trailer and travel on a height permit.

construction

Construction Machinery

Telehandlers, mid-size wheel loaders, compact excavators and scissor lifts between about 8 ft 6 in and 10 ft tall, many of which move at legal size on a step deck.

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Buses & Large Vehicles

Buses, RVs, box trucks and specialty vehicles that are too tall for a flatbed deck. A unit still over the height limit on a step deck moves on an RGN instead.

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Generators & Electrical Gear

Generator sets, pad-mounted transformers and switchgear between about 8 ft 6 in and 10 ft tall.

factory

Industrial Components

HVAC units, industrial racks and tall machines that are too tall for a flatbed but light enough not to need an RGN.

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Tall Crates & Fabrications

Machinery crates, fabricated steel structures and tall palletized freight that would be over height on a flatbed.

FAQ

Step Deck Trucking Questions

Dimensions, height limits and permits for step deck freight.

What is a step deck trailer?
A step deck, or drop deck, is an open trailer with two levels: a short upper deck over the tractor's fifth wheel and a longer lower deck behind it. On common 48 ft models the upper deck is 9 to 11 ft and the lower deck about 38 ft long, sitting 34 to 40 in off the road. The lower deck carries the tall freight.
What are step deck trailer dimensions?
Most step decks are 48 or 53 ft long and 102 in wide. Published lower-deck heights run from 34 in on the Trail King TK80ACS-34 to 40 in on the TK80ACS-40, and lower-deck lengths from about 38 ft on 48 ft trailers to 42 ft on Fontaine's 53 ft Revolution. Frame ratings are usually 80,000 lbs distributed.
How tall can freight be on a step deck?
About 10 ft under a 13 ft 6 in height limit, and a little more on the lowest decks: a 34 in deck leaves about 10 ft 8 in. In states with a 14 ft limit, such as Texas, California and North Carolina, the same trailer takes about 6 in more. Freight taller than that needs a height permit or an RGN.
When should I use an RGN instead of a step deck?
When the freight is over about 10 ft tall, very heavy, or has to drive on from the front. An RGN deck rides about 18 to 24 in high, so it takes machines up to about 11 ft 6 in tall under a 13 ft 6 in limit, and its detachable gooseneck lets tracked equipment drive on. RGNs are also rated for concentrated loads of 35 to 80 tons.
Does step deck freight need permits?
Not if it stays within 8 ft 6 in wide, the state's height limit and legal weight, which is the main reason to put tall freight on a step deck. Once a load is wider or taller than legal, each state on the route issues its own permit, and the widest loads also need signs, flags and sometimes escorts.

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.

  1. 23 CFR 658.15: 102 in width limit on the National Network
  2. Trail King aluminum-steel combo step deck (TK80ACS-34, -38, -40)
  3. Fontaine Revolution brochure (dropdeck deck lengths)
  4. Utility Trailer flatbed and drop deck specifications
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Free step deck transport quote

Send the freight's height, width, length and weight with both addresses. We confirm whether a step deck keeps it legal and book a carrier with the right deck height.

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