I Can’t Find Step Deck Loads
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Step deck operators have the opposite problem to dry van carriers. There’s less competition for qualifying freight, but the freight is harder to find, scattered across boards and frequently posted under generic flatbed categories that say nothing about deck height.
The filtering problem
Filter strictly on “step deck” and you’ll see a fraction of what you could take. A great deal of dimensional freight is posted as flatbed with the height in the notes, or as “open deck,” or with no equipment specification at all.
Reading load details rather than trusting categories is more work per load, and it surfaces freight nobody else is filtering for. That’s the advantage; the scarcity works for you once you can see the loads.
The trap: running flatbed freight
When qualifying freight is hard to find, step deck operators default to hauling standard flatbed loads at flatbed rates. The equipment is more expensive and the freight isn’t paying for it.
Occasionally that’s the right call to keep moving. As a pattern it means you own specialised equipment and run commodity freight, which is the worst of both.
Where the freight is
Machinery and equipment dealers: regular movements, and they know what they need.
Construction equipment: seasonal and steady within season.
Agricultural equipment: strongly seasonal, well paid in season.
Manufacturers shipping oversized components, often shipper-direct rather than posted.
Most of that is relationship freight rather than board freight, which is worth knowing before concluding the market is empty.
Price the specialisation
Fewer carriers can take dimensional freight, which should show in the rate. If you’re taking step deck loads at rates only slightly above flatbed, the scarcity is working for the broker rather than for you.
Where Hey Bubba! fits
Hey Bubba! is an AI back-office automation platform for fleets. It filters on deck height and dimensional requirements read from the load detail rather than the posted category, which surfaces qualifying freight that strict category filtering hides.
Frequently asked questions
It’s scarcer than flatbed and frequently posted under generic categories that don’t mention deck height.
Occasionally, to keep moving. As a pattern it means running specialised equipment at commodity rates.
Machinery and equipment dealers, construction and agricultural equipment, and manufacturers moving oversized components: much of it shipper-direct.
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