Link 01Flatbed

Flatbed dispatch with tarp pay and securement in writing

On a flatbed, the rate is only half the deal. The rest is in lines brokers word a dozen different ways: tarps required, additional stops as needed, TONU at broker discretion. Every vague line is a place where your day gets longer and your pay doesn't. Our flatbed dispatch service turns those lines into numbers before you confirm.

You still decide everything. We find and negotiate the load, check the broker, and send you the offer with every term spelled out. You say yes or no. The broker sends the rate con to you, you sign it in your company name, and the broker pays you directly.

Book my flatbedSame fee as every truck type. No setup fee.

Vague: “Tarps required”
In writing: Lumber tarps, 6 ft drop, tarp pay $___ as its own line
Vague: “TONU at broker discretion”
In writing: TONU $___ if cancelled after dispatch

Link 02The flatbed rate con checklist

The flatbed rate con checklist: six lines we rewrite

Here's an EXAMPLE flatbed rate con with six clauses we see all the time. Tap each one to see the red pen: what's missing, what it could cost you, and the exact wording we ask the broker to put in writing instead. Mark each clause rewritten as you go.

RATE CONFIRMATION · FLATBED 48 FT · EXAMPLE

Clauses rewritten: 0 of 6

Red pen

Which tarp: lumber, steel or smoke? How many feet of drop? Is tarp pay a separate line, and how much?

What we get in writing: Tarp pay $___ written as its own line, tarp type and drop stated.

Mark this clause as rewritten

None of these clauses is a scam on its own. They're just written to leave the broker room. Our job is to close that room before you're committed, because after you sign, a vague line is read the broker's way. For a longer list of clauses to watch in broker agreements and rate cons, see the broker-carrier agreement red flags checklist.

Want to know what those extra lines are worth on a real load? The accessorial charges calculator adds tarp pay, stop-offs, detention and TONU to a base rate so you can compare a load with clean terms against one that just looks higher.

Why tarp pay belongs on its own line

Tarping a load of lumber or steel can take an hour or more, in wind, rain or heat, and the tarps wear out. When a broker says the tarp is “included in the rate”, you can't tell what you're being paid for that work, and you can't compare the load with an untarped one on the same lane. A separate line makes it visible, makes it negotiable, and makes it harder to quietly drop when the rate con is typed up. If tarps turn out to be needed after you arrive, a written tarp line also gives you a clear basis to ask for pay instead of a favor.

What happens when the rate con doesn't match

Sometimes the rate con arrives and something's different from what we agreed on the phone: tarp pay missing, stops changed, a fine added at the bottom. Don't sign it. Send it to us, and we call the broker to get a corrected version issued. Most of the time it's a typing mistake and gets fixed in minutes. If the broker won't correct it, you decide whether to take the load as written or walk away, and walking away costs you nothing with us.

Link 04How we plan flatbed weeks

How our desk plans a flatbed week

Know what ships where

Flatbed freight clusters around steel mills and service centers, lumber and building material yards, machinery makers and construction projects. We plan your next load around what actually ships from the area you're delivering into, not just the highest rate out of where you are today.

Plan around loading hours

Many flatbed shippers load only in the morning, close early on Fridays, or need a crane or forklift booked. A load that delivers at 3 p.m. near a mill that stops loading at noon means a dead afternoon. We line up reloads that fit the shipper's hours.

Watch the season

Construction and building materials are generally busier in warmer months and slower in winter in northern regions, and weather can shut down jobsites without much notice. We don't publish forecasts, but we plan your lanes around the patterns we see each week. When a region slows, we tell you early so you can choose between staying put and repositioning.

Jobsite deliveries and multi-stop loads

Building materials often go to jobsites instead of docks: soft ground, tight access, a contractor who isn't there yet. Before you confirm, we ask whether the site has a forklift, whether you'll need to wait for a crew, and whether a site contact is on the paperwork. For multi-stop loads we get each stop listed, the order fixed and stop-off pay written in. If the broker can't answer, the offer tells you so, and you decide.

Flatbed questions we ask before you see an offer

What exactly is the commodity, and how many pieces? What does the heaviest piece weigh, and how long is it? Is it loaded by forklift, crane or overhead crane, and who handles it? Are tarps required, and which kind? Does the shipper require chains, specific strap counts or edge protection? Is the load oversize in any dimension, and if it's close, who measured it? Is there a strict delivery window or a site contact? The answers decide whether the load fits your trailer, your gear and your day, and they go straight into the offer we send you.

Link 05What it costs

What flatbed dispatch costs

7% of the rate con gross while your MC is under 6 months, 5% after, and 4% per truck for fleets of two or more. The same tiers apply to every truck type, with no flatbed premium. Billed weekly on delivered loads, no setup fee, no minimums. See what we charge for the full breakdown, and how we work for the step by step.

“You take a percentage of my tarp pay too?”: Tarp pay on the rate con is part of the gross, so yes. We're also the ones who got it written in. Lumper reimbursements are the only exclusion.
“I know my lanes better than a dispatcher.”: Probably true, and we want that knowledge. Tell us your lanes and shippers on the first call. We add the phone work, setups and follow-up.
“What if I don't like a load?”: Say no. There's no penalty and no quota. Nothing is booked without your yes.

Ready to hand off the flatbed desk? Apply for flatbed dispatch with your trailer details and gear list, and we'll start with the brokers you're already set up with. In the first week we fill in the onboarding checklist together, add setups with flatbed brokers in your lanes, and start sending offers with every tarp, stop and TONU term spelled out. Your weekly report shows each load, the accessorials earned and paid, and any invoice running past its terms.

Link 06FAQ

Flatbed dispatch: common questions

Questions carriers ask

How much does flatbed dispatch cost?

The same as every truck type we dispatch: 7% of the rate con gross while your MC is under 6 months, 5% after, and 4% per truck for fleets of two or more. Lumper reimbursements are excluded. Tarp pay on the rate con is part of the gross. No setup fee, no minimums, 30 days notice to cancel.

Do you negotiate tarp pay?

Yes, on every load that needs tarps. We ask which tarp type and drop the shipper requires, then get tarp pay written as its own line on the rate con instead of folded into the rate. If a broker says tarp pay is included, we ask how much of the rate it is, so you can compare the load fairly against an untarped one.

What is TONU on a flatbed load?

TONU means truck ordered, not used: a payment when a load is cancelled after you've been dispatched or arrived. Flatbed freight cancels more than most, because jobsites and mills reschedule. Without a TONU amount on the rate con, a cancelled load can cost you a day and the deadhead with nothing paid. We ask for a written TONU before you confirm.

What do brokers require from flatbed carriers?

Usually a carrier packet with your authority, W-9 and certificate of insurance, plus cargo coverage that meets the broker's limit, an equipment list with deck length and type, and details of your securement gear: straps, chains, binders, edge protection and tarps. Some ask for photos of the trailer and gear. We keep those ready so setups move quickly.

Do you book step deck too?

Yes. Step deck has its own page because the freight and the height limits differ, but the fee and the process are the same. If you run a flatbed and sometimes pull a step deck, or have one of each in a small fleet, we plan both and tell brokers exactly which trailer is available for each load.

Will I see the rate con before I commit?

You see every term in the offer before you confirm, and the broker sends the rate con straight to you, made out to your company. You sign it yourself. If anything on it differs from what we agreed, such as missing tarp pay or a new fine, don't sign: tell us and we'll get it corrected with the broker first.

Carrier pays dispatcher 5% of the rate con gross on delivered loads.

No setup fee. Cancel with 30 days notice.

Tarp pay, stops and TONU, in writing every time

We rewrite the vague lines before the rate con reaches you. You sign only what you agreed.

Book my flatbed