Step Deck vs Flat Bed

Its gonna depend on what you plan on or know your gonna haul. You buying new or used?

 

Check the floor out real good on that Fontaine. Witha step you'll be limited to a point. Freight wise right now this week wasn't the greatest in my area, eastern ohio.

 

I.m.o. I would go with flat. I usedto haul semi dedicated freight from 2 miles from home to G.R. MI. & back to within 1 mile from my home. twice a week. at the time the shipper would/ could load step or flat, however the receiver could only unload rear unload. so a step would of ruled out that great run I had. it was just an option, but glad I had the right equip to consider the option.made approx $37,000 on that run alone that year. steps can haul taller loads & machinery. I want to be able to be loaded/unloaded... from the side, overhead crane, & rear. how would you like to be 600 miles from home & the only load at that time has to be loaded/unloaded from rear dock & you cannot take it? ILL expand here, since I am bored & might as well give you some of my personal experience.

try & keep your light wt down. several years ago I used go to toledo O.H.area. I used to reload out of worthington steel in delta o.h. right back within 2 blocks from my home. on several occasions the only loads they had going to the steel mill near my home was 49,000 lbs, give or take. there was always other truckers needing to go my way, but could not haul the load, due to their light wt, being too heavy. I hauled many loads out of there, even just one 3 months ago. if I had not be able to haul those heavy loads, I would of had to wait til the next morning or take a load that went 75 to 150 miles from my home. just something to think about. but the the other poster said ,depends on what type of freight you will be hauling. if you go with step, GREAT! I have enough competion already with flat's . best of luck. have a great wknd...

 

now it's like les2 said it really depends on what you like to haul all i pull is step deck i don't do flat bed work at all, why well i like hauling equipment , machinery and od loads and i do not like to tarp period and bout all flat bed loads they want it tarped wheather it needs it or not.

and i find that stepdeck loads pay more with a lot les work course im naturaly lazy.
but it really depends on what you like to haul , now you can find more flat bed freight but most flat bed freight will load on a step deck anyway.

hope this has helped .-----southernpride

 

I have an O/O with a step and most of the stuff he hauls is 30ft or less. He likes it but sometimes you are limited to what you can haul.

 

what is the best brand of step deck?

 

Flat! Steps are heavier and weaker and I've seen very few loads that were worth hauling that required a step only. But that's personal experience your area might be different.

 

There is only one platform trailer on the market isn't there....Mac?