Step-Deck Dispatch Service
JackRick Logistics dispatches step-deck carriers at a flat 10% per load — Friday invoicing, no retainer, no minimum, no long-term contract. Dimensions verified, permits routed. Quote: (757) 744-2484.
The step-deck exists for freight that is too tall for a flatbed: the lower deck drops the load height by roughly two feet, which is the difference between a legal load and an oversize permit. Construction equipment, agricultural machinery, industrial components — this is freight with real dimensions, real weight, and real securement challenges.
JackRick Logistics dispatches step-deck owner-operators hauling machinery, equipment, and tall or long freight that needs the lower deck height. We verify dimensions, handle permit routing, and negotiate rates that reflect the specialized work — for a flat 10% per load, invoiced every Friday.
No retainer, no monthly minimum, no long-term contract. Thirty days' written notice ends the arrangement. Based in Hampton Roads, Virginia, serving step-deck carriers nationwide.
What step-deck dispatch actually involves
Step-deck (drop-deck) freight is dominated by machinery: excavators, dozers, farm equipment, forklifts, generators, HVAC units, and industrial components that clear 10 feet of height only on the lower deck. Most of it self-loads or loads by crane, most of it needs chains and binders rather than straps, and a meaningful share of it is permitted for height, width, or weight.
A step-deck dispatcher works from dimensions first and rate second. We confirm the machine's length, width, height, and weight in writing, check whether it fits the lower deck or needs the upper deck too, verify ramp or crane availability at both ends, and only then talk price. Booking step-deck freight without dimensions is how trucks get stuck at shippers.
The step-deck freight we book
We book equipment and machinery moves across construction, agriculture, and industrial markets: dealer-to-job-site deliveries, auction purchases, rental fleet repositioning, and factory outbound. Much of this freight is one-way by nature — a dozer delivered to a job site does not generate a return load from the same dirt lot — so backhaul planning is where step-deck dispatch earns its keep.
When the freight is permitted, we handle the routing: state-by-state oversize rules, escort thresholds, curfews, and daylight-only restrictions, with permit and escort costs built into the rate negotiation rather than absorbed by the carrier.
| Freight type | Typical dims concern | Dispatch checks |
|---|---|---|
| Construction equipment | Height and weight | Ramp availability, permits if over legal |
| Agricultural machinery | Width (wide implements) | Escort thresholds by state |
| Industrial components | Length and concentrated weight | Crane loading, axle weight distribution |
| Rental fleet moves | Varies by unit | Repeat-lane potential with rental companies |
Ramps, permits, and loading realities
Step-deck freight punishes guesswork. Here is how we handle the physical realities of machinery moves before booking.
What we need from a step-deck carrier
Step-deck dispatch is built on your trailer's exact specifications, because machinery freight lives and dies on dimensions. We document your lower deck length and height, upper deck dimensions, overall trailer length, ramp capacity and length (or confirmed absence of ramps), winch and chain inventory, and your deck height loaded. A step-deck with a 10-foot-2-inch lower deck clearance can take freight that a standard flatbed cannot touch — but only if we know the real numbers, not the brochure numbers.
Your comfort with permitted loads shapes everything we book. Some step-deck operators run oversize routinely and carry the permits, flags, banners, and lights to do it; others stay strictly legal-dimension and want nothing to do with escort vehicles. Both are fine businesses. We need to know which one is yours, because booking a permitted load for a carrier who does not want it — or passing over permitted premiums for a carrier who loves them — is dispatch malpractice.
Loading capability is the third pillar. Self-loading machinery needs ramps rated for the machine's weight, and not all ramps are equal — a 20,000-pound-rated ramp set will not safely load a 35,000-pound excavator. If you run without ramps, we focus your freight on crane-loaded industrial components and dealer deliveries with loading facilities. Either way, the plan matches the equipment, decided once and respected on every load.
Step-deck also rewards drivers with machinery experience. Knowing how a tracked machine behaves on ramps, where to place chains on an excavator's tie-down points, and how to distribute a concentrated 40,000-pound load across trailer axles is specialized knowledge. If your driver has it, we book the freight that pays for it. If they are building it, we start with forgiving freight and work up — the same honest progression we apply across every open-deck segment.
When step-deck beats flatbed: booking the right trailer for tall freight
The step-deck exists for one reason: freight that is too tall for a standard flatbed but does not justify the cost and complexity of a specialized trailer. A dispatcher who understands this wins loads that flatbed-only carriers cannot touch — machinery, agricultural equipment, industrial components, and anything where the extra inches of legal height on the lower deck make the difference between a routine haul and an oversize-permit ordeal. Booking step-deck freight well means thinking in three dimensions: the dispatcher has to consider not just weight and mileage but the actual loaded height, because a load that looks simple on paper becomes a permit load if nobody checked the machine's height against the deck.
Step-deck dispatch also lives in the details of loading. Ramps are the defining feature of step-deck work — the dispatcher needs to know whether the shipper has ramps, whether the driver carries their own, and whether the freight can even be driven or rolled onto the lower deck. Some facilities that handle flatbeds every day have never loaded a step-deck, and the dispatcher is the one asking those questions before the driver arrives, not after. The same goes for the freight itself: tracked equipment, wheeled machinery, and crated industrial goods each load differently, and the rate has to reflect the real work involved.
JackRick books step-deck freight with the trailer's advantages in mind instead of treating it as a flatbed with a step. We look for the tall machinery, the equipment moves, and the industrial loads where your lower deck height is the reason you got the load — because that is where step-deck rates justify the specialized equipment. And we ask the ramp and loading questions up front so the driver is not solving problems at the dock that should have been solved on the phone. If you run a step-deck and you are tired of being dispatched like a flatbed, call (757) 744-2484.
Honest terms: what it costs and how to start
Our dispatch fee is a flat 10% per load — invoiced every Friday, with no retainer, no monthly minimum, and no long-term contract. If the arrangement is not working for you, 30 days' written notice ends it. That structure exists for a reason: a dispatcher who earns only when your truck earns has to keep booking freight you actually want to run.
Getting started is a conversation, not a signup form. We review your step-deck, your authority and insurance, the lanes and home time you need, and what your truck costs to run. If the math works and the fit is right, we start hunting loads. Call (757) 744-2484 or email [email protected] to get a quote.
Get a quote for step-deck dispatch
Every truck is different — equipment, authority age, home base, and the lanes that keep your driver happy all change which loads are worth booking. That is why we quote in conversation instead of publishing a price list. Tell us about your operation and we will give you a straight answer on whether dispatch makes sense for you, and what it would look like week to week.
To talk through your lanes and get a quote, call (757) 744-2484, email [email protected], or reach out through the contact page at /contact/. Tell us your equipment, home base, and the lanes you like — we will tell you honestly whether we are a fit.
Key takeaways
- Step-deck freight is machinery and tall freight — dimensions come first, rate second, on every load.
- We book construction, agricultural, and industrial equipment moves, with backhaul planning for one-way deliveries.
- Oversize loads get state-by-state permit, escort, and curfew routing, with costs covered in the rate.
- Ramp availability is confirmed before booking self-loading machinery.
- Flat 10% per load, Friday invoicing, no retainer, no minimum, no long-term contract; 30 days' written notice to end.
- Based in Hampton Roads, Virginia — serving step-deck carriers nationwide since 2022.
Questions carriers ask
What does JackRick dispatch service cost?
A flat 10% per load, invoiced every Friday. There is no retainer, no monthly minimum, and no long-term contract — if you want out, 30 days' written notice ends the arrangement. We earn only when your truck earns.
How do I start dispatch service with JackRick?
Call (757) 744-2484 or email [email protected] for a quote. We will talk through your equipment, authority, insurance, lanes, and home-time needs, then tell you honestly whether we are a fit before anything is signed.
What is included in the dispatch fee?
Dimension-verified load sourcing, permit and escort routing on oversize loads, rate negotiation with ramp and loading realities priced in, backhaul planning for one-way equipment moves, rate confirmations and paperwork. You chain it down; we handle the rest.
Do you need me to have ramps for step-deck dispatch?
Not necessarily, but we need to know. We confirm ramp availability — yours, the shipper's, or the consignee's — before booking any self-loading machinery. If you run without ramps, we focus on crane-loaded freight.
Can you get me repeat machinery lanes?
Yes — dealer networks, rental companies, and auction houses generate repeat equipment moves. Once you prove reliable on a lane, we work to make it recurring. Repeat machinery freight is some of the steadiest open-deck work available.
What if a load's dimensions were misrepresented?
We verify dimensions in writing before your truck rolls, which prevents most of these. If a shipper still misrepresents a load, we pursue truck-ordered-not-used compensation and find you the next load — you should not eat a day for someone else's bad measurements.