The Complete Guide to Flatbed Trucks

A flatbed truck is the go-to solution for oversized, irregular, and side/top-loaded cargo. Its open deck makes handling faster and more flexible across construction logistics.

When is a flatbed the best choice?

• Long or oversized items: steel beams, pipes, timber, aluminum profiles.
• Fast loading/unloading: from the sides using forklifts or from the top using cranes.
• Light/medium equipment: generators, compressors, and small machinery.

How to select the right flatbed

1) Deck size & payload

Measure length/width of your largest load and check the truck’s payload capacity with a realistic safety margin. Overloading is unsafe and illegal.

2) Securing the load

• Anchor points along the sides to distribute forces evenly.
• Proper tie-downs: ratchet straps for palletized goods; chains & binders for heavier equipment.
• Side stakes for cylindrical items like pipes to prevent rolling.

Important: responsibility for securing the load is shared by shipper and driver.

3) Deck condition

Inspect the deck (wood/steel) for wear or damage that could compromise safety.

Dimensions, not weight, are usually the limit

Most people size a transport job by weight and are then surprised by the paperwork. In practice it is width, height and length that decide whether a load moves freely or needs a permit and a route survey. A load within the axle limits but over the permitted width still cannot travel without authorisation, and finding that out on loading day costs a day. Give us the three dimensions along with the weight and we will tell you which category the move falls into before anything is booked.

Route survey: what it checks

• Bridge and underpass clearances along the whole route, not just near the site.
• Turning radii at the entrance to both the pick-up and the delivery point.
• Road surface and gradient where a loaded trailer has to climb or brake.
• Overhead lines and gantries on the approach.
• Time-of-day restrictions on truck movement through built-up areas.

Securing the load is the part that goes wrong

An improperly lashed load is the single most common cause of heavy transport incidents, and it is entirely preventable. Chains and straps have to be rated for the load and angled to resist movement forward, backward and sideways — not simply pulled tight. Edge protection stops a strap cutting into what it is holding. Agree before the truck arrives who is responsible for securing and who signs it off, because a load nobody has formally checked is a load nobody has actually checked.

Flatbed or lowbed?

Take a flatbed when the load is within normal height limits: it loads and unloads faster, sits higher, and suits materials, panels, containers and smaller plant. Take a lowbed when machine height is the constraint — the low deck is what keeps a tall excavator or crane under the bridge clearances on the route. If you are unsure, the deciding number is the total travelling height with the machine already on the deck.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit to move my equipment?

It depends on the dimensions rather than the weight alone. Anything over the permitted width or height needs authorisation and a route survey arranged in advance. Send us the load dimensions and we will confirm which applies.

Who loads and secures the equipment?

This is agreed in the quotation. We can handle loading and lashing, or work with your team — what matters is that responsibility is settled before the truck arrives rather than on the day.

Can you reach sites with difficult access?

We check the access road, entrance width and turning radius before deciding the trailer type. For genuinely tight sites, a smaller trailer with a second trip is often faster than a large one that cannot get in.