Lower Decks for Taller Loads That Won't Clear a Flatbed
Lower deck height for taller freight that won't clear a standard flatbed. Legal height, protected loads, Midwest lanes.
What Is a Step Deck Trailer?
Extra height clearance, legal load limits.
A step deck trailer — also called a drop deck — is an open flatbed with a lower main deck that sits closer to the ground than a standard flatbed. That lower deck is what makes the step deck valuable: it gives you extra vertical clearance for tall freight without pushing the total load height over legal limits.
When your machinery, equipment, or oversized load needs to ship on an open deck but sits too high for a standard flatbed, a step deck is usually the right call. Laufer runs step deck trailers alongside our flatbeds and Conestogas, with the same asset-based, family-owned service our customers have relied on for decades.
| Step deck trailer | Upper deck | Lower deck | Width | Max payload |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Step deck flatbed | 9 ft | 41 ft | 102 in | 47,000 lb |
| Step deck Conestoga | 10 ft | 41 ft | 100 in | 46,000 lb |
Step deck Conestoga usable height under the cover is roughly 95 inches over the upper deck and 115 inches over the lower deck.
Step Deck Dimensions and Capacity
Step deck flatbed and step deck Conestoga specs.
Laufer's step deck flatbed offers a 9-foot upper deck and a 41-foot lower deck, both 102 inches wide, with a maximum payload of 47,000 pounds. The lower deck sits closer to the ground than a standard flatbed, which is what lets taller freight ship legally without permits.
The lower deck is the whole point: by dropping the main deck height, a step deck keeps tall freight inside the legal limit (a loaded rig generally cannot exceed about 13 feet 6 inches total) without the permits, escorts, and route restrictions that come with an oversize move. The step deck Conestoga adds weather protection over that same lower deck. For how the Conestoga cover system works, see our Conestoga trailers page.
When a Step Deck Is the Right Choice
A standard flatbed keeps freight at a fixed deck height. When your load is tall enough that adding securement and bracing pushes it over legal height, you have two choices: find a lower deck or permit the oversize. A step deck solves the height problem before it starts by dropping the main deck down, so tall freight ships legally without the permits, escorts, and route restrictions that come with an oversize load.
Step decks are the right equipment for machinery that sits high on its base, tall steel fabrications, large molds and dies, and any freight where the total height — cargo plus blocking, bracing, and chains — gets close to the limit on a standard flatbed. The step deck gives you the same open-deck loading and unloading flexibility as an open flatbed, with the added headroom that keeps your load inside legal step deck trailer dimensions. For step deck freight that also needs protection from weather and road spray, Laufer's step deck Conestoga option — or a standard Conestoga for shorter loads — covers both requirements. For a side-by-side view of how the step deck stacks up against our dry vans, flatbeds, and Conestogas, see our Wisconsin trucking services overview.
Step Deck Conestoga Option
For taller freight that still needs weather protection, Laufer offers step deck Conestogas. A step deck Conestoga combines the lower deck of a step deck trailer with the same retractable tarp-and-curtain system as our standard Conestogas — so you get the extra vertical clearance for tall freight without giving up side-load access or going back to hand-tarping.
That matters when your load is too tall to ride inside a standard Conestoga but still belongs under cover. Steel products, high-value machinery, and sensitive manufacturing equipment that need both the lower deck and protection from road spray are exactly what the step deck Conestoga was built for. It's a specialized piece of equipment, but for the right freight it's the difference between a complicated multi-trailer solution and a single, straightforward move. For a closer look at how the Conestoga cover system works, see our Conestoga Trailers page.
Laufer's Step Deck Service
Laufer is an asset-based, family-owned trucking company running step deck freight out of Hartford, Wisconsin. We own the trailers, we employ the drivers, and we dispatch every load from our headquarters — not from a brokerage desk reselling someone else's capacity. That matters to step deck customers because the securement knowledge, equipment availability, and accountability all sit under the same roof.
Our step deck operation covers the same Midwest lanes as the rest of our fleet: Wisconsin, Chicagoland, and the surrounding states our customers ship into and out of every week. Step deck freight inquiries get the same 15-minute response during business hours that our dry van and flatbed customers expect. For shippers with predictable volume, we also offer drop-trailer and preload service: we'll spot a step deck at your facility, you load on your own schedule over the next 24 hours, and we pull it when it's ready.
Securement is where step deck freight lives or dies, and our drivers know the difference between a chain that holds and a chain that looks like it holds. We haul steel, machinery, and high-value manufacturing on step decks — the kind of freight where a shifting load isn't a claim, it's a catastrophe. That experience shows up in how we block, brace, and chain before the truck ever leaves the yard, and in the condition your freight arrives in at the other end.