What are flatbed rates per mile today?
Flatbed rates per mile depend on the lane, and on our Phoenix to Salinas flatbeds a full truckload comes to about $3.76 a mile today, with most loads between $3.65 and $3.91 a mile (our estimate for October 22, 2026). On most western lanes a flatbed costs more than a dry van on the same road, because fewer trucks run open decks and the load takes straps, chains or tarps. Lifetime Logistics Services LLC prices your exact flatbed load when you request a quote in the form above.
Today's numbers
Computed October 22, 2026 (Pacific) from our own lane history and that morning's diesel price. Full truckload, US dollars.
| Lane | Trailer | Miles | Typical | Most loads | Per mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix to Salinas | Flatbed | 678 | $2,550 | $2,475 to $2,650 | $3.76 |
| Phoenix to San Diego | Flatbed | 343 | $1,225 | $1,175 to $1,275 | $3.57 |
| Phoenix to the Inland Empire | Flatbed | 333 | $1,275 | $1,175 to $1,275 | $3.83 |
| Phoenix to Los Angeles | Flatbed | 359 | $1,325 | $1,250 to $1,350 | $3.69 |
Diesel this week: $6.659 a gallon, the U.S. Energy Information Administration's average retail price for the West Coast outside California for the week of October 19, 2026.
Full truckload, linehaul including fuel, before accessorials such as detention or lumper.
These are estimates, not quotes. Ask for a firm quote on your load.
Why an open deck costs more than a van
A dry van carrier can take almost any boxed or palletized freight, so there are a lot of them, and a shipper with a van load is choosing from a crowd. A flatbed carrier needs a different trailer, a driver who knows securement, and a box of straps, chains, edge protectors and tarps that a van driver never carries. There are fewer of those trucks in any western market on any given day, and the price reflects it. Look at the table above: on the same Phoenix lanes, the flatbed row is above the dry van row almost every time.
Time is the other half. A van backs into a dock, gets loaded with a forklift and leaves. A flatbed is loaded from the side or the top, often by crane or forklift in an open yard, and then the driver spends real time securing the load, and longer again if it needs a tarp. Every hour at the shipper is an hour the truck is not moving, and on a short haul that hour weighs heavily on the price per mile.
Flatbed, step deck or something bigger
A standard flatbed is a long, flat deck about five feet off the ground. It suits steel, lumber, pipe, building materials and machinery that is not too tall. When freight is taller, a step deck drops the rear of the trailer lower so the load clears bridges and overpasses without a height permit. Heavy equipment such as excavators and large transformers rides on a lowboy or a removable gooseneck trailer, which is a different market with its own prices.
Width and height decide whether a load is legal or needs a permit. Anything wider than eight feet six inches needs an oversize permit from every state on the route, and very wide or very long loads also need escort vehicles and can only move in daylight. Height limits vary from state to state across the West, which is why the trailer choice matters before you ask for a price. A load that fits a step deck without a permit almost always costs less than one that needs permits on a flatbed.
What adds to a flatbed price
Tarps are the most common extra: lumber, drywall, steel coils and anything that cannot get wet ride under a tarp, and tarping takes time and wears equipment, so it is priced on its own. Oversize permits and escorts are charged by the state and the escort company, not by the mile. Loading delays at a yard with one crane, a second pickup or delivery stop, and a receiver that only unloads on certain days all add to the bill as well.
None of these are surprises if you ask up front. A good flatbed quote names the trailer, the securement, whether tarps are included, how long the truck can wait at each end before detention starts, and who pays for permits if the load turns out to be oversize.
What to send for a flatbed price you can book
Send the length, width, height and weight of the load, what it is, how it loads and unloads (forklift, crane, or the shipper’s own equipment), whether it needs a tarp, and the pickup and delivery cities and dates. A photo of the freight helps more than anything else. With those, a carrier can tell you the trailer, the securement and a price in one answer.
We arrange flatbeds, step decks and power only moves across eleven western states, with partner carriers we screen before they touch your freight, and we stay on the load from pickup to delivery. Phoenix to Salinas and Phoenix to San Diego are regular flatbed lanes for us. The quote form at the top of this page reaches our dispatch desk directly.
From our own loads
Our flatbed freight out of Phoenix runs mostly west, to the Salinas area on the Central Coast and to San Diego County, and it rides with flatbed partner carriers we screen. The Salinas runs are close to 700 miles and usually deliver the day after pickup; the San Diego runs are about half that distance and usually deliver within a day of pickup.
Questions shippers ask
- Do flatbed rates include tarps?
- Not always. Many carriers charge for tarps separately because tarping takes time and wears the tarps out. Ask whether the quote includes them whenever your freight cannot get wet.
- When do I need a step deck instead of a flatbed?
- When the freight is too tall to ride on a standard flatbed without a height permit. A step deck carries the load lower, so taller machinery and equipment can move as a legal load.
- Does an oversize load cost more per mile?
- Yes. Permits are bought from every state on the route, wide loads may need escort vehicles and daylight only travel, and the route can be longer to avoid low bridges. Those costs sit on top of the normal flatbed rate.
- Can a flatbed load at a dock?
- Sometimes, but flatbeds are usually loaded from the side or the top by forklift or crane in an open yard. Tell the carrier how your freight loads and unloads before you book so the right trailer shows up.
Ready to price a load?
Send the quote form or call us. A person on our team replies with a price.