Trend: Flatbed Shippers Are Taking Control with DCC

In recent months I’ve noticed a growing number of flatbed shippers showing interest in Dedicated Contract Carriage (DCC).

This is a departure in the flatbed world which has traditionally lived in the spot market. But the desire for more control over capacity, rates and the safety and consistency of service is causing many to consider their options.

Here are a few statistics highlighting the forces that have combined to create this inflection point for flatbed shippers:

•  Flatbed spot rates have oscillated between $1.60 and $2.80 per mile over the last 8 years (DAT Solutions, Morgan Stanley Research)
•  The ratio of flatbed demand to supply has ranged from 50:1 to 5:1 since 2019  (DAT Solutions, Morgan Stanley Research)
•  With 11% of truck crashes today involving flatbeds, safety is a major risk for shippers (FMCSA)

Dedicated fleets gain traction

While the trend toward dedicated fleet solutions is not widespread yet, I’ve noticed flatbed shippers’ mindsets starting to shift. More are considering DCC and the ones who are unfamiliar with dedicated fleets seem to be more open to learning about how a dedicated fleet provider works.

The new interest in dedicated service can be a leap for flatbed shippers who tend to operate around project-driven freight with different delivery points. Traditionally that’s made them hesitant to commit to DCC. There’s a common misconception among flatbed shippers that you need to have set runs with the same origins and destinations that you’re making over-and-over for a dedicated fleet to work.

Misconception: “Dedicated will never work for flatbed”

That’s what one commercial construction prospect told me recently. Another flatbed shipper admitted that they didn’t really know what DCC was. Both are pretty common stances today.

The reality is that dedicated flatbed fleets can work well when you’re shipping out to many different customers as long as the loads are coming from a centralized location. That makes it a viable transportation model for a lot of companies that have the volume and quantity of flatbed loads to make it work.

That should come as good news for shippers of industrial freight such as heavy machinery, construction equipment, and building materials who are already feeling the strain of finding flatbed capacity and rising rates.

Tightening flatbed capacity

Capacity in the transportation market is rapidly leaving. During the first three quarters of 2025, the industry has lost over 28K carriers, according to the FMCSA. The pace of carrier failures has been 16% higher than 2024’s already-elevated levels, according to Tank Transport.

In 2024, the industry lost upwards of 13,000 operating authorities, per FleetOwner. With so many carriers exiting the market during the freight recession that has lastly nearly 3 years, capacity will tighten in the coming months. Also, for flatbed freight in particular, finding drivers skilled in handling bulky, overweight or oversized materials is another constraint.

Another indication of even tighter capacity ahead is that as key sectors like construction and manufacturing that rely on flatbed transportation continue to grow, the demand for flatbed service is going to grow, too.

DCC can provide a hedge for what’s ahead, and that has many shippers interested.

Relief from rate spikes

Having a dedicated fleet also brings predictability to transportation costs. Most flatbed shippers are running a lot of shipments one way and probably relying heavily on the spot market. Going out and trying to get quotes on a day-to-day basis on the spot market has its drawbacks. With a dedicated contract, you can lock-in rates.

The rate consistency provides predictability that helps executives to make accurate forecasts for transportation one, three or five years out – depending on the length of the dedicated contract.

Getting rates locked in may seem like a big commitment upfront, but given the way the market’s going, in three to five years, you’re probably going to have a better price point than your competitors have.

Outsourcing efficiencies

Another big benefit of DCC is that the fleet provider picks up the majority of the legwork for pricing and sourcing capacity. Many shippers have to invest significant resources in their transportation department. As a dedicated fleet provider, TA Dedicated serves as an arm of shippers’ transportation departments. We take on many of the tasks found in a transportation department, such as dispatch, route planning and optimizations that lead to better efficiency across the board.

Flatbed shippers also spend time and resources sourcing drivers and capacity. If you’re going on the spot market on a day-to-day basis or even if you’re working with a few go-to carriers, it’s a lot of work. To consistently do it right requires committed effort every day. Even then, you might be able to save a buck here or there, but how much time did you spend actually trying to find that driver?

Dedicated fleets provide control

There’s also the issue of control.  When you go to the spot market day after day, you’re typically using a wide and varied range of carriers. By contrast, a dedicated fleet with established, trained drivers assigned to your loads removes the variability and enables you to outsource the considerable task of vetting drivers with a driver screening and hiring expert like TA Dedicated.

Freight fraud has made headlines recently, with cargo crime increasing 27% from 2023 to 2024, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. Load boards, unfortunately, expose your company to serious risk.  Some carriers and freight brokers exploit the lax oversight. Credentials aren’t rigorously checked so fictitious pickups, double brokering and identity fraud are common. High-value flatbed loads like equipment or copper wire are lucrative targets.

Unfortunately shippers covering loads on the spot market aren’t as security-focused as they should be. As a recent Freightwaves article describes, “Fraud thrives where speed and low cost rule the game. Every shortcut in the spot market – fast booking, bargain bids – opens the door for scams that drain carriers, brokers, and shippers alike”.

Finally, safety plays a critical, and ethical, role in every transportation network. Flatbed trucking involves more than your typical drive. The driver often must be skilled to do strapping or tarping. If your drivers are not properly vetted and trained on how to secure freight fully, it poses a significant safety risk to them, but also to others on the road around them.

Operational advantages

The locked-in flatbed capacity of a dedicated fleet is an especially important advantage if your company is in growth mode. A dedicated fleet provider like TA Dedicated can quickly add trucks and trailers to meet an increase in volume. We also have processes in place to provide drivers who are vetted properly from a safety and compliance standpoint and trained specifically for your loads and operations.

Having dedicated drivers who get to know your business often leads to continuous improvement. As your dedicated fleet grows, our dispatchers and drivers naturally figure out ways to improve and optimize performance. Ultimately a shipper’s network is going to become more efficient overall with a dedicated fleet.

Success story

The dedicated fleet model works perfectly for a top steel fabricator that has been a customer of TA Dedicated for over three years. Their fleet has grown from 10 trucks at launch to 23 active today.  They exclusively move flatbed freight, often with tight appointment windows at their job site deliveries. They rely on our dedicated solution to provide consistent capacity, qualified drivers, and reliable delivery performance. It’s a strong example of how flatbed freight, when structured around a central hub and sufficient volume, can benefit from DCC.

Often, deliveries must be carefully coordinated with the timing of specialized cranes or other loading/unloading equipment that is needed onsite. TA Dedicated has achieved 99.8% on-time delivery under these circumstances. Our drivers know their brand, know their service requirements and represent them every step of the way.

A dedicated fleet is perfect for flatbed freight when:

• Shipments leave from the same central hub
• There are steady volumes throughout the year
• There are strict delivery timelines or special handling needs
• Your company has a long-term partnership mindset

The last point is an important one. This steel fabricator has been in business for close to 200 years! Having a long-term mindset is what really pays off for companies like them. As the flatbed market continues to tighten, they’ll have a program – and dedicated fleet partner – to help them through it.

If you’d like to discuss the feasibility of a dedicated flatbed fleet for your company, please reach out to set up a meeting.

This blog post was written by Mike Priebe, Direct of Business Development. Read the author bio.