For one-truck carriers
Flatbed owner operator with your own authority? Put a dispatcher on the passenger side.
As a flatbed owner operator you are the driver, the securement crew, the tarp hand and the back office. We take the back office: finding and negotiating loads, setting up brokers, check calls and paperwork, and planning the week so the tarps, the hours and your home time all fit.
Your week with a dispatcher
An EXAMPLE week, planned backward from home
Flatbed weeks fall apart in three places: a long tarp job that eats the clock, a reload that is not there, and a Friday load that heads the wrong way. So we plan from the end: where you need to be Friday night, then the loads that walk you there, with securement and tarping time counted in every day.
EXAMPLE totals: $7,275 gross / 1,790 loaded mi / 265 deadhead / all-in $3.54 per mile.
Mon
Steel coils, Gary, IN to Nashville, TN
470 loaded mi / linehaul $1,650 + $75 steel tarps
Coil racks and chains. We confirmed coil weight and eye direction before booking.
Tue
Roofing, Chattanooga, TN to Atlanta, GA
120 loaded mi, 135 deadhead / linehaul $650 + $75 stop-off
Short reload that turns you south toward the lumber. Two job-site stops, stop-off pay on the rate con.
Wed
Lumber, Macon, GA to Jacksonville, FL
230 loaded mi, 80 deadhead / linehaul $1,050 + $100 8 ft lumber tarps
Tarped lumber. About two hours of securement and tarping we priced into the minimum.
Thu
Steel beams, Jacksonville, FL to Birmingham, AL
410 loaded mi, 20 deadhead / linehaul $1,600 + $125 steel tarps
Heads you back west. Detention terms written in: two hours free, then paid by the hour.
Fri
Pipe, Birmingham, AL to Joplin, MO area
560 loaded mi, 30 deadhead / linehaul $1,950
The load that gets you home. Booked Tuesday so the weekend was never in doubt.
Sat
Home
Truck parked. Monday's load out of Joplin was confirmed Friday afternoon.
Sun
Home
No calls from us unless you ask. The weekly report is already in your inbox.
Minimum rate from your costs
Price your minimum before a broker does it for you
Your minimum is not a number from a forum. It is what the truck costs per mile, plus the profit you need, grossed up for the dispatch fee. We write it down on the first call and use it to filter every load.
- Fixed costs per week (payments, insurance, phone, ELD) divided by the miles you plan to run.
- Plus fuel per mile: diesel price divided by your mpg.
- Plus maintenance and tires per mile.
- Plus the profit per mile you want.
- Divided by (1 minus the dispatch fee), so the fee does not come out of your profit.
For context, DAT put the national flatbed spot average at $3.61 per mile with fuel in September 2026 (DAT). Your lanes will differ. Test real loads in the flatbed load profit calculator.
EXAMPLE minimum, 2,200 mi week
- Fixed $1,625 / 2,200 mi
- $0.74
- Fuel $6.29 / 6.5 mpg
- $0.97
- Maintenance and tires
- $0.20
- Cost per mile
- $1.91
- Profit target
- $0.60
- Divided by (1 - 6%)
- Minimum all-in rate
- $2.67/mi
EXAMPLE inputs. Diesel from DAT's September 2026 average.
Flatbed owner operator pay
What the EXAMPLE week leaves you
Flatbed trucking pay for an owner works differently from a driver paycheck. This is the honest way to look at flatbed owner operator pay: start with the gross, take out every cost including us, and see what is left. We do not publish an income promise because markets, lanes and trucks differ too much. The costs here are EXAMPLE numbers; swap in yours.
Insurance is often the cost that surprises new owners. Our flatbed insurance guide covers what brokers ask for. If you are still deciding whether to run your own authority, read best flatbed companies for owner-operators and how to start a flatbed business.
EXAMPLE weekly P&L, one flatbed
| Gross (5 loads) | $7,275 |
|---|---|
| Fuel (2,055 mi at 6.5 mpg, $6.29/gal) | -$1,989 |
| Truck and trailer payments | -$900 |
| Insurance (liability, cargo, physical damage) | -$550 |
| Maintenance and tires reserve ($0.20/mi) | -$411 |
| Tolls, permits, phone, ELD, other | -$175 |
| Dispatch fee (6% of gross) | -$437 |
| Left before income tax | $2,814 |
Fee and onboarding
One truck, one flat fee
6% of gross on loads you haul, nothing on weeks you are home. No setup fee, month-to-month, 30 days notice. Add a second truck later and both drop to 5%. Full details on the pricing page, and the steps from application to first load in how it works.
Start with your truck
Pick what you pull. Three short steps, about a minute.
6% of gross for one truck, 5% for 2+ trucks. No haul, no pay.
Owner-operator FAQ
Questions from flatbed owners
How much do flatbed owner operators make?
It depends on gross per week minus what the truck costs to run, and both swing with lanes, fuel and the market. We do not publish an income figure because we cannot back one up. The EXAMPLE week on this page shows the math: gross, minus fuel, insurance, payments, maintenance and the dispatch fee, equals what is left. Put your own numbers in and you get your answer.
How is flatbed owner operator pay figured?
Leased on, you are usually paid a percentage of the linehaul or a set rate per mile, and the carrier keeps the rest. With your own authority, you get the full rate on the rate confirmation, including tarp pay and accessorials, and you carry all the costs and the risk.
Should I run under my own authority or lease on?
Your own authority means the full rate and your own decisions, but also your own insurance, compliance and load finding. Leasing on trades part of the rate for the carrier's freight and support. Our guide to flatbed companies for owner-operators compares both.
Do you work with brand-new flatbed owner operators?
Yes, as long as you run under your own MC. New authorities get the same rate. We are upfront that some brokers wait until an authority is a few months old, and we build your broker list with the ones that do not.
How do you plan my home time?
You tell us when you need to be home, and we plan backward from it: the last load of the run delivers near home, and the first load out is lined up before you leave the house.
Drive the truck. Let us run the desk.
Apply in a minute; a dispatcher calls to set your lanes, home time and minimum rate. See everything our flatbed dispatchers handle.