Dry Van vs Flatbed: The Work, the Pay and the Trade-Offs

Dry van vs flatbed is a choice between two very different workdays. In a van, the shipper loads and seals the trailer and you mostly drive and wait at docks. On a flatbed, you're responsible for securing every load yourself, with chains, straps and tarps, in whatever weather shows up. The pay difference reflects that.

Dry van vs flatbed side by side

The work involved

Flatbed

Every flatbed load has to meet federal cargo securement rules: cargo must be firmly immobilized or secured (49 CFR 393.106), and Subpart I sets the number and strength of tiedowns by cargo type and size. You check and re-tighten during the trip. Many loads also need tarps to keep freight dry, and getting a tarp on top of a load in wind is real work. If a load shifts or falls, it's on you.

Dry van

Securement rules apply to vans too, but most van freight is loaded by the shipper with forklifts and sealed. Your job is usually to check the load, set load bars or straps on partials, keep the seal intact and deliver on time. The hard parts of dry van work are different: long waits at busy distribution centers, appointment pressure, and more carriers competing for the same posted loads.

Rates and pay

In DAT's national spot averages for the week beginning October 4, 2026, flatbed paid $2.65 per mile and dry van $2.26, both linehaul without fuel, as reported by Trucking Dive on October 15, 2026. That's a gap of about 39 cents a mile in that week.

What eats into the flatbed premium:

• More equipment to buy and replace: chains, binders, straps, tarps and edge protection.
• Time securing and tarping on every load, which counts against your hours.
• Seasonal swings: flatbed demand rises and falls with construction and manufacturing.
• Cargo claims from load damage or shifted loads.

A dry van's advantage is volume: freight on nearly every lane makes it easier to find a reload, so fewer empty miles can close part of the gap. Compare real loads on your lanes with the dry van rate per mile calculator, which counts fuel surcharge, accessorials and deadhead.

Dimensions and freight

A flatbed has a similar deck length to a 53 ft van but no walls or roof, so it can take freight that's too tall, too wide or too awkward to load through rear doors, often with a forklift or crane from the side. A dry van's limits are its walls: about 100 to 101 in inside width and about 110 in inside height on current vans. See 53 ft dry van dimensions for the full numbers and what a dry van is for what it typically hauls.

For shippers deciding between flatbed vs dry van freight shipping, the rule is simple: if it fits through the doors and needs protection from weather, it goes in a van; if it doesn't fit, or loads from the side or top, it goes on a flatbed.

Which fits you?

Choose a dry van if you want a lower-cost start, mostly no-touch freight, the widest choice of lanes and brokers, or you don't want to secure and tarp every load.

Choose a flatbed if you already know securement, don't mind the physical work and the weather, and want higher rates per mile in exchange.

If you're running a van, types of dry van trailers shows which specs open the most freight, and our dry van loads page shows how our dispatchers find and book it. Want the phone work handled for you? That's our dry van dispatch service.

Questions owners ask

Does flatbed pay more than dry van?

Usually, per mile. In DAT's national spot averages for the week beginning October 4, 2026, flatbed linehaul was $2.65 per mile and dry van was $2.26, both excluding fuel (Trucking Dive, October 15, 2026). The extra pay is for the securement work, the tarps and the skills, and flatbed rates swing more with construction and manufacturing seasons.

Is flatbed trucking harder than dry van?

Physically, yes. Flatbed drivers secure every load with chains or straps, often throw heavy tarps, and check securement during the trip, in rain, heat and snow. Dry van freight is usually loaded and sealed by the shipper. Dry van has its own grind: long dock waits and tighter competition for loads.

What are the pros and cons of flatbed vs dry van?

Flatbed pros: higher rates per mile, less competition per load, freight that can't go in a box. Flatbed cons: hard physical work, securement liability, tarping in bad weather, seasonal swings. Dry van pros: easier work, freight on nearly every lane, cheaper to start. Dry van cons: more carriers competing, dock time, tighter rates in slow markets.

Which is better for a new owner-operator, flatbed or dry van?

Most start in a dry van: lower equipment and learning cost, no securement skills needed on day one, and more brokers will load a new authority. Flatbed suits drivers who already know securement and want the higher rates for harder work.

Sources

1. Trucking Dive, How truck spot rates are shifting (DAT national spot averages), entry dated October 15, 2026
2. 49 CFR 393.100-393.136, cargo securement (Subpart I), checked October 2026
3. 49 CFR 393.106, general securement requirements, checked October 2026