Flatbed Driver Career Guide,
Salary, Licence & Jobs 2026

Flatbed drivers fall under Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers (SOC 53-3032), with an OEWS May 2025 median of $58,640 a year, or $28.19 an hour, and a range from $40,140 to $79,380. Flatbed generally pays above dry van, and step-deck, RGN and over-dimensional heavy haul push earnings toward and past the 75th-percentile figure of $69,120.

Usually, yes. Open-deck freight requires cargo securement and tarping — skilled, physical, weather-exposed work under 49 CFR Part 393 — that fewer drivers are willing to do, which narrows supply and supports a pay premium over dry-van freight. The gap widens further on step-deck and heavy-haul work, which add permitting and routing skill.

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No. Flatbed requires a Class A CDL but no special endorsement like hazmat or tanker. What it does require is competence in cargo securement under 49 CFR Part 393 Subpart I — the correct number of tie-downs, working load limits and aggregate securement of at least half the cargo weight — plus tarping skill, which is learned through training and experience rather than an endorsement exam.

They haul freight that will not fit in an enclosed trailer — steel, lumber, pipe, machinery and building materials — on an open deck. Beyond driving, the job is securing every load to federal standard with chains, straps and binders, tarping to protect it, re-checking securement at required intervals, and passing roadside securement inspections. The load is exposed, so the driver owns its safety.

Get a Class A CDL through FMCSA-registered entry-level training and a state skills test, hold a DOT medical card, and register in the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. Then learn securement and tarping, usually with a carrier's flatbed training or under a trainer, since the 49 CFR Part 393 rules and load-specific handling are the real skill that separates flatbed from dry-van driving.

It is more physical than dry van. Throwing chains and straps, climbing on the deck, handling heavy tarps in wind and cold, and re-securing loads at intervals are all part of the job, and the driver works exposed to the weather. That physical barrier is part of why flatbed pays a premium, and why many drivers move toward step-deck and heavy haul or owner-operator roles over time.