Flatbed & Step Deck Trailers Shipping
Flatbed, Drop Deck & Step Deck Trailer Shipping
Overview
Utility's 48 ft 4000AE flatbeds are 14.63 m long and 2.59 m wide: longer than a 40 ft flat rack's 12.06 m deck and wider than a container door. So a highway flatbed or drop deck is towed aboard a RoRo ship on its own wheels, or ships breakbulk where no RoRo sails.
A drop deck carries its load lower than a straight deck: 40¼ in at the rear deck of Utility's 4000AE Drop Deck against 58 3/16 in for the straight 4000AE, both on a 47 in fifth wheel. RoRo carriers price by length, width and height, so a flatbed is one of the cheapest trailers to send.
Destination rules for used trailers are thinner than for trucks. Venezuela largely exempts trailers under heading 87.16 from its age rule, while for Ecuador and Chile we found no confirmed rule for used trailers, so your broker confirms the position before you buy.
Typical Specifications
| Length, Utility 4000AE | 48 ft 0 in (14.63 m) |
|---|---|
| Width | 102 in (2.59 m) |
| Deck height on a 47 in fifth wheel | 58 3/16 in straight; 59⅝ in front and 40¼ in rear on the drop deck |
| Weight | Not published by Utility |
Recommended Shipping Methods
Worked example
Utility 4000AE Drop Deck, 48 ft: 48 ft / 14.63 m long, 8 ft 6 in / 2.59 m wide, 5 ft / 1.51 m high; the maker publishes no weight.
The ladder below is worked out from these figures. Larger or smaller units of the same type can land on a different rung.
Cheapest first: the shipping cost ladder
We price every machine from the bottom rung up. A machine only moves up a rung when a measurement rules out the cheaper method.
Utility 4000AE Drop Deck, 48 ft is 48 ft / 14.63 m long, more than a 39 ft 7 in / 12.06 m flat rack deck, so it drives or tows aboard a RoRo vessel.
- Rung 1
Container
Lowest cost
When: Fits through a 7 ft 8 in / 2.34 m × 8 ft 6 in / 2.58 m door and under 59,500 lb / 27,000 kg, whole or after we take off the bucket, boom, cab or wheels.
- Rung 2
Flat rack
Mid cost
When: Too wide or tall for a container door, but within 14 ft 9 in / 4.5 m wide, 13 ft 1 in / 4 m tall and 86,000 lb / 39,000 kg on one rack.
- Rung 3
RoRo
Mid cost
Best fit for Utility 4000AE Drop Deck, 48 ft
When: Drives or tows aboard, under 19 ft 8 in / 6 m tall and 110 US tons / 100,000 kg, going to a port with regular RoRo sailings.
- Rung 4
Breakbulk
Highest cost
When: Past flat-rack and roll-trailer limits, or shipped as modules lifted aboard piece by piece.
RoRo Shipping
RecommendedTowed aboard on its own wheels by a terminal tractor and lashed through its tie-down points.
Breakbulk
Lifted aboard where no RoRo serves the port.
Flat Rack Container
Only trailers no longer than the rack's 12.06 m deck, which rules out the 48 and 53 ft highway flatbeds.
Container, flat rack, RoRo or breakbulk?
01Container
- Work needed
- We partially disassemble when needed (bucket, boom, cab, wheels), or take larger machines further apart across several high-cubes and open-tops, then crate, block and lash every part.
- Destinations
- Widest: almost every port worldwide, plus inland delivery by rail.
- Typical cost
- Usually the lowest, with no out-of-gauge surcharges.
- Protection
- Sealed steel box; loose parts and attachments travel locked inside.
- Best for
- Most machines: compact ones as they are, others after partial disassembly, and large ones split across several containers.
02Flat rack
- Work needed
- Ships assembled, blocked and lashed. Surcharges apply when wider than 2.4 m or taller than about 1.95 m.
- Destinations
- Most container ports, on the same vessels as containers.
- Typical cost
- Moderate; rises with every centimetre out of gauge.
- Protection
- Open to the weather; we protect cabs, electronics and hydraulics.
- Best for
- Excavators, dozers and loaders too wide for a container door.
03RoRo
- Work needed
- Drives on assembled; non-runners go on a roll trailer.
- Destinations
- Fewer destinations: regular lanes to Europe, West Africa, the Middle East, Oceania and parts of Latin America.
- Typical cost
- Often competitive for large self-propelled machines where a lane exists.
- Protection
- Below deck, but loose items and attachments cannot ride inside the cab.
- Best for
- Running machines going to a port with regular RoRo sailings.
04Breakbulk
- Work needed
- Lifted aboard piece by piece by ship’s or shore cranes, on its own skids or cradle, then stowed and lashed in the hold or on deck.
- Destinations
- Ports with breakbulk berths and heavy-lift cranes; sailings are booked voyage by voyage.
- Typical cost
- Usually the highest for a single small machine; often the only option for the largest pieces.
- Protection
- In the hold or lashed on deck; we crate, wrap and protect exposed parts.
- Best for
- Pieces too large or heavy for a flat rack or roll trailer: transformers, process modules, mining trucks, crane sections.
Handling & Preparation Requirements
- Tyres, brakes and lights checked so the trailer can be towed aboard
- Landing gear raised and cranked tight
- Chains, binders and straps crated and listed
- Sliding axles and kingpin locks pinned
- Deck swept of soil and debris
- VIN plate, title and any lien release ready
Transport dimensions by model
Published dimensions, a scale drawing and every way to ship each one.
Common Models We Ship
- Utility 4000AE, 4000AE Drop Deck, 4000S
- Fontaine Velocity, Revolution
- Great Dane Freedom
- Wabash platform trailers
- Transcraft, Reitnouer
Manufacturers We Ship
Brands that build flatbed & step deck trailers, with model dimensions and the shipping method each one fits.
Where flatbed & step deck trailers shipments go wrong
Mistakes we see on flatbed & step deck trailers bookings, and what avoids them.
- Quoting a 48 ft flatbed on a flat rack: at 14.63 m it is longer than the rack's 12.06 m deck, so it goes RoRo or breakbulk.
- Chains, binders and straps left loose on the deck shift at sea, so we crate them and list them on the packing list.
- Assuming the used-trailer rule is the truck rule: Venezuela largely exempts heading 87.16 from its age cap, but for Ecuador and Chile we found no confirmed rule, so the broker confirms before you buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a 48 ft flatbed go on a flat rack?
No. At 14.63 m it is longer than a 40 ft flat rack's 12.06 m deck, so it is towed aboard a RoRo ship or shipped breakbulk.
Is a drop deck harder to ship than a straight flatbed?
Not by RoRo: both are towed aboard on their own wheels. We check the deck clearance against the port's ramp before booking a low trailer.
Can I import a used trailer into Ecuador or Chile?
We found no confirmed rule for used trailers in either country. Ecuador classes trailers under 8716, with duty from 0% to 20% by type, so your broker confirms the classification and the age position before you buy.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from the documents below, each checked on the date shown. Carriers and authorities revise them, so we confirm the current figure when we book.
- [1]Utility 4000AE: manufacturer specification, checked October 2026
- [2]Seaway Project Cargo brand and model guides, checked October 22, 2026
- [3]Seaway Project Cargo: about the company, checked October 22, 2026
Plan your shipment
Import Duty & Tax Estimator
Estimate duty and VAT on the CIF value for 70+ destinations.
Dimensional Weight Calculator
Work out chargeable weight before you book.
Container Space Calculator
See how your cargo fits in 20ft, 40ft, and HC containers.
Route Finder
Load port, sailings, duty and rules for a machine and destination.
Ready to Ship Your Flatbed & Step Deck Trailers?
Send the make, model and pickup location. We quote flatbed & step deck trailers by container, flat rack or RoRo from the U.S. port that suits the machine.