Stakebed trucks

What it is for

A stakebed is the workhorse of a production move. The deck is open, so anything that will not fit through a roll-up door goes on it: flats, risers, apple boxes by the pallet, stands, cable, dressing that is the wrong shape for a cube van. The stakes come off when you need to load from the side or overhang the rail, and go back on when you need the load contained on a canyon road.

Grip and electric take them because the deck loads fast and there is nothing to squeeze around. Art department and set dressing take them because furniture, set walls and picture vehicles props do not care about neat cubic feet. Construction takes them because lumber goes on a flat deck and nowhere else.

If the load is heavy or awkward to lift, ask about the lift gate when you call. Deck length, deck width, payload capacity and gate rating are all confirmed against the specific truck going out on your dates confirm — we would rather check the unit than publish a number that is right for a different truck.

Loading it without losing an hour

The thing that costs time on a stakebed is not the drive. It is the load-out. Two practical notes from twenty years of watching it happen.

First, tell us where the truck has to park before you tell us what is going on it. A stakebed that cannot get within fifty feet of the dock is a stakebed your crew is hand-carrying to. Send the location and we will tell you honestly whether the truck fits the street, the alley or the garage clearance.

Second, if you are loading tall, say so on the booking call. Stakes on, stakes off and how you strap changes what fits and what arrives in one piece. It is a thirty-second conversation that saves an hour at wrap.