diff --git a/locust/test/test_runners.py b/locust/test/test_runners.py
index 8a51c75c2c..06e5013fcd 100644
--- a/locust/test/test_runners.py
+++ b/locust/test/test_runners.py
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ def __init__(self):
         self.master_bind_port = 5557
         self.heartbeat_liveness = 3
         self.heartbeat_interval = 0.01
+        self.step_load = False
 
     def reset_stats(self):
         pass