Heavy Equipment Transport in the US
Four numbers decide a heavy equipment move: measured width, measured height, measured length and working weight. Everything downstream, the trailer, the permits, the escorts, the route and the schedule, follows from those four. Get them right at the first conversation and the move is routine. Get them from a brochure instead of a tape measure and the problem surfaces at a scale house, which is the expensive place to find it.
Measure the Machine, Not the Brochure
Manufacturer specifications describe a standard configuration, and yours is probably not standard.
Counterweights, buckets, blades and ripper shanks all change the envelope, and most of them come off. Wide track pads fitted for soft ground can push a machine past legal width on their own. Fluid filled tires add weight nobody can see from the outside. A cab with an elevated ROPS structure adds height that the spec sheet may quote without it.
Measure the machine as it stands, in the configuration it will travel in, and give us the working weight with attachments. Then say whether it drives and steers under its own power, because that decides whether it can be driven onto a trailer or has to be craned.
The Trailer Follows the Numbers
Height is what usually selects the trailer, because deck height is what you are buying.
A flatbed sits around 5 feet off the road and suits machines under about 8 feet 6 inches tall. A step deck drops roughly a foot and covers most mid size equipment. A lowboy, with a detachable gooseneck, sits far lower and is what takes tall crawler machines; it also loads from the front once the neck is dropped, which removes the need for a ramp. A double drop or an RGN extends that further.
Weight then decides axles. Past the standard 80,000 pound gross, the load moves onto multi axle configurations that spread the weight across more axles to stay within bridge formula limits, and that is a different class of equipment and permit.
Permit Thresholds
Over 8 feet 6 inches wide, 13 feet 6 inches high, or 80,000 pounds gross, and you are into permit territory.
A permit is issued per state, for a defined route and a defined period. Every state on the route issues its own, and its own thresholds apply while you are inside it. Escorts are commonly required past roughly 12 feet wide, though again the exact trigger is a state matter. We cover that in detail in our guide to pilot cars and heavy haul transport.
Height is measured from the road surface, not from the deck. That is the single most common error, and it is the one that stops a load at a bridge.
Reducing the Load Is the Real Lever
Before accepting a permit load, look at what comes off.
Removing a bucket, a counterweight, a blade or a set of wide pads can drop a machine under a threshold entirely, which removes a permit, possibly an escort, and the route restrictions that come with both. Twenty minutes in the yard routinely saves more than the labor costs, and it often saves days of schedule as well.
Shipping the removed parts separately on the same trailer, or on an ordinary flatbed, is usually straightforward.
Loading Is When Damage Happens
Most claims on heavy equipment moves come from the loading process rather than the road.
A machine that drives on needs a driver who knows that machine, working to the carrier’s direction, on ground that will take the weight. A machine that does not drive needs a crane or a suitable forklift, and it needs one at both ends. Arranging lifting equipment at the origin only stops the move halfway, and that happens more often than it should.
Prepare it properly. Lower and pin the attachments, remove or fold the exhaust stack, beacon and mirrors, reduce fuel to the level the carrier asks for, disconnect the battery if advised, and lock the brakes. Clean off mud and stones, because falling debris is a serious matter and mud hides existing damage.
Then photograph every side including the glass, lights and undercarriage, and walk it with the driver so the condition is on the paperwork before anything moves.
Route and Schedule
On a permit load, the route is defined and leaving it is a violation.
Routes are built around bridge clearances, weight limits, turning radii and local restrictions, and the resulting path is often not the shortest. Movement is generally restricted to daylight hours on weekdays, with holiday periods closed in many states, which means the legal windows rather than the mileage usually set the schedule. Build slack in accordingly, particularly across winter in the north.
Common Questions
What do you need from me to quote? Measured width, height and length, working weight with attachments, both addresses, and whether the machine drives under its own power.
Which trailer will it need? Height usually decides. Flatbed for short machines, step deck for mid size, lowboy or RGN for tall crawler equipment.
When is a permit required? Over 8 feet 6 inches wide, 13 feet 6 inches high, or 80,000 pounds gross, per state on the route.
Can I reduce the load to avoid a permit? Often yes. Removing a bucket, counterweight or wide pads can bring a machine back inside legal dimensions.
Do I need a crane? Only if the machine will not drive on and off. If so, you need one at both ends.
Get a Quote
Call Ship A Car, Inc. at (866) 452-3657 for heavy haul and specialized freight, with the machine’s measured dimensions, working weight and both site addresses.
