Under federal law, heavy haul shipments are oversized loads that exceed 8.5 feet in width, a height of 13.5-14 feet, a single-trailer length of 48-53 feet, or a total gross weight of 80,000 pounds. This can vary from state to state and even at the local level, resulting in a complex shipping regulations.
Whether a 150,000-pound tractor unit or a large gas turbine super-load, all oversized loads must navigate a regulatory and physical route in parallel. Quality heavy haul trucking companies are experts in dealing with this.
You may be in construction, heavy industry, or agriculture, but whatever your business, you will need experts in moving your equipment through those regulatory and physical landscapes. Trucking companies across North America have specialized equipment to suit customers’ needs, as well as the legal and regulatory know-how to remain legal. They also know how to obtain oversized or overweight load permits, special equipment transportation permits, and route-specific permits.
Let’s look at how to choose a heavy haul trucking company, and make suggestions for a useful shortlist.
The business of heavy haul trucking is one where professionalism, skill, and ability are key. For every oversized load haul, there’s a team dealing with different aspects. In the office, logistics experts will have planned the move in detail and acquired the required documentation. Drivers must be very experienced and will often be a cut above their peers in qualifications and skills. Pilot car drivers and escort drivers (required for safety and legal reasons) will have high levels of skills and ability, and any loading teams will have to know the job, too.
There are more than 25,000 small, medium, and large heavy equipment transport companies in North America. As with the trucking industry landscape as a whole, the majority are small and medium enterprises that might only operate in one or two states. By choosing a larger company with nationwide reach, you can be assured that you will find one with the equipment, resources, and availability to meet your needs.
To find the best oversized load trucking companies, it helps to have a set of criteria. The following points are a good start:
Are they licensed?
Are they fully insured?
How long has the company been trading, and how long have their teams been in heavy haul transport?
Do they have the resources and equipment to meet your needs?
Will they be available for you when you need them?
Do they have the permitting team, logistics team, external resources acquisition team, and drivers to meet your needs?
What is their safety record like?
Never go for the lowest price, but this is a consideration too
With these issues in mind, let’s take a look at some of the details below.
Heavy haul trucking companies have a range of insurance requirements that cover:
Cargo
Third-party liability
Equipment
Legally required comprehensive truck insurance
In addition, environmental liability insurance is required for certain hauls. These will all be factored into the fees that you will incur in a heavy haul transport project.
Generally speaking, the company’s directors will have experience in the business, often as drivers themselves. The companies you shortlist should have a wealth of experience and knowledge in their teams, from logisticians to drivers.
At a minimum, the driver must have a federal commercial driver’s license (CDL). Before they move into heavy haul, the driver will have a ‘combination vehicle’ endorsement, and in most cases, follow a promotion process within their company to be allowed behind the wheel of the biggest tractors.
Other members of the team, including pilot vehicle drivers and escort vehicle drivers, must follow certain state and company-mandated qualification processes, and will have an understanding of the regulatory environment in which they operate.
Resources that oversized load trucking companies should have to qualify for shortlisting must include:
Access to a fleet of tractors and suitable trailers, including flatbed, low-boys, drop-deck,s and removable goosenecks (RGNs)
Access to the staff to operate the equipment
Good maintenance practices for all their equipment
Logistics teams for planning routes
Knowledge and understanding of the permitting and regulatory environment
Not all the companies that we touch on later own physical fleets, but instead arrange subcontractors with certain expertise into teams. These can function just as well as asset-heavy organizations.
When oversized items are being moved, accidents can be very serious. That said, they do happen, and not all accidents are entirely preventable. Checking the FMCSA SAFER database on a company can give you an idea of its accident record.
Here are our top seven oversize load trucking companies:
With over 15 years of operation and decades more in employee experience, family-owned business Heavy Haulers operates in all 50 states. It has strong familiarity with local and state permitting requirements and a strong safety record.
The company offers the full range of heavy haul trucking equipment, from standard flatbed to lowboys and RGNs, to industries ranging from agriculture to construction and industrial equipment. You can be assured of 24/7/365 support for your delivery.
ODS is a pilot car and escort vehicle specialist agency with a reach across all 50 states and Canada. Its escort teams are fully trained and insured and are familiar with all local, state, and federal permitting and road regulations for heavy haul trucking. With ODS, you can plan and execute an interstate or international oversized load delivery, comfortable in the knowledge that its teams will support you every step of the way.
Unlike Heavy Haulers and other companies we discuss here, Heavy Equipment Transport is an asset-light brokerage. Its logistics experts will arrange all the teams you require for your heavy haul, with its more than 23,000 subcontractors in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
The company has been operating for more than 16 years and works in all 50 states, and its 130 staff have familiarity with local, state, and national permitting regulations. Thanks to its subcontracting model, Heavy Equipment Transport has access to a far greater pool of resources than its asset-heavy competitors, so it may be more responsive should you have a short deadline to meet.
Paris, Ontario-based Bridging Distances is a heavy haul trucking company that has a comprehensive range of equipment, from flatbed and dropdecks to RGNs. Operating seven days a week, Bridging Distances is Canada-only specialist, but this also means it has greater expertise in oversized load delivery in its locality than a national or international company might.
Since 2017, NTS Logistics has been listed in Inc. 5000 as one of the U.S. fastest-growing private companies. It is also rated A+ on the Better Business Bureau for its excellent customer service.
In business for over 15 years, and with staff experience running into the 100s of years, Nationwide Transport Services has 10 offices across the U.S., and operates in all 50 states and Canada. It works into the full range of oversized load operations, with equipment including RGNs, lowboys, and flatbeds, and has its own pilot car service so you can use it as a one-stop shop for your heavy haul logistics needs.
Like ODS above, Axys is a niche company working in heavy haul permitting and escorts. The company offers specialist software that identifies and arranges the permits required for a heavy haul route. Additionally, Axys offers route planning for oversized loads and superload route assessments. In recent years, it has moved into escort and pilot car work, adding a string to its bow to further support your needs when it comes to an oversized load.
Tractor Transport is an agricultural industry-focused heavy haul company that operates in all 50 U.S. states and Canada via its three offices in Kentucky, California, and Florida. Its resources range from extended RGNs to dropdecks and flatbeds. While Tractor Transport has a focus on farming, its teams are also available for oversized load logistics in other industries.
Choosing a Heavy Haul Company Isn’t Easy
Choosing an oversized load trucking company is no simple feat. With the factors we have touched on, you should have a better idea where to start — and how to focus your shortlist more effectively. Call us at (877) 338-1729 to discuss your needs!
