A Comprehensive Guide to Make Heavy Load Shipping Easier
- Business
oliviapalermo
- 0
- 4 minutes read
| Flatbeds. Goose necks. Drop decks. Flat racks. Those terms are only relevant to companies looking for solutions to move their giant, oversized, and heavy loads. Maybe you need to move a space shuttle or a ship hull, maybe some industrial machinery or giant-sized mining trucks. That’s when you need to work with a company that understands what it takes when shipping heavy items. Understanding The Challenges Of Shipping Large Items Heavy haul shipments present a real challenge to shippers, 3PL providers and companies known for dry van transportation services. Oversized or overweight loads often have dimensions or weights that extend beyond basic legal limits for ground transportation. Many of these loads are not able to be split between multiple loads and as a result, they require special handling. Professionals tasked with shipping heavy items have to find the right carriers, the right platforms, the right routes, the right permits, and the right team able to move the load along roads often shared with regular commuters. This expertise is hard to find, but it’s critical to the safety and security of all involved. What Qualifies As An Oversized Load When Shipping Heavy Items? Everything from manufacturing equipment to industrial machinery can be classified as an oversized load. To meet the criteria, a shipment is usually considered to be oversized if it’s wider than 2.6 metres (8.5 feet) and if it’s longer than a standard flatbed trailer. Ultimately, anything longer, wider, higher, or heavier than local regulations allow can be classified as an overside load that requires the expertise of 3PL providers well acquainted with shipping large items. Required Permits For Oversized Dry Van Transportation Services No heavy haul load hits the asphalt without first securing the proper permits. Different rules and regulations are found on both sides of the border. Obtaining permits is not as simple as walking into a government body and walking out with your required paperwork. Companies shipping heavy items could wait weeks for proper permits to be issued, so it’s vital to work with a 3PL company that knows the process and can secure your necessary paperwork in advance. Work With NATS Canada To Ensure Everything Is Covered There are many other elements to consider when shipping large items and oversized loads that require additional planning, staffing, and routing. At NATS Canada, we work with our network of carriers to ensure we choose the right trucking company with experience and a track record of safely shipping heavy items. We also ensure all the little things are covered, including the arranging of pilot cards and chase cars, coordinating bucket trucks to help deal with overhead wiring, determining the safest route and avoiding problematic bridges, train tracks, traffic volumes and hard-to-maneuver roadways and access points. We also ensure safe loading and unloading of heavy cargo, and strict adherence to safety protocols related to securing such loads for transport. Most important, we ensure the right trailer, whether that’s a flatbed or a drop deck. Working with the professional at NATS Canada will ensure the job is done properly, safely, on-time and on-budget. |
