Heavy haul trucking: what it is, the rigs, the permits and how it pays

The legal box heavy haul goes past

Step past any line in that table and the load needs a permit from every state it crosses. Check a load's dimensions with the oversize load checker and its axle weights with the bridge formula calculator.

Heavy haul trucks and trailers

• Heavy-spec tractor: more horsepower, heavier drivetrain and often three drive axles, rated to pull far past 80,000 lb on permits.
• Lowboy and RGN: low decks for tall machines; the RGN's detachable neck lets equipment drive on from the front.
• Jeeps, boosters and extra axles: add-on axles ahead of or behind the trailer to spread weight, so each axle stays inside the permit limit.
• Stretch and specialty trailers: extendable decks for long beams and blades, and trailers built for one kind of load, such as transformers.

Equipment is the most common freight; see heavy equipment hauling for which trailer fits which machine and how machines are chained. Machines of 10,000 lb or more need at least four tiedowns. Source

Permits, escorts and superloads

Permits are issued state by state. Some states issue routine oversize permits online the same day; Kansas, for example, uses its K-TRIPS system and generally keeps over-width and over-length loads off the road from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise. Source The permit sets the route, the hours and days of travel, the signs and flags, and how many escorts ride along.

Escorts, or pilot cars, warn traffic and check clearances ahead. Wider loads need more of them, and the biggest moves can need police escorts. Superloads go further: bridge engineering reviews, route surveys and crews to lift power lines, which can take weeks to arrange. Who orders all this is covered in who handles oversize permits and escorts.

Planning a heavy haul route

A permit gives you a route, but the driver still has to drive it. Before the move, check the permitted route against the load: low bridges and overhead signs for a tall load, tight turns and roundabouts for a long one, narrow work zones for a wide one. Many carriers drive or survey unfamiliar routes ahead of big moves. Plan where the truck can legally stop when travel hours end, because a wide load can't just pull onto any shoulder at sunset. Fuel stops matter too: not every truck stop has room for a 100 ft combination.

Safety on oversize moves

Wide loads take more road than other drivers expect. Mirrors, flags, lights and the escorts' radio calls keep everyone informed, and the slow speed of a heavy load gives other traffic time to misjudge it. Brakes work harder on long grades with extra weight, so plan descents. Recheck chains and binders at every stop; a load that shifts a few inches on a lowboy can put an axle group over its permitted weight.

When heavy haul is busy

Demand follows construction and energy work. Spring and summer bring equipment moves between job sites; wind farm projects bring blades and tower sections; plant shutdowns bring vessels and heat exchangers. In some northern states, seasonal weight restrictions during the spring thaw limit heavy loads on certain roads, which pushes moves earlier or later. A heavy haul carrier who knows the seasons books ahead of them, and keeps the truck busy in the quiet months with smaller equipment moves for dealers and rental yards.

How heavy haul pays

Heavy haul usually pays per load: a linehaul for the move, with permits, escorts and sometimes route surveys billed as separate lines. The rate reflects the weight, the dimensions, the slow miles and the travel-hour limits. Per-mile numbers look high next to dry van rates, but a heavy haul truck runs fewer miles, waits longer for permits and costs more to own. Rate ranges are covered in heavy haul freight rates and driver pay in how much heavy haulers make.

Worked example EXAMPLE

A 12 ft wide, 95,000 lb gross dozer move of 600 miles crosses three states. The carrier quotes a linehaul for the trip, three state permits at cost, and escort miles in the states that require one at that width. Travel is daylight only, so the trip takes three days instead of one and a half. The quote has to pay for all three days, not just the 600 miles.

Heavy haul vs line haul and short haul

Line haul means moving freight between terminals or cities on a regular run, usually legal-size loads at highway speed; see line haul trucking. Short haul keeps the truck near its base and often runs under short-haul hours rules; see short haul trucking. Heavy haul can be either distance; what defines it is the load.

Getting into heavy haul trucking

A Class A CDL is the starting point, since heavy haul combinations are far above the 26,001 lb line. Source After that, experience is the real requirement: securement, reading permits, backing a long trailer onto a job site, and driving a wide load through towns. Insurance is a big cost too; federal minimums are only the floor, and heavy haul shippers often want more. Source The step-by-step path is in how to get into heavy haul trucking.

Heavy haul trucking companies and owner-operators

Heavy hauling companies range from national specialized carriers with hundreds of trailers to owner-operators with one RGN. The small ones often live on relationships with equipment dealers, rental yards and contractors, plus broker loads to fill the gaps. If you run your own lowboy or RGN, our oversize and heavy haul dispatch finds those gap loads, confirms the permit and escort arrangement, and calls you before anything is booked.