Heavy Haul Trucking

The transportation industry is made up of many segments. The heavy haul trucking industry is just one niche of the truck load industry. The heavy haul trucking industry can also be broken down into further niches as well. In this article, we discuss these niches in how they operate, what you need to know, the equipment required, and how they are rated or priced. We've provided links to pages that are useful for getting more information to detail that is not covered in this article.

Heavy heavy loads are often defined as those loads that require permits and/or escorts.

Permits: A permit is required by the state you are hauling the oversize load through. Permit costs and requirements can vary by state and so a driver must be careful to know what each state's requirements and costs are to travel with an oversize load.

​Escorts: When a load exceeds certain sizes, often a state will require and escort, often referred to as a pilot car, to either lead or follow the load. In some cases a police escort can also be required.

A driver can always expect a state permit to be required, but more and more cities and counties are beginning to require their own permits as well. Typically, these permits are required when the load originates or delivers in the city or county in which they are traveling. In other words, a load traveling on the interstate through a city or county may not be required to have a city or county permit. Only if the load leaves the interstate will one be required.

When a driver applies for a permit in a given state, they are required to submit a route they will take through that state. The state permit office will either accept the route or provide a different route. Routing changes can have big financial consequences by adding on a lot more miles than initially planned. Unfortunately, it's not always knowable about what routing will be excepted, so when pricing an oversize load, some considerations to re-routing may be figured.

Someone who understands platform hauling on equipment like flatbeds, stepdecks, and double drops​​​, might want to explore the world of heavy haul trucking. The oversize loads that fall into the dimensions above is a great place to start. These loads generally will require only permits to haul the load and are therefore, easier to haul and to rate.

States generally follow the same guidelines at these sizes, but routing changes can add on further restrictions or require escorts.

When a load exceeds the legal weight limit of 80,000 lbs, an overweight permit is required. It's important to note that an overweight load may not be oversize, although they certainly can be. The states vary in cost and requirements to overweight loads. The biggest challenge to understanding costs is that the formulas used by the states vary and can be a bit complicated. A thorough understanding of the trailer equipment is required. A driver or dispatcher needs to know what the trailer capabilities are so they don't try to haul a load that will exceed the state's limits.

A state will provide their routine permit limits. Loads that exceed these limits are considered super loads and require a lot more information, requirements, and costs to haul. Someone in this industry has years of experience in hauling large oversize and overweight loads. These loads are very expensive to haul and often can take weeks or even months of planning.

​Working in the heavy haul trucking business requires a more specific skill set then dry van freight hauling. The knowledge required and equipment used are more valuable, therefore, rates and costs are generally going to be considerably higher. Taking the time to learn and enter this market can be well worth the time as long as you take your time and start on smaller loads and work your way up to larger and heavier loads over time.