Heavy haulage is one of the most complicated areas of our work here at Wyton Transport – but it’s also one of the most rewarding. Solving complex transport problems with heavy haulage transport solutions is what we do best – read on for a comprehensive guide to the challenges, the nuts and bolts of equipment and planning, and why we’re optimistic about this specialised service’s future.
What is Classified as Heavy Haulage?
‘Heavy haulage’ refers to cargo that can’t be managed on standard trucks. It has a clear weight definition, too – it’s the title given to units with combined truck and load weights over 4.5 tonnes.
It’s used for things like heavy industrial machinery and its components, cranes, and large vehicles like bulldozers. Sometimes, it’s used to transport objects like wind turbines, water tanks, and even jet engines.
To be as simplistic as possible, if you’re thinking to yourself ‘how am I supposed to transport that?’, that’s a good sign you’re dealing with a heavy haulage situation.
The Unique Challenges of Heavy Haulage
The challenges that come with heavy haulage might seem self-explanatory, but that doesn’t mean that their solutions are simple. And that doesn’t mean that all the challenges are visible on the surface!
There’s the obvious concern around size and safety – the larger and bulkier the object, the harder it is to transport, right? This is generally true, and is the reason you should only ever work with experts who have experience working with the bulkiest, heaviest loads.
But there’s also the issue of regulatory compliance: there might be restrictions on things like travelling at night, specific speed limits, as well as the need for added services like police escorts and specialised load restraints. Check out our guide to oversized load transport regulations for more insight.
You’ll also need the right permits for your haulage there are extensive and complicated permits These permits can be challenging to obtain and are not granted to every single transport provider: you’ll need to work with a specialised transport company with experience in heavy haulage. On top of permits, route mapping is an essential activity for oversized loads. Think about how dangerous it could be if your freight took a roadway that couldn’t handle the load of the truck and cargo – or if it made a collision with infrastructure due to the load’s unconventional shape.
Essential Components in Heavy Haulage Services
Heavy haulage projects are a complex coalition of logistical challenges – but at their core, they rely on specialised equipment, skilled operators, and meticulous planning.
You’ll need the right fleet of trucks, with the right accessories: platform trailers, general purpose trailers, low loaders, and the highly skilled drivers to operate them. Understanding size and weight requirements for heavy haulage is an art and science, requiring meticulous planning down to timing and traffic analysis.
How Does Heavy Haulage Work?
Heavy haulage relies on the successful intersection of many moving parts. Here’s a brief overview of how it all works.
- Assessment and planning stage: This involves permits, route planning, and cargo assessment. This is when we determine what equipment will be needed and conduct all our contingency planning. It comes with a hefty dose of ‘double, triple, quadruple checking’.
- Loading and Securing stage: Once we’ve prepared for every version of events, we can get started loading and securing. We take extra care to ensure everything starts the journey safely so that it can arrive
- Transportation stage: We use the most experienced drivers – some of our drivers have over 40 years of experience. They take the planned routes and communicate with you throughout the journey when needed.
- Unloading/ Delivery Stage: Safety still counts once we’ve arrived at our destination! At this point, we use our specialised equipment to unload the cargo, ensuring there’s no damage to your deliveries.
Why Choose Wyton Transport for Your Heavy Haulage?
From our spotless track record to our decades of experience, you’ll find plenty to love when you work with Wyton Transport.
We have a ‘we move anything’ philosophy that comes combined with a serious focus on safety. Our can-do attitude only extends to what we can do safely. Thankfully, backed by an extremely experienced team, we’re experts in turning complex problems into meticulously executed heavy haulage projects. If you’re a road train anywhere from Brisbane to Mt Isa, we’ll take care of you.
Customer satisfaction starts with our approach. We always start with an open discussion of your requirements, before providing a tailored quote and solution. We don’t deal in cookie-cutter projects because we don’t have cookie-cutter clients! Plus, our quotes are always detailed and transparent, so you know exactly what’s involved in the process.
We’ve partnered with some of our clients for decades now – and that’s because we listen! We keep up communication throughout the whole process and welcome feedback at all stages
The Future of Heavy Haulage
Expertise is always going to be important in heavy haulage – but so is innovation. As it deals in transporting huge and heavy items, fuel costs and emissions are a factor when looking at heavy haulage. That’s why we’re always looking to improve fuel efficiency or seek out options to electrify or de-carbonise parts of our process. We’re also embracing new AI computing technologies that help us optimise our transport routes, saving our clients time and money (while boosting safety).
While the future gives us plenty of things to be excited about, there are still a whole host of challenges that heavy haulage will need to overcome to rise to the challenges of tomorrow. It can be hard to find drivers for heavy haulage transport, as they need a high level of training. Our roster of drivers are reliable and experienced – we do our best to cultivate a great working environment so they can continue working with us for years and decades to come.
Common Questions About Heavy Haulage
Heavy haulage is complicated and comes with a whole bunch of questions from our clients.
Here are just a few answers– you’re always welcome to get in touch with us to learn more. We love chatting challenges to clients – we get to show off our planning power, skilled staff and top-tier equipment. So reach out if you’re curious about any part of the process!
What are the added costs involved in heavy haulage services?
As a specialised service, with added permits and complexities, heavy haulage can incur extra fees when compared to general haulage. Fuel costs can be higher with heavy haulage, as the load itself is heavier and the vehicles used to transport it can be more specialised. We always provide a fully transparent, fully itemised quote for you beforehand – you’re never in the dark about costs!
What safety measures do you take with your heavy haulage services?
From arranging escorts, and travelling at certain times of day, to specialised signage and restraints, we offer a full suite of safety services to keep your load locked in. These safety measures are determined by local laws but will need an expert to determine exactly how they’re administered. We’ll give you a full rundown before we even start loading, so you’re always on the same page.
What information will I have to provide to get started?
While we’ll always double (and triple) check, it’s important that we have the best possible understanding of the load’s size, weight, and composition. We’ll also need accurate details on the location it will be picked up from so we can ensure a safe and efficient journey. We like to create an open dialogue with our clients – expect plenty of questions and always expect detailed answers!
The Final Say on Heavy Haulage
Complex by its very nature, heavy haulage transport is one of our favourite challenges to solve on the road. From determining how your load will be classified, though to planning the equipment needed and the routes it will need to follow, you won’t always have an easy answer. Working with an expert partner like Wyton Transport isn’t just an advantage, it’s essential. With such big projects at stake, you wouldn’t want to trust anyone else!
If this discussion has piqued your interest, and you’ve got a project on the horizon, we’d love to hear from you! We’re the experts and enthusiasts on ‘how-on-earth-can-I-move-this’ sized projects – think you’ve got a challenge for us? Get in touch with us and we’ll find the solution.