Heavy haulage is required when the transport of abnormally heavy or huge equipment has to be made. This shipping method is also known as super load shipping or over dimensional shipping. Heavy haulage in the UK is routinely done for items listed below:
- Planes
- Turbines
- Air exchangers and condensers
- Cranes and excavators
- Mining equipment
- Wind energy equipments
- Stamping press etc.
Since these equipments are of abnormally huge dimensions and heavy weights, special considerations have to be made while arranging their transportation. In the UK, the rules and regulations pertaining to heavy haulage are clearly listed and are required to be adhered to.
As per official rules in the UK, heavy haulage will be done for all material that:
- Has a weight of more than 44,000 kg.
- Has a width of more than 2.9 meters.
- Has a length of more than 18.65 meters.
- Has an axle load of more than 10,000 kg on single, non-driving axle.
- Has an axle load of more than 11,500 kg on a single driving axle.
Official paperwork to be done
Quite a few official authorities have to be informed well in advance if there is an intention to carry out heavy haulage in the UK. Depending on the equipment that is being shipped and its transit route, the Police, the Highway Authorities and Bridge structure owners. Highway England’s online tool ESDAL (Electronic Service Delivery for Abnormal Loads) has tools to help plan and execute heavy haulage. The following services are provided by ESDAL:
- Help in planning the shortest and most hassle-free route for your abnormal load shipping.
- Arranging police notifications, sending out notices to highways and bridge authorities to inform them of the expected heavy haulage.
- Tracking the road conditions and procuring advance notice of problems that could be expected on the route.
- Saving the vehicle and equipment details in its database to facilitate easy referencing and future use.
Transport used by heavy haulers
Transporting such heavy and bulky equipment surely requires special transport machinery. Heavy haulers in the UK use trucks that are built for this purpose. Some examples of this kind of trucks are 9-13 axle trucks, drop deck extendable trucks, self-propelled modular trailers, double drop extendable trucks, wafer decks, beam trailers, dual lane dollie systems, 19 axle trucks, double neck super 13 axle trucks and multi-axle hydraulic modular trailer systems. It has to be made sure that the general commuting public, vehicles, bridges, highways and roads will not be affected by heavy haul transport. Heavy haulers should ensure that the equipment to be transported is safely loaded and unloaded from the trucks. This frequently necessitates the usage of cranes and lifts.
Safety regulations
It is imperative for the drivers of heavy hauling trucks to have the necessary certified training and experience with transport of this kind. It is mandatory to maintain updated records of shift logs and driving hours, and to attend the Drug and alcohol supervisory training.
Heavy haulage in the UK requires a strict adherence to safety and regulatory guidelines because it involves transportation of unusually heavy and bulky equipment. It should be ensured that the equipment is safely collected, transported and delivered to its destination without cause any damage to life or property.
