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June 30, 2025 | | Category: Flatbed, Heavy Haul
A flatbed truck is one in which the trailer—the part of the truck which carries the cargo—is flat, without sides or a roof. The advantage of this type of trailer is that the item which has to be transported can be loaded from any side. Plus, if the item is oversized, it probably would not fit inside a regular truck, but it can be carried by a flatbed. Flatbed trucking is therefore great for items that are large or irregularly shaped.
Flatbed Features
If you’re wondering whether flatbed trucking is right for the type of cargo you need to transport, keep the following things in mind:
- Flatbed trailers are usually 48-53 feet long and 8.5 feet wide. Plus, they can carry loads weighing up to 48,000 lbs.
- Since they don’t have sides or a roof, they can be loaded and unloaded with the help of a crane or a forklift.
- The items placed on a flatbed will be exposed to the elements. As a result, they need to be tied down using straps, chains etc. Tarps can also be used to protect them from the elements.
Types of Flatbeds
There are various types of flatbeds which can be used for different types of loads.
- Step Deck: This type of flatbed has a lower deck height which is suitable for taller items that need to be transported.
- Double Drop/Lowboy: This type of flatbed is lower in the center and higher on the sides. Like a step deck, it’s great for taller-than-average items, and it also provides more stability.
- Removable Gooseneck: This type of trailer, often shortened to RGN, is one in which the front part of the flatbed can be removed and turned into a ramp, thus making it easier to load.
- Conestoga: In this type of flatbed, the trailer has a tarp attached like a curtain which can be drawn closed or opened, depending on how much protection is needed from the elements.
- Side Kit: In this type of flatbed, it’s possible to install/remove side panels, depending on the type of cargo. Plus, it also has a tarp over the top.
- Auto Hauler: These are specific trailers which are used for carrying cars. They can be open or closed, and they come with decks and ramps to facilitate loading/unloading.
No matter what type of oversized cargo you need transported, there is usually a flatbed that will be suitable for that purpose. Speak to your trucking company about your needs, and they’ll recommend the safest and most convenient flatbed for your cargo.
June 9, 2025 | | Category: Flatbed
Heavy-haul trucking is a specialized logistics service that covers a wide range of possible cargoes. While the name suggests that the issue is only the weight of your cargo, heavy-haul trucking also includes the transport of oversized cargo that requires special permits and escorts to ensure safe passage from origin to destination.
You may have seen heavy-haul convoys on the open highway, carrying large vehicles, enormous turbine blades, and even half-homes with a full multi-vehicle escort. Just what can you ship with heavy-haul trucking? Let’s take a closer look.
Heavy and Oversized Shipments
Heavy-haul trucking involves both extremely heavy and too-wide cargoes that can’t be safely transported without both heavy-duty trucks and special safety measures. This includes large construction and industrial equipment, modular homes and preconstructed buildings, and huge assembly parts.
Large Construction Equipment
- Cranes
- Excavators
- Bulldozers
You will often see construction and farming equipment transported via heavy-haul trucking. This includes cranes, excavators, and bulldozers that are extremely heavy, often wider than a highway lane, and cannot travel at highway speeds on their own.
Modular Home Sections
- Completed Sheds
- Modular Home Halves, Thirds, and Quarters
- Tiny Homes
Pre-constructed buildings or modular building pieces are typically transported using heavy-haul trucking methods. This includes both modular home sections and complete tiny homes.
Huge Assembly Pieces
- Airplane Parts
- Wind Turbine Blades
Equipment and machinery assembled from huge singular parts may require part transport using heavy-haul trucking. One of the best examples is turbine blades. Most of us have come across more than a few out on the highways, in which a single blade requires a massive trailer and a special convoy to carry to the turbine location.
Industrial Equipment
- Generators
- Boilers
- Storage Tanks
Large industrial equipment to be installed in a commercial-scale facility may also require heavy-haul trucking. For example, full-sized generators, boilers, or storage tanks large enough to service a multi-story or expansive building may call for oversized and heavy-load transport.
Do you have something oversized or extremely heavy to transport? Call Great Western Transportation to arrange for the heavy-haul trucking services you need.
March 11, 2025 | | Category: Heavy Haul
You may or may not have realized it, but there is a boon in the construction industry taking place all throughout the country. It is providing countless opportunities for those in the industry to make higher profits than ever before. However, that is only true when they are able to get the construction materials that they require hauled to the locations where they will put them to use. That’s where flatbed trucking comes in handy.
Loading Materials From the Side
Unlike traditional trucking situations in which it is necessary to load materials directly into the back of a truck, with flatbed trucking, it is possible to load up the construct materials and anything else you might need to haul from the side. That is a huge deal because it makes it possible to get construction materials loaded up on these flatbed trucks and ready to haul out to wherever they need to go anywhere in the country. As such, you can finally get materials moved to the locations where they will be put into use.
Flatbed Trucks Move Materials That Other Carriers Cannot
Never forget the fact that flatbed trucks can move materials to locations that other carriers cannot get to. They are able to take on certain loads that simply could not possibly be moved via a traditional box truck or even an LTL carrier. As such, anyone who is looking to move construction materials or other specialty materials around should reach out to a carrier and ask about pricing for a flatbed truck shipment.
The carriers that offer this service can provide you with the details that you need about what kind of pricing you are looking at and how quickly they can offer you the service that you require. Get in touch with them today to start the process of getting the quote that you require.
February 5, 2025 | | Category: Flatbed
If you have an exceptionally large shipment i.e. one which exceeds 14′ x 6″ or 14′ x 6″ x 100″, then you will need heavy haul trucking. Additionally, if any one of the dimensions of your shipment is extreme, then you might need heavy haul trucking.
Which Shipments Require Heavy Haul Trucking?
This type of trucking is needed for shipments which weight over 55,000 pounds. In such cases, additional axles will be required for transportation. For shipments that weigh less than 50,000 pounds, you only need 5 axles, but for shipments between 50,000 and 85,000 pounds, 6 axles are usually needed.
How Many Axles Are Used in Heavy Haul Trucking?
A heavy haul tractor has four axles; it can be used in conjunction with a trailer which has two axles, or more, to give you the total number of axles needed for your heavy shipment. Once the weight of the shipment exceeds 65,000 pounds, 7 axles may be used to transport it. But keep in mind that axle weight limits vary, depending on where the transportation is taking place.
What Kinds of Drivers Are Needed for Heavy Haul Trucking?
It’s important to have an experienced driver for heavy haul trucking. To understand how to maneuver the types of trucks needed for heavy haul trucking, the driver has to be very skilled, or else they will be putting themselves, the shipment and the general public at risk. Since a heavy haul truck is itself very heavy, it is likely to do a lot of damage if it gets into an accident.
Do You Need to Plan the Route of a Heavy Haul Shipment?
It’s important for the route of a heavy haul shipment to be planned in advance. A heavy haul shipment may not be able to take the same route as a regular car. It may not be allowed to cross over certain bridges and overpasses because of its weight. Plus, you do need to pay permit prices every time you transport a heavy haul shipment, and these prices vary, depending on the route you take.
Do You Need Permits for Heavy Haul Trucking?
Keep in mind that transporting heavy haul shipments also requires you to have the necessary permits. These permits also need to be arranged before you start the process of transportation. It’s important to work with a heavy haul transportation service that has experienced drivers and that has arranged permits and routes beforehand.
February 3, 2025 | | Category: Heavy Haul
If you’ve ever seen a truck with a banner on it that says “oversize load,” you’ve seen heavy haul trucking in action. But what counts as a heavy load, and how does the heavy haul trucking process work? Let’s get into it.
What is Heavy Haul Trucking Used For?
Heavy Haul trucking is used to transport freight that’s too heavy or too large for normal loads, like prefab homes, large pieces of construction equipment or mining equipment, or military equipment. A normal sized load can also be considered a heavy haul (also called a superload) if it’s over 80,000 pounds, or over 13’6″ in height and 8’6″ in width.
This means that most heavy haul customers are either government or business-based, though that’s changing, with how fast the demand for heavy haul trucking is growing. In fact, heavy haul trucking is forecast to grow 7.34% annually through 2026!
Permits Required for Heavy Haul Trucking
Heavy haul loads do require different permitting than normal loads, and the exact type of permits required vary by state and municipal area. Generally speaking, heavy haul truckers are limited to certain movement times or routes, and may have to have extra safety components as well, like pilot cars (also called escort vehicle operators), flags and lights, and of course, the “oversize load” banner. All of this helps the driver ensure that the load gets delivered safely, without damage to the load, the roads and surrounding property, and most importantly, any other motorists.
Choosing a Heavy Haul Trucking Company
Heavy loads require experience and expertise, so it’s important to choose a company that can handle all the logistics involved. Look for companies that have a reputation for being reliable, and for working with truckers who are experienced in pulling superloads.
Looking to move heavy freight? We’d be happy to help you. Our Great Western team has the experience and knowledge needed for safe, efficient, and fast heavy haul shipments. Click here to get a quick quote for your heavy haul needs!
Most people think that the process of transporting goods or equipment is simple—just load them on the truck and go. However, there are certain procedures which have to be followed, if you want your goods to reach their destination in a good condition. You also need to consider safety procedures to make sure that no one is hurt in the process of transportation. Here are some things you might need to keep in mind about flatbed trucking:
What Is a Flatbed?
As the name might suggest, a flatbed is a truck with a flat bed in the back. This bed has no sides and no roof. This kind of truck can be used to transport items which are extraordinarily large or which have an irregular shape. Items such as these might not fit in a regular truck which has sides and a roof, but they can be strapped on to a flat bed. There are many types of flatbeds, with low decks, sloping low decks, longer lengths, side panels etc.
Loading and Unloading a Flatbed
When you’re loading a flatbed, it’s important to make sure that the items being transported are properly balanced and not likely to fall over. They may also need to be strapped down to make sure that they stay in place. Placing a tarp over the goods being loaded also ensures that they will be protected from the elements. At times, it is necessary to use a forklift to load a flatbed.
Similarly, it’s important to be careful when unloading flatbeds. It may be necessary to consider the weather conditions and whether the ground is uneven. It may also be necessary to use a forklift.
Securing Cargo on a Flatbed
When placing the cargo on a flatbed, the driver will need to make sure that the weight of the cargo is evenly distributed. If there’s too much weight on one part of the bed, that can cause the vehicle to swerve, which is dangerous.
It’s also necessary to use tie-downs to secure the cargo to the bed. Federal regulations suggest that one tie down is needed for every ten feet of cargo, but depending on the type of load, more may be needed. It’s also necessary to choose the right type of tarp because different tarps are recommended for different types of goods, such as steel, machinery and lumber.
Across highways and byways across America, in little towns and big cities, trucks pick up, deliver, and transport a tremendous amount of goods and products. Flatbeds trucks compose a large portion of the trucks and perform a job that other trucks are incapable of doing. So what makes flatbed trucking so valuable to American logistics? Read on and find out.
To Get the Job Done You Need the Equipment
Flatbed trucking, and flatbed trucks, excel at hauling equipment. The very nature of their flatbeds means they are capable of hauling big pieces of equipment safely and without limits on equipment size or concerns about trailer size. Items such as tractors, backhogs, bulldozers, and much more have found passage to their next destination on a flatbed truck.
You Also Need The Materials to Go with That Equipment
Flatbed trucking does much more than just bring the equipment to a project. It also brings the materials to the project, ensuring the project is constructed with quality materials as well as quality equipment. Flatbed trucks provide multiple opportunities and possibilities for stacking, moving, and re stacking at the perfect destination of the project of your dreams.
After Every Project Comes the Clean-Up
Whether your project is a small fence or a major skyscraper, when your project is done there will be scrap and items too big for trash cans to be disposed of in a responsible way. Flatbed trucking can help you load up, remove, and even dispose of your project’s scraps with minimum effort and extra ease.
Flatbed trucking is an integral part of the American logistics system. Flatbed trucks enable items that may otherwise not get to their destination to arrive safely and in a timely manner. Great Western Transportation has a fleet of different types of trucks, include flatbed trucks, to help ensure that no matter what size of project you are working on, you have everything you need to make it a success.
September 25, 2024 | | Category: Flatbed
