What Is Heavy Haul Trucking?
Heavy haul trucking is the transport of loads that exceed standard legal size or weight limits for US highways. Federal law sets the baseline: 80,000 lbs gross vehicle weight (GVW), 8 ft 6 in wide, 13 ft 6 in tall, and 53 ft trailer length. Any load that exceeds any of these limits requires a permit and enters heavy haul territory.
The terms "heavy haul," "oversize," and "overweight" are often used interchangeably, though each refers to a distinct category:
- Oversize: Width, height, or length exceeds legal limits
- Overweight: Gross vehicle weight or axle weight exceeds legal limits
- Heavy haul: Broadly, any permitted non-standard load — often applied when weight is the primary concern, but commonly used for all OS/OW transport
R&RM LLC has been moving oversized and overweight loads since 2011, serving construction companies, utilities, mining operations, and manufacturers across all 48 continental states. This guide explains how the process works from quote to delivery.
What Loads Qualify as Heavy Haul?
Standard legal limits on US highways are set by federal law and enforced at state level:
- Gross vehicle weight (GVW): 80,000 lbs
- Width: 8 ft 6 in (102 inches)
- Height: 13 ft 6 in (varies by state — some states allow 14 ft as legal)
- Length: 53 ft for a semi-trailer; 65 ft overall for a standard tractor-trailer combination
- Axle weight: 20,000 lbs per single axle; 34,000 lbs per tandem axle
Exceeding any of these limits requires a permit in every state the load traverses. Width is the most common trigger — most crawler-type equipment (excavators, bulldozers, compactors) is wider than 8 ft 6 in with tracks installed. Common heavy haul loads include:
- Excavators and hydraulic shovels (60,000–200,000 lbs)
- Bulldozers and motor graders
- Large cranes — boom sections, main bodies, counterweights
- Power transformers (50,000–500,000 lbs)
- Mining haul trucks and large wheel loaders
- Industrial boilers, pressure vessels, and reactors
- Bridge beams and large structural steel sections
- Agricultural combines and large harvest equipment
- Wind turbine blades, tower sections, and nacelles
Heavy Haul Categories Explained
Oversize Loads
A load is oversize when it exceeds 8 ft 6 in wide, 13 ft 6 in tall, or 53 ft long. Width is the most common oversize condition — an excavator with its tracks in the transport position typically measures 10–13 feet wide. Height is the second most common trigger: transformers on lowboy trailers, and equipment with raised attachments, often approach or exceed legal height limits.
Overweight Loads
A load is overweight when the GVW exceeds 80,000 lbs, or when individual axle weights exceed legal limits. Adding axles to a trailer spreads the total load weight across more contact points, which can bring per-axle weights into compliance while the total load remains well above 80,000 lbs. A 13-axle configuration can legally move loads exceeding 300,000 lbs on most routes — with the right permit and engineering approval.
Superloads
Many states define a "superload" category for loads above a set threshold — typically 150,000–200,000 lbs GVW or widths over 16 feet. Superloads require engineering studies, bridge analyses, longer permit lead times, and often mandatory law enforcement escorts rather than private pilot cars. For large power transformers, heavy industrial vessels, and major crane moves, superload permitting is the standard.
The Heavy Haul Process: Step by Step
Step 1: Request a Quote
The process starts when a shipper provides the load details: equipment type, dimensions (width, height, length), weight, pickup location, delivery location, and timeline. The carrier uses this information to price the move, identify the appropriate trailer, and estimate permit and escort costs.
Step 2: Permit Research and Application
Once a move is confirmed, the carrier identifies every state the load will pass through and applies for a permit from each state DOT. Permits specify the approved route, trailer configuration, travel windows, and escort requirements. Our permit services team handles all permit applications across all 48 states.
Step 3: Route Planning
Not every oversize load can take the most direct highway path. Bridges have weight limits separate from posted road weight limits. Low-clearance interchanges exist on older highway exchanges. The carrier's dispatcher identifies a route that accommodates the load's height, avoids weight-restricted bridges, and stays on corridors where the permit has been approved.
Step 4: Pilot Car Coordination
If the load requires escort vehicles — which is standard for loads over 14 ft wide or 14 ft 6 in tall — the carrier arranges pilot cars. Most states require certified private escort vehicles. Loads exceeding state-set superload thresholds (commonly 16 ft wide or 200,000 lbs) often additionally require law enforcement escorts.
Step 5: Scheduling Around Travel Windows
Oversize loads can only travel during specific windows — typically daylight hours on weekdays. Most states prohibit oversize movement on Sundays and federal holidays. Holiday weekends are usually restricted for several days before and after the holiday. The carrier builds these windows into the delivery timeline, which is why an oversize move takes longer than a standard shipment of equal distance.
Step 6: Transport and In-Transit Coordination
The driver, pilot cars (if required), and dispatcher stay in contact throughout the move. Unexpected route changes — bridge closures, construction, accidents — are handled in real time. 24/7 dispatch contact is standard for heavy haul carriers; for long-haul moves spanning multiple days, shippers should confirm they can reach dispatch around the clock.
Step 7: Delivery
At delivery, equipment is unloaded per the trailer type. On an RGN trailer, the gooseneck detaches and the deck angles to ground level, allowing drive-on equipment to roll off under its own power. For non-drive loads or fixed-neck trailers, cranes or rough-terrain forklifts are used. Document any damage before the driver departs — notations on the bill of lading protect both parties.
Trailer Types Used in Heavy Haul
Selecting the right trailer is as critical as obtaining the right permits. The wrong trailer can cause the load to exceed permitted height, sit improperly on the deck, or be unsecured for road travel.
RGN (Removable Gooseneck) Trailers
The most common trailer for construction and agricultural equipment. The front gooseneck section unbolts from the trailer deck, which then angles down to create a ground-level ramp. Drive-on equipment — excavators, bulldozers, compactors, large tractors — rolls directly onto the trailer under its own power. RGN deck height is typically 18–22 inches, keeping tall equipment within legal height limits. RGN hauling is R&RM LLC's most frequently used service for equipment transport.
Lowboy Trailers
Fixed-neck lowboys sit lower than standard flatbeds but require a crane or forklift for loading, since the deck does not drop to ground level. They're used for equipment that is too tall for a flatbed but can be lifted — certain cranes, large generators, and tall industrial components. Deck height is typically 16–18 inches.
Multi-Axle Trailers
For loads where weight is the primary concern, additional axles spread weight across more contact points to stay within per-axle legal limits. A standard 3-axle RGN handles loads up to approximately 80,000 lbs net. Multi-axle configurations (5, 7, 9, 13+ axles) handle loads into the hundreds of thousands of pounds for mining equipment, transformers, and heavy industrial machinery.
Hydraulic Platform (Goldhofer) Trailers
Used for the heaviest industrial loads — transformers, reactor vessels, or large equipment exceeding 300,000 lbs. These self-propelled or towed platforms can be configured to virtually any length and width, with independently steerable axle rows. A Goldhofer move is typically a superload and requires weeks of permit lead time, engineering analysis, and in some cases highway pre-approval meetings with state DOT officials.
Permits: The Foundation of Every Oversize Move
Every state the load passes through must issue its own permit. There is no single federal oversize permit for domestic highway transport — each state sets its own limits, fees, and conditions independently.
State permits specify the approved route, the trailer configuration, the travel windows (days and hours the move is allowed), escort requirements, and any speed restrictions. Moving without a valid permit — or with a permit that has expired — subjects the carrier to fines that can run into thousands of dollars per state, and may require the load to be immediately parked on the roadside at the shipper's expense.
For a detailed walkthrough of the permit process, see our Oversize Permit Guide, which covers application steps, state processing times, permit fees, and what permit conditions actually control.
Pilot Car and Escort Requirements
Pilot cars travel ahead of or behind oversize loads to warn other drivers, assist the driver through tight turns, monitor clearances, and ensure compliance with permit conditions. Escort requirements are set by each state independently — rules vary, and a load moving across four states may encounter four different sets of escort requirements.
Typical escort thresholds (vary by state):
- 1 pilot car (front): Load wider than 12–14 feet, depending on state
- 2 pilot cars (front and rear): Load wider than 14–16 feet, depending on state
- Law enforcement escort: Often required for loads wider than 16 feet, or for superloads exceeding state-set weight thresholds
- Height pole vehicle: Required in some states when load height is 14 ft 6 in or taller — the height pole confirms clearance under bridges and utility lines in real time
Travel Restrictions and Blackout Periods
Oversize loads cannot move freely at any hour. State permit conditions almost always include travel window restrictions that must be respected:
- Daylight-only travel: Most states restrict oversize movement to 30 minutes before sunrise through 30 minutes after sunset, or similar windows.
- Weekend restrictions: Many states prohibit oversize travel on Sundays. Some also restrict Saturday afternoon travel.
- Federal holiday blackouts: Holiday weekends — Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas — typically involve multi-day restrictions across most states.
- County and local restrictions: Some counties or municipalities impose their own restrictions for specific bridges, school zones, or local roads that cross the permitted route.
Carriers factor these windows into every delivery timeline. A 900-mile move that would cover in 14 hours of continuous driving may take 3 or more days when restricted to daylight travel windows across multiple states.
Preparing Your Equipment for Transport
How equipment is prepared at the pickup location directly affects the ease of loading, the accuracy of permitted dimensions, and the risk of transit damage. Follow these steps before the carrier arrives:
- Fuel level: Keep fuel tanks at one-quarter or less. A full tank adds hundreds of pounds of unnecessary weight and creates spill risk on an angled trailer ramp.
- Attachments: Remove or pin buckets, blades, booms, and accessories that can be detached. Anything that swings freely must be secured. Excavator boom sections are pinned in the travel position.
- Width and height: Remove anything that increases the load's dimensions beyond what is permitted. On excavators, this often means removing the bucket coupler and lowering the boom to its minimum transport height. On wide agricultural equipment, wings and headers may need to come off.
- Fluids and leaks: Check for oil leaks. Carriers may decline to load a machine with significant active leaks — leaked fluids contaminate the trailer deck and create environmental liability.
- Documentation: Have the equipment's serial number, make, model, and approximate weight available at pickup. This information appears on permits and is required for weight certification at weigh stations.
Choosing a Heavy Haul Carrier: What to Ask
Not every trucking company is equipped for oversize and overweight loads. Before committing to a carrier, confirm the following:
- Does the carrier have RGN, lowboy, and multi-axle equipment appropriate for your specific load dimensions and weight?
- Does the carrier manage permits in-house, or do they use a third-party service — and who is responsible if a permit error causes a delay?
- How does the carrier handle unexpected route changes due to bridge closures, construction, or accidents?
- What is the carrier's process if equipment is damaged in transit?
- Is dispatch available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?
- Can the carrier provide references for similar loads or similar routes?
R&RM LLC — based in Cumming, Georgia — has operated as a heavy haul carrier since 2011. We handle permits, route planning, escort coordination, and driver dispatch for oversize load transport across all 48 continental states. Contact us at (404) 987-6225 or request a quote online to discuss your next move.
Common Heavy Haul Equipment
Some equipment types appear in heavy haul shipments more frequently than others. Understanding how your specific equipment type is handled helps set accurate expectations for the move:
- Excavators: The most frequently transported heavy equipment. Most are 10–13 feet wide in travel position. RGN trailers with drive-off loading are the standard. Learn about excavator transport from R&RM LLC.
- Bulldozers: Dozers move on RGN or lowboy trailers. Blade removal is usually required for transport to reduce width and weight. Large dozers (D9, D11 class) may require superload permitting.
- Cranes: Crane transport typically involves multiple loads — main body, boom sections, counterweights, and outrigger pads often ship separately. Each load requires its own permit.
- Transformers: Among the heaviest and most logistics-intensive loads. Large power transformers weigh 100,000–500,000 lbs, often requiring superload permits, engineering review, and multi-axle hydraulic platform trailers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What weight is considered heavy haul?
Any load over 80,000 lbs gross vehicle weight requires an overweight permit and falls under heavy haul. The term is also broadly applied to any oversize load — one exceeding 8 ft 6 in wide, 13 ft 6 in tall, or standard trailer length limits — regardless of weight.
How long does a heavy haul move take compared to standard freight?
Plan for additional time at each end of the move. Permits take 1–5 business days to process in most states. The transit itself is slower because daylight-only travel windows and permit route requirements limit daily mileage. A 1,000-mile move that a standard dry van covers in 2 days may take 4–6 days for an oversize load.
Who pays for oversize permits — the shipper or the carrier?
Permit costs are passed through to the shipper and itemized on the invoice. The carrier typically applies for permits and pays fees upfront, then includes the costs in the total move price. When you receive a quote from R&RM LLC, permit fees are shown as a line item so there are no surprises.
Can I ship my equipment anywhere in the continental US?
Yes — R&RM LLC serves all 48 continental states. We manage multi-state permit packages so you work with a single point of contact regardless of how many state borders the route crosses. Call (404) 987-6225 to discuss your route.