Water Well Drilling Rigs & Geotechnical Equipment Transport

Water Well Drilling Rig and Geotechnical Equipment Transport Services

Water well drilling rigs and geotechnical drill rigs are among the most logistically demanding pieces of equipment in the contractor fleet — they are heavy, tall, and in many cases exceed standard highway dimension limits even when masted down. Moving a large cable tool rig, a production rotary drill, or a truck-mounted sonic rig from one project to another requires careful trailer selection, dimensional planning, and in many cases oversize permits for height or width. R&RM LLC has transported drilling rigs and geotechnical boring equipment across all 48 continental states since 2011, serving water well contractors, environmental drilling firms, geotechnical investigation companies, municipal utilities, and mining and mineral exploration operations.

Our primary coverage region for drilling rig moves includes the Southeast, South Central, and Mid-Atlantic corridors — Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, the Carolinas, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Virginia, and Maryland — as well as the high-plains and western states where water well drilling and mineral exploration are most active: Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and the Dakotas. We also service the Northeast and Midwest routinely and can transport drilling equipment to any location in the continental US.

Types of Drilling Rigs and Geotechnical Equipment We Transport

Water Well Production Drilling Rigs

Large production water well drilling rigs — truck-mounted or crawler-mounted — are the backbone of municipal water supply, agricultural irrigation, and rural domestic well programs. These rigs span a wide range of sizes, from compact air rotary units on medium-duty truck chassis to large mud rotary production rigs on heavy-duty tandem or tri-axle trucks with 400- to 800-foot depth capability. The key transport dimensions to evaluate are the rig's height with the mast lowered, its overall width with outriggers stowed, and its length including pipe racks and tail sections.

Truck-mounted production rigs — Schramm T685WS, Gefco 50K, Foremost DR-24, Bucyrus-Erie 36L, and comparable units — typically transport within legal dimensions when properly prepared, but the mast in the lowered position often brings total height to 13 feet 6 inches to 14 feet 6 inches, which triggers an oversize height permit in most states. Units with pipe-handling masts that extend behind or above the cab may also require oversize length permits depending on the rig's total transport length. R&RM LLC assesses each rig's transport dimensions before the move and obtains permits where required.

Cable Tool Drilling Rigs

Cable tool drilling rigs — older technology but still widely used for shallow bedrock wells, test holes, and hard-rock formations in the eastern US — are typically truck-mounted on older medium or heavy-duty chassis with the derrick mast folding to a horizontal travel position. These units are often narrower than rotary rigs and transport within legal width limits, but the derrick in the travel position typically brings total height to 13 to 15 feet, requiring oversize height permits on most routes. The larger cable tool rigs — including Bucyrus and Cyclone units from earlier decades still in service — may exceed 80,000 pounds gross vehicle weight on a single truck-mount, requiring overweight permits in some states.

Crawler-Mounted Rotary and DTH Rigs

Crawler-mounted rotary drilling rigs and down-the-hole (DTH) hammer rigs used for water wells, blast hole drilling, and mineral exploration require the same RGN or lowboy trailer transport approach as conventional construction equipment. The crawler-mounted configuration keeps the main rig frame and engine compartment compact, but the mast — even in the folded transport position — often brings total height to 12 to 16 feet depending on the rig model. Width with the crawlers extended is typically 10 to 14 feet, consistently above the 8 foot 6 inch legal freight limit, requiring oversize width permits in all states. Units from Atlas Copco (now Epiroc), Sandvik, Furukawa, and Boart Longyear in the larger size classes are common in this transport category.

Transport uses RGN and lowboy trailers sized to match the rig's weight and dimensions. Removal of the mast entirely for transport — separating it from the rig carrier and transporting it on a separate trailer — is an option for some crawler rig configurations where assembled transport height would otherwise be prohibitive. This approach adds a second truckload but may reduce permit requirements and pilot car costs on routes with restrictive overhead clearances.

Sonic Drilling Systems

Sonic drilling systems — which use high-frequency resonance to advance a drill string through soil and rock with minimal cuttings generation — are used extensively in environmental site characterization, geotechnical investigation, and monitoring well installation. Sonic rigs are typically smaller than production water well rigs and transport on track carriers, truck mounts, or skid units. The leading sonic rig manufacturers in North America include Sonic Drill Corporation (SDC), Boart Longyear, and Terra Sonic International. Track-mounted sonic rigs such as the SDC-500T and Boart Longyear SC-20 transport on lowboy trailers as conventional crawler equipment; truck-mounted sonic units transport as oversize loads on the carrier truck when height with the mast folded exceeds legal limits.

Geotechnical and Environmental Drilling Rigs

Geotechnical boring rigs — used for soil sampling, SPT testing, CPT testing, monitoring well installation, and environmental assessment — range from compact track-mounted units to larger truck-mounted and crawler rigs. Compact geotechnical units including the CME-45, CME-55, CME-75, and Diedrich D-120 transport on standard flatbed or step deck trailers as oversize loads when height or width triggers permit requirements. Larger track-mounted geotechnical rigs — particularly those configured for deep borings, rock coring, or in-situ testing at depths over 100 feet — may require lowboy transport and oversize permits for width when outriggers or stabilizer pads extend beyond 8 feet 6 inches.

Air Compressor and Support Equipment

Large air compressors — trailer-mounted diesel-powered units used to supply downhole air for DTH drilling, blow-off operations, and air rotary circulation — are a common companion shipment for drilling rig moves. High-capacity well-service air compressors from Sullivan-Palatek, Atlas Copco, Sullair, and Gardner Denver in the 750 cfm to 1,500 cfm range are trailer-mounted and transport as separate overwidth loads when their width exceeds 8 feet 6 inches. Mud pumps, water tanks, and wellhead service equipment that move with a drilling operation may also require oversize or overweight permits depending on the configuration. R&RM LLC can coordinate multi-load drilling operation mobilization moves that include the rig, compressors, and support equipment in a single transport package.

Core Drilling and Rock Coring Equipment

Diamond core drilling rigs used in mineral exploration, geologic investigation, and dam inspection programs are typically compact, track-mounted units that transport on standard flatbed or step deck trailers without exceeding legal dimensions in most configurations. However, large core drilling towers for deep-hole programs — particularly those used in mining exploration at depths of 1,000 feet or more — may be crawler-mounted on wide undercarriages that require oversize width permits. Diamond Core Drill Manufacturers Association member equipment from Boart Longyear, Sandvik, Atlas Copco, and Major Drilling Group is the most common core drilling equipment in North American transport.

Manufacturers We Regularly Transport

Schramm

Schramm (West Chester, Pennsylvania) manufactures a wide range of drilling rigs for water well, geothermal, air rotary, and reverse circulation applications — including the widely deployed T685WS truck-mounted rig and the T660WH well service unit. Schramm rigs are common throughout the eastern US and Southeast, R&RM LLC's primary service corridor. We regularly move Schramm equipment between project sites in Georgia, Tennessee, the Carolinas, Virginia, and neighboring states, as well as longer-haul moves into the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Southwest.

Foremost

Foremost Industries (High River, Alberta) produces truck-mounted and carrier-mounted water well drilling rigs for North American and international markets. The DR-24, Hydraset, and Panther series are common in the mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and western US markets. Foremost rigs require the same dimensional assessment as other truck-mounted production units; mast height in the lowered position is the most common oversize trigger.

Boart Longyear

Boart Longyear produces rotary and diamond core drilling equipment for mineral exploration, geotechnical investigation, and environmental drilling across North America. Track-mounted Boart Longyear rigs transport as conventional oversize equipment on lowboy trailers with width permits for wide crawlers. The company's fleet of exploration drill rigs — including the LF-90D, LF-230, and larger deep-hole core drill platforms — represents a significant segment of North American mineral exploration transport activity.

Atlas Copco / Epiroc

Epiroc (formerly Atlas Copco Mining and Rock Excavation Technique) manufactures crawler-mounted DTH and rotary blast hole rigs, surface core drill rigs, and geotechnical exploration equipment. Epiroc equipment is common in quarrying, mining, and large-scale water well programs in hard rock terrain. The SmartROC, FlexiROC, and PowerROC series crawler rigs transport on lowboy trailers with oversize width permits for the wide crawler undercarriages. R&RM LLC transports Epiroc equipment throughout the continental US.

Transport Methods

Lowboy and RGN Trailer

Crawler-mounted drilling rigs — geotechnical boring machines, sonic drill platforms, and large exploration drill rigs — transport on lowboy or RGN trailers in the same manner as conventional construction equipment. The lowbed deck of an RGN or multi-axle lowboy provides the low loading height that minimizes overall transport height for tall drill masts in the folded position. Standard 3-axle RGN trailers accommodate most crawler drilling rigs up to 60,000 to 80,000 pounds; heavier crawler rigs require multi-axle lowboy configurations with additional axle lines to distribute weight within individual axle limits. Oversize width permits are routinely required for crawler rig transport.

Flatbed and Step Deck Trailer

Compact geotechnical rigs, sonic drill units on skid mounts, and core drilling equipment within legal weight limits transport efficiently on standard 48-foot flatbed or step deck trailers. The step deck's lower front deck height compared to a standard flatbed provides additional overhead clearance for equipment that is taller than optimal on a flatbed but does not require the full ground clearance of a lowboy. Many environmental and geotechnical firms use step deck trailers as their primary rig transport method for mid-size boring machines.

Truck-on-Truck / Piggyback Loading

Smaller truck-mounted drilling rigs — compact water well units on medium-duty chassis — sometimes transport as a complete package on the carrier truck itself with no additional trailer. When the carrier truck with the rig configured for travel is within legal dimensions and gross vehicle weight, no transport trailer is needed. When it is not, the options include either transporting the rig on its carrier truck as an oversize load (obtaining permits for height, width, or weight as applicable) or demounting the rig from its carrier and loading the drill unit separately on a lowboy while the carrier drives independently.

Oversize and Overweight Permit Considerations

Drilling rig transport commonly involves the following permit triggers:

• Height: The most common permit trigger for truck-mounted rigs. Masts in the lowered travel position frequently bring total height above the 13 foot 6 inch legal limit. Heights of 14 to 16 feet require oversize height permits in every state on the route. Permits for loads over 15 feet in height require additional routing attention to identify low bridges and overhead utilities — aerial wire lifts may be required on some routes.
• Width: The most common permit trigger for crawler-mounted rigs. Crawlers wider than 8 feet 6 inches require oversize width permits. Most production crawler drill rigs are 10 to 14 feet wide with crawlers at full width, requiring oversize width permits and in many states a pilot car escort.
• Length: Rigs with pipe racks extending significantly behind the cab or long tailboard sections may trigger oversize length permits for loads over 53 feet. Extended guide tubes and mast sections are the most common length permit triggers.
• Weight: Large truck-mounted production rigs on tandem or tri-axle chassis can approach 80,000 pounds gross vehicle weight without a trailer. When the rig-on-truck combination exceeds 80,000 pounds, or when axle group weights exceed federal limits, an overweight permit is required. Single rear-axle heavy drill trucks are particularly prone to individual axle weight violations on soft-ground county roads approaching rural drill sites.

R&RM LLC handles permit procurement for all drilling rig moves that require oversize or overweight authorization. See our permit services page for details on multi-state permit coordination.

Rural and Remote Site Access

Water well drilling projects are, by nature, located wherever water resources need to be developed — which is often far from major highways on county roads, rural farm roads, and in some cases unpaved access tracks. Geotechnical drilling for highway and bridge projects frequently requires equipment delivery to active construction zones with limited staging area and congested approach routes. These last-mile access conditions are as important to plan for as the highway permit requirements.

R&RM LLC is experienced in rural access coordination for drilling rig deliveries. We assess road surface conditions, bridge load ratings, clearance restrictions, and turnaround space availability before the move, so the transport driver is not encountering surprises at the job site. For high-value production drilling rigs moving to remote well sites, advance site reconnaissance saves time, avoids damage, and ensures the rig arrives ready to work. See our oversize route planning guide for a detailed explanation of the route survey process.

Coverage and Operating Range

R&RM LLC is based in Cumming, Georgia and serves all 48 continental states for drilling rig transport. Our closest service relationships for water well drilling rig moves are in the Southeast and South Central US — Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, the Carolinas, Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas — as well as the high-plains and western states where water well drilling and mineral exploration are most active. We also serve the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Midwest, and Rocky Mountain states routinely on drilling equipment moves.

For state-specific heavy haul permit information, see our area pages: Texas heavy haul, Georgia heavy haul, Oklahoma heavy haul, and Colorado heavy haul.

Getting a Quote for Drilling Rig Transport

To provide an accurate quote for water well drilling rig or geotechnical equipment transport, we need the following information:

• Rig make, model, and type (truck-mounted, crawler, skid-mounted)
• Dimensions in transport configuration: total height with mast lowered, width with outriggers/crawlers stowed, overall length
• Weight (rig GVW if truck-mounted, or rig weight alone if crawler/skid)
• Pickup location (city, state, and whether it is a yard, project site, or manufacturer)
• Delivery location (city, state; rural road access concerns if known)
• Required delivery date or project mobilization window
• Loading equipment available at pickup (whether a crane or forklift is on site, or whether a drive-on RGN is required)

With this information we can determine the trailer type, estimate permit processing time, and provide a transit timeline. Call us at (404) 987-6225 or use the online quote form to get started.