What Customers Should Know About Heavy Equipment Transportation
Heavy equipment transportation services involve a lot more than just finding a flatbed that's sufficiently big enough to move a vehicle or piece of machinery. Customers should understand the difference between heavy equipment transportation and other forms of hauling.
Specialized Hardware
Many kinds of heavy equipment have to travel on flatbed trailers with specific features. If you're moving a large bulldozer, the trailer has to be strong enough to handle the weight. The trailer also needs tie-downs to secure the bulldozer's bucket and tracks.
Using a less specialized solution could raise questions if the equipment ends up in an accident during transportation. You need to be able to document that you made the best possible effort to secure and transport the machine as safely as possible.
Insurance
Even if you have the right hardware to handle heavy equipment transportation, your insurer may prohibit it. One of the advantages of working with a heavy equipment transportation services provider is that the company's insurance policy explicitly covers this sort of project. Given the value of even old pieces of heavy equipment, it's best to have an insured third party handle the job.
Time
Moving heavy equipment down the highway is inherently time-consuming. Especially if the machinery is quite tall, the transport team may need to slowly approach bridges, overpasses, power lines, and other features. They may also have to move things out of the way or even have local authorities shut down roadways. It takes time to contact all of the relevant jurisdictions to ensure that you can legally transport a piece of equipment down a particular road.
Attention to Detail
People often overlook the smallest details while securing the biggest machines. Something as simple as a loose door could create havoc when a vehicle is going down the road. You often have to remove problematic parts from transported machines to limit their exposure to potential damage. This requires further efforts to secure the parts separately during the transportation process, even if they fit properly on the trailer.
Picking Up and Dropping Off the Equipment
Even the job of collecting or returning a large machine poses some challenges. Most of the places where heavy equipment operates aren't highly accessible. If you need someone to haul a drilling rig, the roads in and out of the site probably aren't the greatest. A heavy equipment transportation driver, though, will know how to get around your site to pick up or drop off a load.
For more information on heavy equipment transportation, contact a company near you.