Effectively Transporting Heavy Equipment

Sammy is currently a writer for Membrey’s Transport and Crane Hire. She is an avid truck and engine fan and shows her passion through her writing. In this article, she talks about efficient ways to safely transport heavy equipment.

Heavy machinery equipment are crucial in the infrastructure industry. They help get the job done in good time and save the contractor on a lot of manpower. However, one can’t be too carefree about moving huge pieces of equipment around the country. Businesses that deal with heavy machinery need to follow the rules and policies governing machinery transport.

Types of Machines

Heavy equipment can be broken down into several categories. It is important to distinguish these so there isn’t any confusion when carrying out the transportation endeavour.

· Track-type

· Backhoe

· Loader, Track Loader

· Timber

· Underground

· Grader

· Skid Steer

· Pipe layer

· Material Handler

· Hydromatic Tool

· Scraper

· Excavator

· Mining

· Paving

· Highway

· Articulated

·

Ideal Transporting Process

Safety needs to be practiced at all times when moving heavy equipment. A well-defined moving process helps ensure safety and also efficiency of the entire transport endeavour.

Pre-planning

During this stage, one must formulate the requirements. Machine transporting is usually a time-sensitive thing. As such, there needs to be a timetable with the deadlines listed. A list of equipment also needs to be listed down as well as the pertinent dates each one is needed. Each piece of equipment should be carefully evaluated so that if there is a change in the condition after transit, people can be held accountable.

Considering Expenses

Once all the requirements have been jotted down, the company should sit down and discuss whether they should tackle this on their own by purchasing moving equipment or simply offload the task to third-party movers. If one does not transport heavy machinery on a regular basis, renting transport vehicles and consulting with specialists is a much cheaper option.

Legal Requirements

The rules vary from state to state and country to country. One will need to comply with the government’s requirements to be able to transport heavy machinery without delays and fines. Some of these include preparing documentation, proper traffic management, utilization of designated routes, submitting to mandatory inspection and the like.

Use the Right Equipment

Transport equipment vary in size and capabilities. As long as one has listed the specifications needed, it shouldn’t be that hard to pick out the right equipment to purchase or rent.

Securing the Load

Once the equipment is in transit, it becomes a liability on the road if dislodged. Several measures need to be taken to ensure this does not happen. The first is ensuring that there are enough restraints around to keep the equipment in place.

Construction site safety

Once the machinery has arrived, there’s still no room to break a sweat until it lands safely on the ground. These machines should be offloaded on level ground. Likewise, that area of the construction site should be vacated temporarily until it is firmly on the ground.

All these steps can actually be foregone if one chooses to go with transport specialists. They will have the necessary experience to get things done swiftly and safely without one needing to worry about a thing. Permits and documents usually take time to process and these are things that transport specialists will already have on hand.

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Author: Sammy Blackmore

Sammy is a wordsmith at Membrey’s Transport and Crane Hire, and is working to enhance her skills as a content specialist on trucks and construction. Just like her father, she loves trucks and just about anything powered by an engine. Follow her on Twitter.