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Don’t Get Weighed Down: Your Top 5 Overweight Freight Facts 🚛

Shipping overweight freight carries its own set of unique challenges. With cargo or shipments that exceed legal weight limits requiring a long list of requirements — including safety regulations and special permits — it’s critical to work with a proven provider experienced in shipping heavy.

Safety and reliability for trucking and warehousing heavy and standard-weight shipping containers are everything to us at Heavy Weight Transport. We specialize in drayage services across U.S. ports, with thousands of customers across the country trusting us to handle their freight daily — the safe way. The right way.

Are You Shipping Overweight Freight?

To provide comprehensive service, Heavy Weight Transport specializes in overweight freight, including:

  • Truckloads: The combined weight of a truck, its cargo, and any attached trailers exceeds the legal maximum limit for the road or vehicle. Special vehicles and permits are required for overweight/oversize loads.
  • Containers: Typical 20- and 40-foot containers have maximum gross weight limits. When a standard shipping container is over the specific weight limits to carry cargo safely, it is considered overweight. Special permits, equipment, and routes are required to transport these containers.

If your business includes heavy shipments, here are 5 factors to keep top of mind about overweight freight:

  1. Weights and Measures. You must accurately measure and weigh your freight to see if it qualifies as oversized or overweight (or both). The legal limits before special permits are required are typically well-known by experienced shippers:
    1. Width: 8’6″
    2. Height: 13’6″ east of Mississippi, 14′ west of Mississippi
    3. Length: Up to 5′ overhang on a 48′ trailer without permits
    4. Weight: 48,000 lbs on a standard flatbed trailer; this can vary depending on equipment weight.
  2. Permits. Overweight loads require specialized heavyweight trailers, trucks, and permits for legal transport. Choose carriers who not only have access to the right equipment but have experience handling oversize/overweight freight correctly and safely.Remember, knowing how permitting works is the shipper’s responsibility, and permits are typically required for each state on a load’s journey.
  3. Route Planning. Point A to Point B may be more complicated with an overweight or oversized load. Factors shippers need to consider can include:
    1. Bridge and road weight limits along the journey
    2. Low overhead clearances
    3. Construction zones and detours
    4. Restricted/prohibited routes
    5. Escort vehicle requirementsUsing a drayage service that uses a proven system to track your cargo can ensure route planning issues are managed smoothly. Heavy Weight Transport uses an in-house proprietary Transportation Management System (iTMS) for our trucking and drayage operations. In addition to detailed tracking of shipments, the system allows us to completely automate internal processes from order receipt to customer service, to operations to billing, and driver settlements.
  4. Advance Loading/Unloading Arrangements. Because overweight freight often requires special equipment, you should ensure your carrier knows what your loading and unloading plans entail before they agree to ship the load.
  5. Costs. Special loads often mean additional pricing and those costs need to be baked into your shipping plan, which can include:
    1. Special permits
    2. Special handling equipment
    3. More complex routing needs
    4. Potential delays
    5. Additional insurance costs

Keeping these five issues in mind can help you budget more accurately and make delivery smoother for overweight shipments.

Choose a shipping company with the experience, equipment, and commitment to safety that your freight and customers need.

SHIP WITH HEAVY, SAVE MORE MONEY

SHIP WITH HEAVY, SAVE MORE MONEY