Benefits of Using a Flatbed Truck to Haul Your Construction Equipment
Construction is an essential industry that makes the world work. It would be impossible to build new infrastructure, buildings, and cities without construction equipment. Each new project requires various machinery and materials, but how do these items make it to their final destination?
In many cases, flatbed trucks enable the transport of construction equipment and raw material. Without these trucks, construction could only happen within a specific radius from where the machinery is stored. This article will discuss the challenges of shipping this type of equipment and why flatbed trucks are such a versatile solution.
Challenges of Transporting Construction Equipment
Ideally, you can fit all your machinery and raw materials into a standard shipping container. If so, you don’t have to worry about special permits or logistical issues. However, in the real world, construction equipment often requires extra planning and preparation, such as:
- Permits – As a rule, shipments must not be wider than 8.5 feet, longer than 53 feet, taller than 14 feet, or weigh more than 46,000 pounds. Unfortunately, most construction machinery exceeds at least one of these measurements, meaning you need special permits to haul it. Making matters more complicated is that each state sets its own regulations. So, before shipping anything, you have to apply for permits in each state through which your load will pass.
- Scheduling – Wide and oversized loads often require pilot vehicles to warn other drivers and spot potential obstacles. If your shipment uses these vehicles, you can’t travel more than 30 minutes before sunrise or 30 minutes after sunset. So, it will take longer to get your machinery or raw materials from one point to another since it can’t move at night.
- Packing and Unpacking – As a rule, states require all equipment to be broken down into its smallest components whenever possible. Although doing this can be a hassle, it can also be an advantage if you avoid wide and oversized load restrictions. In this case, you just have to make sure to break down the machinery correctly so that it can be reassembled on-site.
What Types of Materials Can I Load Into a Flatbed?
Although hauling construction equipment can create various challenges and obstacles, flatbed trucks are often well-suited to overcoming them. Some examples of the materials you can put on a flatbed are:
- Machinery – You can put everything from cranes to bulldozers to dump trucks on a flatbed. There are multiple types of flatbed trucks to accommodate various machines. For example, you can use a lowboy trailer to accommodate extra-tall equipment.
- Pipes and Beams – Depending on the project, you might be using oversized pipes and beams that can’t be broken down. For example, perhaps you need to ship individual concrete pipe sections from one point to another.
- Raw Materials – Examples can include timber, lumber, sheet metal, I-beams, and more
Overall, flatbed trucks can accommodate practically anything you can imagine.
Benefits of Using a Flatbed
Given the various logistical challenges you might face when shipping construction equipment, it’s nice to know that flatbed trucks can make the entire process a bit easier. Here are a few of the advantages you can expect when using a flatbed:
- Versatility – Whether you’re shipping chopped wood or a construction crane, everything can fit on a flatbed. As we mentioned, many types of flatbed trailers can work for specific needs. In some cases, you may be able to avoid the challenges of an “oversized” load by transporting taller equipment on a lowboy trailer.
- Easier Loading and Unloading – Since flatbeds don’t have sides or a roof, you’re not constrained the same way as you would with a standard shipping container. Instead, you can load the flatbed however you see fit. For example, you can use forklifts to set equipment down on any section of the trailer. Unloading is also just as streamlined.
- Faster Operation – Loading and securing equipment into a standard shipping container comes with various challenges, particularly when tying something down. Flatbeds don’t have this problem because you can secure the load at any point. This level of efficiency helps cut down on preparation and logistics.
Haul Your Construction Equipment With Osage Specialized Transport
If you’re planning to ship construction machinery or materials, you may be wondering how to get around the various obstacles and challenges along the way. Fortunately, Osage Specialized Transport can handle these details so that you can focus on everything else. We have a wide array of flatbed trucks to suit your needs, so contact us today to find out how we can help.
