Heavy Hauling & Oversize Loads
The Heavy Haul Division at Ecology
The heavy haul trucking industry provides a critically important service for the U.S. and international businesses by moving loads that are too heavy or too large to legally transport on conventional flatbed trailers. However, not all heavy haul companies are created equal. The experts at Ecology Auto Parts provide comprehensive services for the transport of overweight and oversized loads to all destinations west of the Mississippi River. With our combination of reliable modern vehicles, highly experienced drivers, deep knowledge of required procedures, and access to the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach, we provide a premium, cost-effective solution for the safe delivery of your time-sensitive heavy loads.
What Is Heavy Haul Trucking?
A trucking load qualifies as heavy haul when it exceeds certain limits in weight, length, height or width. Some of these limits vary from state to state, while others are universal or near-universal. For example, in every U.S. state, trucking loads with a gross weight of more than 80,000 lbs fall under heavy haul guidelines. In all states, trucks carrying loads more than 8 ft, 6 in wide also fall under these guidelines. In California, heavy haul guidelines apply to all trucks with loads more than 14 ft tall. State guidelines for allowable length vary according to the number of axles on the truck hauling the load.
Heavy haul trucking companies handle a broad range of cargo types. Examples of items that are frequently too heavy or too large to transport by other means include cranes and other construction equipment, mining equipment, boilers, oilfield equipment, industrial farming implements, storage tanks, and the turbines, towers and blades used in power-generating windmills. The loads carried by heavy haul trailers can weigh as much as hundreds of thousands of pounds. The heavy haul division also can handle bulk loads and bulk freight that require heavy haul equipment. Most bulk loads can be loaded in bulk trailers or containers and handled as regular drayage by Ecology Auto Parts Drayage Team, but sometimes the nature of the bulk material requires heavy haul equipment as it exceeds trailer capacity or is an oversized load.
Heavy Haul Equipment
Trucking companies use a range of trailer types to transport overweight or oversized loads. Examples of the most commonly used formats include flatbed trailers, stepdeck or dropdeck trailers, removable gooseneck trailers, double-drop trailers, extendable trailers and multiple-axle trailers. Multi-axle trailers may have as few as two axles or as many as nineteen axles.
Heavy Haul Permitting and Escorting – We Handle It All!
Heavy haul loads must receive special permission in the form of permits issued by appropriate government agencies. In Los Angeles or any other municipal jurisdiction, permits are issued at the city level, county level and state level. Companies that carry loads through multiple counties or states must obtain the proper permits for each of the jurisdictions on the routes they travel.
In some cases, heavy haul loads must be accompanied by escort or pilot vehicles. While en route, these vehicles serve critical functions that include helping truck drivers safeguard their loads, helping drivers avoid damaging their equipment, and alerting the public to the presence of trucks carrying overweight/oversized loads. The regulations and expense associated with the use of pilot and escort vehicles vary according to the standards maintained by the jurisdictions crossed during travel.
Critical Support for Your Overweight & Oversize Loads
As a rule, it takes extensive planning and skillful execution to carry out the complicated task of transporting overweight and oversized truck loads. This is especially true if your planned route of travel passes through multiple jurisdictions. It’s also true if you must move a heavy load into or out of a tightly controlled facility like a commercial port.
At Ecology Auto Parts, we specialize in a complete approach to heavy hauling that greatly simplifies the transport of overweight/oversized freight loads. When you schedule your delivery with us, we carefully handle each step in the process, including obtaining all required permits and special licenses, arranging for any required escort or pilot vehicles, and safely transporting your freight to its final destination. In addition to handling one-off loads, we work with companies seeking longer-term heavy hauling contracts, as well as freight brokers. Our company is fully bonded and insured, so you’re protected from any uncontrolled exposure to financial risk.
Our Trucking Fleet
The heavy haul fleet at Ecology Auto Parts includes a large number of vehicles capable of moving everything from a single flatbed trailer to extended 13-axle trailers.
All of our trucks are Kenworth models made in 2009 or later, and meet all current California Air Resources Board (CARB) standards for emissions output. We own all of our trucks, and perform all vehicle servicing at our own dedicated facilities. These factors allow us to faithfully maintain the most reliable fleet of trucks west of the Mississippi. GPS tracking gives you the ability to follow each of our trucks in real-time and track the progress of your delivery.
Each truck in our heavy haul fleet meets the requirements for operating inside of a commercial port. That means we can pick up your oversized/overweight loads at the Port of Los Angeles and transport directly to your desired destination. It also means we can bring your heavy haul loads right into the Port for convenient offloading.We can also coordinate load transportation within the Port with your preferred provider for primary hauling services.
Our Heavy Haul Trailers
Ecology Auto Parts maintains an extensive fleet of heavy haul trailers, including 9-axle steerable models, 7-axle double-drop models, and models with non-steerable axles.
Our largest 13-axle trailers can safely accommodate loads that weigh as much as 200,000 lbs. Regardless of the freight you wish to transport, we have the right size and type of trailer to get the job done safely and reliably.
Our Heavy Haul Drivers
Each of the heavy haul drivers employed by Ecology Auto Parts has at least 15 years of experience transporting oversized and overweight loads.
This is crucially important, since the ability to safely maneuver in real-world driving environments drastically increases the odds that your valuable parts and equipment will reach their end destination on time and in pristine condition. Each of our drivers also possesses a federally issued TWIC (transportation worker identification credential) card, which grants access to secure areas in commercial port facilities.
Trust the Experts at Ecology
Heavy haul trucking is a job for professionals. The experts at Ecology have the training and know-how needed to assess your overweight and oversized loads, determine the best transport option for each situation, and make sure your valuable equipment and materials arrive as expected.
Whether you want to transport your goods for long distances or just in and out of the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach, we’ll handle all the arrangements and help you keep your stress and worry to a minimum. Let us show you just how good we are.