How To Safely Transport An Oversized Load
When you are transporting an oversized load, you may be transporting an object that is wider than the size of one or more lanes. Under these circumstances, you'll need to obtain a special oversize permit and you will also need to take steps to make sure that you transport the oversized load properly.
Obtaining a Permit
Permits are not issued on a federal level. Instead, you will need to have a permit for an oversized load issued by a state. Oversized loads are considered to be either divisible or non-divisible loads. A non-divisible load is one which the load would be destroyed if any attempts were made to divide it. In some cases, dividing the load may make the cargo more dangerous to transport. Or, the load might simply require too many hours to dismantle. If the load can be practically divided, it would make more sense to divide the load and transport it in more than one vehicle.
An oversized load is often transported in a trailer that was normally designed to transport a smaller load. Special care needs to be taken to ensure that the oversized load is transported safely.
Planning the Route
Because of how dangerous it can be to transport an oversized shipment, it's important to make sure to choose the best route possible so that you won't be on the road for too long. You must choose a route that will be safe and that can get you to the final destination fast enough.
One of the concerns when transporting an oversized load is that it may be so heavy that it places strain on a bridge. For this reason, it's important to plan the transportation of the oversized load ahead of time and determine whether it can safely be transported across the bridge.
Another common problem is when an oversized load is too tall and collides with an overhead structure, such as a bridge. The route must be planned out so that the load is never transported on a road where it must travel through an area where it doesn't have enough clearance, since this can damage the cargo and the overhead structure and place the driver at risk.
Outsourcing
Fortunately, you don't have to handle an oversized load yourself. You can hire a company that specializes in transporting oversized loads for you and will handle the permitting process. You simply need to inform them about what needs to be transported and the weight and dimensions of the shipment.
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