Types of Trucks for Moving Heavy Equipment
Deciding on the right truck for moving heavy equipment is easier than it sounds. Several types of trailers haul items around the country every day. Here at Equip Trucking, we have the expertise necessary to transport your heavy machinery. Whether you need a flatbed or drop deck, our team can help.
Types of Equipment-Moving Trucks
Road transportation is one of the most common ways to move cargo throughout the world. When you’re choosing a truck to haul heavy equipment, consider the factors playing into your load, such as width, weight and shape. Trailers specifically designed to carry construction, agricultural or other heavy machinery work well.
Trucks for Moving Heavy Machinery
The size of the machines and the covering or protection required influence which type of truck classification you will need. Trailers commonly used for moving heavy equipment include:
- Flatbed trailers
- Drop deck trucks
- Removable gooseneck (RGN)
- Enclosed box trailers
Flatbed Trucks — The Versatile Workhorse for Open-Air Heavy Hauling
Flatbed trucks are characterized by their open-deck trailers with no sides or roofs. This provides maximum flexibility when loading and unloading oversized, irregularly shaped, or heavy cargo from any angle. Standard flatbeds measure roughly 48 to 53 feet in length and usually are about 8.5 feet wide. Their standard legal payload capacity is 48,000 pounds. Some of the most common types of cargo these trucks haul include construction materials such as pipes and steel beams, heavy machinery, industrial equipment, and building components. FMCSA cargo securement regulations require the use of chains, straps, and tarps for proper transport. Our flatbed fleet is purpose-built to haul industrial and manufacturing equipment, and we have three generations of experience when it comes to ensuring proper load securement and safe transport throughout the Mid-Atlantic.
Step Deck and Drop Deck Trailers — How They Handle Taller Loads Safely
Step deck and drop deck trailers are terms used interchangeably to describe trailers with a two-level deck. This means a higher section on the tractor end and a lower deck on the rear section. This allows taller cargo to ride lower and stay within the 13.5-foot overall height standard applied in the majority of U.S. states without requiring oversize permits.
The typical dimensions for drop deck and step deck trailers are 11 feet for the upper deck and about 37 to 41 feet for the lower deck. Their overall legal payload capacity tends to be between 43,000 and 48,000 pounds, depending on the configuration. They’re used for generators, transformers, and other industrial machinery that would otherwise be too tall to fit on a standard flatbed. Our specialized hauling services make the best use of these trailers because we have experienced truck drivers and regional highway knowledge across PA, DE, NJ, and MD to ensure tall equipment reaches its destination safely and in compliance with DOT regulations.
Lowboy and RGN Trailers — The Heavy Hitters for Your Oversized Equipment
With lowboy trailers, their extremely low profiles feature deck heights as low as 18 to 24 inches off the ground. The low center of gravity they have makes them ideal for hauling the heaviest and tallest equipment. Depending on their axle configuration, these can haul up to 80,000 pounds and more.
Removable gooseneck (RGN) trailers provide the added advantage of a detachable front that lowers to the ground. This creates a built-in ramp that allows for loading and unloading of equipment including bulldozers, excavators, and wheel loaders. This means there’s no need to use cranes or forklifts. With our decades of heavy equipment hauling knowledge, Equip Trucking is the best choice for moving large-scale machinery across the Mid-Atlantic region.
Enclosed Trailers, Dry Vans, and Box Trucks — When Your Cargo Needs Protection
Equip Trucking offers three options for enclosed transport. Dry vans are standard 53-foot enclosed trailers with a capacity of about 45,000 pounds. Box trucks are single-unit straight trucks ranging from 10 to 26 feet typically used for local deliveries. Specialty enclosed trailers offer added features such as side access. Any of these make a good choice for protecting cargo from the weather, theft, and other external threats. Some examples of cargo best suited for enclosed transport include sensitive electronics, precision machinery, high-value equipment, and loads that could be damaged by road debris or the weather. Our fleet includes stake body freight trucks for loads that call for partial enclosure and side-access loading, combining the protection our customers need with the accessibility heavy equipment often demands.
Specialized Hauling Vehicles — Tilt Deck, Tanker, and Refrigerated Trucks
Our fleet also includes specialty vehicles built for specific hauling requirements. These include hydraulic tilt deck trailers that can tilt the entire deck to ground level for drive-on loading. These work best for equipment such as forklifts that can be driven or winched onto the deck. Cover tanker trucks are used for hauling liquid, gas, and dry bulk loads, with capacities ranging from 5,000 to 11,600 gallons. Our refrigerated trucks can maintain temperatures from -20 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit for perishable and temperature-sensitive cargo. Our inclusion of these specialty vehicles ensures faster, safer loading and unloading for machinery moving and plant relocation projects.
Trucks for Moving Wide Loads
Wide loads are those over 8 1/2 feet in width. A flatbed trailer commonly carries this type of cargo. Since flatbeds have no sides, there is more room for your heavy equipment to fit on the truck. There are several variations of a flatbed that you can use to haul oversized cargo, though standard and drop decks are two of the most common.
Trucks for Moving Overweight Loads
Flatbeds are one of the most common types of hauling trucks for oversized or unusual loads of any kind. If your load is overweight and indivisible, you might need to use a flatbed. If standard flatbeds aren’t working, you can also try an RGN lowboy. These trailers are for the easy loading of heavy items.
Trucks for Special Hauling
You will probably need a special hauling truck when you have freight that isn’t considered standard. Cargoes with large weights, shapes and sizes need specialized freight trucks to haul the materials adequately. Some of the most common trucks used to carry this type of cargo include:
- Flatbeds
- RGN lowboys
- Rollback tilt-beds
- Tilting trailers
- Drop deck trailers
Contact Equip Trucking for a Free Quote
If you need help hauling heavy machinery to a job site, Equip Trucking has the tools necessary to get the job done. We have over 30 years of experience in the trucking and warehousing industries. We assist people in multiple sectors, ranging from food and beverage to equipment rental businesses. Our teams have the expertise and proper equipment to load and haul your heavy machinery throughout the tri-state area.
Contact us today for a free quote.
