Machinery transport is unforgiving. The loads are heavy, the dimensions are awkward, and the rules — mass limits, permits, load restraint — carry real penalties. These are the mistakes that damage equipment, blow budgets and put businesses on the wrong side of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator.
An excavator on a trailer without ramps rated for its track load, or a tractor on a deck too narrow for its wheelbase, is how machinery gets dropped. Ask your carrier to confirm the trailer type before booking — tag, plant, drop-deck or low loader depending on the machine.
"About 12 tonnes" is not a transport specification. Underdeclared weight voids insurance, breaches mass limits and can overload the trailer. Weigh or verify from the manufacturer's plate: exact weight, height, width, length — including attachments.
Loads over standard dimensions need OSOM permits, approved routes and sometimes pilot vehicles. Moving an oversize load without them risks fines for both the operator and the party who commissioned the move under Chain of Responsibility laws.
The Load Restraint Guide is law, not advice. Chains rated below the machine weight, missing edge protection or restraint at the wrong angles can shift a load at the first hard brake. Professionals restrain to the performance standards — every time.
Unsecured buckets, extended booms, loose attachments, full fuel tanks and active hydraulics all cause transit damage. Machines should be shut down, depressurised, and configured to their transport position before loading.
A low loader cannot unload on a soft verge or inside a site with 3.5 m gate clearance. Confirm ground conditions, overhead obstructions and turning room at pickup and delivery before the truck is dispatched — not when it arrives.
Plant and equipment policies often exclude transit on third-party vehicles. Confirm who insures the machine while it is on the truck, for how much, and get it in writing.
Machinery slots, permits and pilot vehicles take days to arrange. Booking transport last — after the auction, the sale or the project deadline is locked — is how businesses end up paying urgent rates for compromised solutions.
Excavators, tractors, skid steers, telehandlers, forklifts, agricultural and construction plant — contact us with your specific machine and route to confirm availability.
If the loaded combination exceeds standard dimension or mass limits, yes. Confirm at booking whether permit and route approval arrangements are included or need to be sourced separately.
Make and model, exact weight and dimensions (including attachments), whether it drives or needs towing/winching, and the site access conditions at both ends.
Get a no-obligation quote — contact us with your details.
