When transporting abnormal loads, it is a legal requirement that you have a pilot/escort car. These specialist vehicles are used to ensure the heavy haulage load departs, travels, and arrives safely. The vehicles have high-tech communication equipment, which is used to correspond with all those involved during the haul. This helps ensure that travel route details and safety precautions are provided throughout the process.
Certain abnormal load movements may require police escorts due to the extreme nature of the load or complexity of the transport. This could be for half or for the entire length of the journey. The escort/pilot vehicles are also there to provide visual awareness for other drivers, keeping everyone on the public roads safe.
Why use our escort service?
- Alerts all other road users to the presence of an abnormal load being transported and reduces the risk of dangerous incidents.
- If an incident does occur, we can raise an alarm and immediately call for help or stay alongside the main vehicle being escorted until further help arrives on the scene.
- It’s highly important to effectively demonstrate a mitigation of risk factors to local authorities and police forces when it comes to seeking approval for the transportation of an abnormal load.
- Very real and valid safety concerns can be satisfied through the use of escort vehicles, especially if the route features tight bends, low bridges, or narrows roads. Situations such as these mean that the escort vehicle can comfortably check their clearance from both behind and ahead.
When transporting any kind of heavy load of this nature, it’s important to stick with a reliable haulage company who know what they’re doing and have considerable experience doing this sort of thing.
Safety
Safety is one of our biggest priorities here at DC Merrett. That is why we take every necessary precaution to ensure we keep the load, the public and our team safe at all times.
All of our drivers are CSCS qualified and continue to undergo various training to ensure they are up to the industry safety standards. We ensure that the vehicles are well equipped with emergency and roadside safety equipment. All of our escort/pilot fleet vehicles are kitted out with the latest communications equipment as specified by the Highways Agency’s Self-Escorting of Abnormal Loads and Abnormal Vehicles Code of Practice.
Our experienced logistics team will prepare and provide detailed plans that will all help towards making the abnormal load transportation a successful one. We will also provide all the necessary documentation and notify the appropriate authorities for you. This happens a few days prior to the job, as it gives the authorities sufficient notice time. This will help guarantee that the abnormal load transportation is done legally and safely.
DC Merrett are an independent family-run business who care about the finer details. This includes our responsibility as a team that transports and arranges the disposal of effluent products. To enable us to offer our services, we are registered as waste carriers and hold a waste carrier license that is issued by the Environment Agency.
If you need some advice or assistance in the following areas, we’re here to help you:
- Tankering Services
- Environmental Services
- Drain Jetting
- Vactoring
- Heavy haulage
- Escort services
- Machinery transportation
- Machinery export preparation
We are also experts in heavy plant machinery maintenance, including agricultural and heavy plant machinery. For more information, take a look at our website, where you’ll find a lot of information regarding how we can help you with your heavy haulage or septic tanks and cesspits. Or simply give us a call on 01452 740782 – we’d be happy to help!