Transporting heavy machinery requires careful planning and expertise to ensure the safe and efficient movement of valuable equipment.
How do you transport a heavy machine?
Transporting a heavy machine requires careful planning and execution. Here are the general steps involved:
- Evaluate the machine: Assess the weight, dimensions, and any special requirements of the heavy machine to determine the appropriate transportation method.
- Choose the right equipment: Select suitable transportation equipment such as flatbed trailers, low loaders, or cranes based on the machine’s size, weight, and accessibility.
- Secure necessary permits: Check if you need any special permits or authorizations for transporting oversized or overweight machinery, and obtain them in advance.
- Prepare the machine: Ensure the machine is properly prepared for transport. This may involve disconnecting power sources, securing loose parts, and protecting fragile components.
- Plan the route: Plan the transportation route, considering road restrictions, low bridges, weight limits, and any other potential obstacles. Opt for the safest and most efficient route.
- Use appropriate securing methods: Utilize specialized tie-downs, chains, straps, and blocking materials to secure the machine on the transport vehicle and prevent shifting or damage during transit.
- Load the machine: Employ cranes, forklifts, or other lifting equipment to carefully load the machine onto the transport vehicle, ensuring even weight distribution and stability.
- Secure the load: Double-check that the machine is securely fastened to the transport vehicle using appropriate restraints, ensuring it cannot move or shift during transit.
- Follow safety regulations: Adhere to all safety regulations and guidelines during transportation, including proper signaling, flagging, and adherence to traffic laws.
- Monitor and inspect: Regularly monitor the machine during transit, checking for any signs of movement or damage. Conduct thorough inspections upon arrival to ensure the machine is in good condition.
It’s important to note that heavy machinery transportation often requires specialized expertise and equipment. Engaging professional transportation services or consulting with experts in the field can help ensure a smooth and safe transport process.
Heavy Machinery Transport
How much does equipment transportation cost?
The cost of equipment transportation in the UK can vary depending on several factors, including the size and weight of the equipment, the distance to be traveled, the transportation method used, any additional services required (such as loading and unloading), and the current market rates. It is best to contact transport companies or specialized heavy machinery transport service providers to get accurate quotes tailored to your specific needs. They can assess the details of your equipment and transportation requirements to provide you with a cost estimate.
Ensuring your heavy machinery arrives safely to its intended destination should be at the forefront of considerations. Whether this is transporting short distances as part of an internal factory production line machine move project or hundreds of miles to relocate machines to another factory, the process of moving your heavy machinery should be simple and stress free.
By choosing a heavy haulage company who will provide a fully managed and professional service, you will be able to sit back and relax as they do all the work for you. From loading the machinery, getting it ready for transport to eventually moving it, the whole process can be made clear for all those involved, whilst following relevant road laws and regulations.
Here at DC Merrett, we work for many of the world’s leading machinery manufacturers as well as manufacturing companies that are expanding their facilities, relocating machines, altering production lines or decommissioning plants in the UK and overseas. Delivering and transporting vehicles all across the country is our speciality!
Our approach begins with a site inspection to ascertain the project requirements and to ensure the heavy machinery can be lifted and transported safely, and in accordance with all health and safety legislation. This includes an assessment of any abnormal loads that may require a police escort.
Any heavy haulage company you work with should also provide a comprehensive health and safety pack that is submitted to all customers for approval before removal or transportation works start. This means that customers can have their say before any transportation is complete. Any necessary changes that they feel are necessary, can be done quickly and simply. A method statement is provided for all works, which comprehensively explains how transportation works are to be carried out.
Whether the cargo you wish to transport is part of an internal machinery move, a factory relocation, machine removal or a new machinery install, everything is always planned to the finest detail to ensure your heavy equipment machinery is managed in a cost-effective and time-efficient manner. Over the years, we have been fortunate to build a great reputation with our customers, who often return to us for further services they may need. We are always happy to work with commercial, public and private clients.
There are a number of categories that permit each load with specific limitations on speed and weight restrictions. Depending on each gross weight of the load, specific notification and permission is needed prior to transportation. Haulage services are our specialty here at DC Merrett.
These abnormal loads will require specialist freight arrangements, and that is where we come in. At DC Merrett we have a fleet of impressive heavy haulage vehicles as well as a very adept team who fully project manage the heavy haulage transportation. Heavy haulage driving is a factor that all of our drivers are experts in.
All of our vehicles are equipped with signage and two-way radios that allow our team to communicate clearly and efficiently, keeping the task at hand running smoothly and safely when completing our road haulage services. We ensure our advanced fleet of Heavy Haulage vehicles are fully compliant with Highways England guidelines therefore, you can rely on us to do the job.
You can be assured that we will take our utmost care when handling your machinery and equipment. We pride ourselves on making sure we complete every job effectively to the highest standards.
The benefits of using DC Merrett are:
- All of our staff are highly-experienced, certified professionals.
- Our fleet is made up of only the latest industry standard vehicles.
- The team is fully equipped, and this keeps communication transparent throughout the procedure.
- We have a great understanding of UK and European network and movement restrictions.
- Extensive fleet of machinery (Low Loaders up to 150 tonnes, Extendable step frames, 8 wheeler rigid lorries, 60 tonnes per metre crane lorry)
Please feel free to contact us today to discuss any queries or assistance you may need.