Why Do I Need Machinery Transportation?

Shipping heavy machinery can seem like a monumental task to those uninitiated into the freight shippers universe, and yet, from Dubai to California, Dublin to Hong Kong, construction machinery, jet engines, earthmoving equipment, mining equipment, forklifts and agricultural vehicles that help to build our world reach their destinations day by day. This seemingly impossible task is accomplished, in large part, thanks to a carefully choreographed dance played out by freight brokers, shipping companies, manufacturers, government officials, and freight haulers all over the globe.

When shipping machinery, you need assurance it will arrive as it should. At Transportation Global OU , we track all shipments until theyre successfully delivered, you can feel safe in the knowledge weve got you covered.

How to transport heavy machinery

Heavy machinery shipping is not a new phenomenon, and thus many options are available to best get your shipment where it needs to go. Shipping companies (or haulers) are ready and willing to bid on your shipment. These companies all have reputations and histories, most of them readily available for scrutiny on online message boards and review sites.

Another important aspect of heavy machinery shipping is deciding exactly how best to ship it. The methods of shipping heavy machinery are myriad and most will be determined by the loads size and shape. The following are four methods of shipping heavy machinery that are the most commonly used by todays premier shipping companies:

Container shipping

The old standby of the shipping world, container shipping allows for easy loading and unloading of freight conveyed in standard twenty or forty-foot containers. However, when shipping large machinery it may not be feasible to fit your shipment into a standard container. This may result in the need to disassemble your heavy machinery and equipment in order to make fitting it into a container a viable option.

Lifton/liftoff

Also known as LoLo, Lifton/Liftoff is the practice of using a crane to simply lift your heavy equipment and machinery directly onto, and subsequently, off of the appropriate shipping conveyance. In theory, LoLo is a relatively simple method of heavy machinery shipping, however, the necessity of a crane capable of lifting and moving your load, as well as specially trained crew to operate the crane can lead to shipping machinery costs that might otherwise be avoided if your load has the capability to roll.

Rollon/rolloff

Rollon/Rolloff, or RoRo, is the simplest way to load and ship, provided your shipment has the enviable ability to be rolled. Wheeled heavy machinery can be easily loaded onto all manner of shipping conveyances, whether those are trailers, containers, or ship decks. This ability will save you time and money, the only downsides being the space wheeled machinery tends to take up and the logistical difficulties of stacking wheeled machinery to maximize space.

Flat rack shipping

A flat rack container solves the problem of stacking and trailer compatibility for shipping heavy machinery. In essence, a flat rack is a shipping container without sidewalls or a roof, allowing a shipper to mount their heavy haul onto the stackable surface of a container without being confined to its dimensional restrictions. This is an incredibly common practice in heavy machinery shipping as the standardized twenty to forty-foot container bottoms will fit on all trailers and at the top of container stacks.

Cost

The cost of shipping heavy machinery is based on a number of mitigating factors, the four most important of which are: density, priority, insurance, and destination.

Density is the standard of measurement used by the shipping world to gauge the dimensions (size and weight) of the machinery you are shipping. The density of your shipment will account for much of the calculated cost of its pickup, handling, and delivery, as well as determine what manner of conveyance is appropriate and safe for shipping your large machinery.

The priority of your shipment can also be a huge factor in cost, as urgent shipments will always be more expensive due to the efforts of haulers and handlers to make delivery on a tighter schedule.

Insurance is especially necessary when shipping heavy machinery, no matter the urgency, as the possibility of damage due to accidents multiplies with the size and irregular nature of the item being shipped.

The last major pricing hurdle is the destination. Whether shipping heavy machinery one hundred or three thousand miles, the price will scale with the distance your shipment must go. Your shipments destination may also incur costs on a statebystate or countrybycountry basis as tariffs and permits may be required.

Having a heavy machinery to ship and looking for shipping quotes door to door? Our advanced Freight Calculator quickly supplies you with quotes from our network of reliable heavy machinery transport companies, so you dont have to spend time making inquiries yourself.

Choosing the Best Heavy Machinery Transport Company

There are a few key things to look for when choosing a heavy machinery transport company. The first is experience. The company should have a lot of experience transporting heavy machinery. They should also have a lot of experience transporting the specific type of machinery you need transported. The second thing to look for is quality of service. The company should be reliable and always deliver on their promises. They should also be able to handle your shipment in a timely manner.

Finally, price is important too. You want to find a company that offers quality service at a fair price. All our heavy machinery haulers are reviewed by our members using our simple 5 star rating system. So you can easily see what other users thought of their service.