What Is Heavy Haul Trucking? What Do We Need To Know About It?
In recent years, the demand for heavy-haul drivers has surged. According to SJ Consulting, Heavy-haul providers have also seen a 33% growth from 2017 to 2018. However, the COVID-19 pandemic slowed the economy in the first few months of 2020, but in the third quarter of the year, we again saw the demand going up for heavy-haul.
According to Mordor Intelligence, the market is expected to register a compound annual growth rate of around 7.34% between 2021-and 2026.

What Is Heavy-Haul Trucking?
Heavy-duty trucks are commercial vehicles that are an integral part of the commercial vehicles integral to commercial activities such as transportation, agriculture, construction and much more.
Heavy-haul trucking also transports heavy industrial machinery, military equipment, farming equipment and construction materials.
These trucks transport heavy loads and therefore need special handling, optimized routing and many permits. Due to the heavy load, size and weight, the driver can’t just go out on the road from one place to another as they might have with a regular cargo load.
What Is Heavy Load?
Cargo is classified as a heavy load if it exceeds-
- 80,000 pounds of gross vehicle weight.
- 20,000 pounds of single axle weight.
- 34,000 pounds of tandem axle weight.
Also, to protect bridges, the number and spacing of axles also needs to be considered. The Federal Highway Administration uses this formula to make this calculation:
W=500(LN/N-1 + 12N + 36)

- W=overall gross weight on any group of two or more consecutive axles to the nearest 500 pounds.
- L=distance in feet between the extreme of any group of two or more consecutive axles.
- N=number of axles in the group under consideration.
Since the standard highway lane is 12 feet wide, loads exceeding 8.5 feet wide are considered oversize and often require a state permit.
Restrictions For Heavy-Hauling
Heavy-haul trucking requires proper documentation and permitting. Fleet managers need to get the permits before they send the drivers out on the road with the load. Depending on the commodity shipping as the heavy load, there could be added permits required for the cargo as well. Different states, cities, and counties will restrict the amount of time an oversized freight can travel and during what hours of the day.
Also, the regulations vary from state to state and one needs a permit according to the destination as well.
Understanding Heavy-Haul Permits
State permits usually give a fair idea of the local terrain, population density, environment and the laws for that particular state. Permits are issued within three to five days but are generally for a specific duration and within a specific time frame.
Permit prices can range between ₹2000 to ₹6000 depending on the state, route, destination and size of the load and may also require a processing fee. Also, heavy-haul permits need to be applied for in advance.
Additional Requirements For Heavy-Haul Trucking
Heavy-haul trucking can require drivers to take special routes and power lines may need to be lifted or obstacles may need to be removed. Even without these kinds of special considerations, though, there are some added requirements typical of oversized and overweight loads.

Outsource To 3PL
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