Heavy and out-of-gauge work does not begin with finding a vehicle. It begins with knowing where the cargo stands against the legal envelope: every centimetre beyond that line means a separate permit and a separate route study.
Everything downstream — trailer, route, escort, schedule — rests on one measurement taken properly.
Where is the line?
Council Directive 96/53/EC fixes the maximum authorised weights and dimensions for vehicles in international traffic:
| Maximum | |
|---|---|
| Width | 2.55 m |
| Width (conditioned body) | 2.60 m |
| Height | 4.00 m |
| Length (articulated vehicle) | 16.50 m |
| Authorised weight (5 or 6 axles) | 40 tonnes |
| Authorised weight (combined transport, 40-foot container) | 44 tonnes |
Where the cargo, together with the vehicle carrying it, exceeds any one of these values, the movement becomes an abnormal load. The limit applies not to the cargo alone but to the total once loaded: thirty centimetres of trailer bed come off the 4.00 m height allowance before the cargo is measured.
Weight is not only the total
Annex I limits axle loads as well as the total: 10 tonnes on a single non-driving axle, 11.5 tonnes on a driving axle.
So a consignment comfortably under 40 tonnes can still exceed an axle limit where the weight is badly distributed, and it will be stopped at a control point. Axle loads are enforced separately from the gross figure: nothing conceded on the total forgives an overloaded axle.
What we survey first
- Three dimensions and gross weight — measured, not estimated.
- Centre of gravity — where the weight gathers. This settles trailer and lashing plan.
- Lashing and securing points — anywhere to attach a strap or a chain?
- Loading and unloading method — crane, forklift or ramp? Equipment at both ends?
- Route — bridge clearances, turning radii, road class, overpasses.
- Delivery site — room for the vehicle to enter and manoeuvre?
Until those six are complete, the vehicle type is not discussed.
The trailer follows the geometry
- Lowbed — plant too tall for a standard trailer. The low deck keeps overall height inside the limit.
- Extendable trailer — cargo longer than the standard envelope.
- Multi-axle special equipment — spreads weight across more axles so the combination stays legal.
The right trailer is not the one the cargo fits on. It is the one that, loaded, stays inside the law.
The permit process sets the schedule
Abnormal and heavy loads move under special permits. Obtaining the permit, approving the route and arranging escorts all take time. The permit process is part of the transport schedule, not a formality bolted on afterwards: the gap between the day the cargo is ready and the day the vehicle leaves is created here.
Whether an escort is needed is decided by road width, urban sections, traffic density and the gauge of the load.
Project cargo is a programme, not a shipment
Relocating a factory or moving a machine in many pieces is not a question of one vehicle. The order the pieces travel in, which the installation needs first, and when the site team is ready are planned together. So the first thing we discuss on project work is not the vehicle. It is the installation schedule.
Where your cargo exceeds the standard envelope we build out-of-gauge and abnormal load transport, lowbed transport and permit and escort services into one plan. Send dimensions, weight and route through the quote form.
