A Few Tips for Protecting Your Goods Even After Calling a Heavy Haulage Company
A heavy haulage company is a transport company that specializes in heavy or oversized goods that cannot typically be transported by a standard truck. This type of company can do quite a bit when it comes to protecting your items with the right tie-downs, oversized flatbed trucks, and the like, but you might want to take some extra precautions as well. A few added steps can ensure that your equipment or goods arrive safely. Note a few tips you might discuss with your heavy haulage company in this regard.
Get a lead car
In some cases, a lead car may be legally required in order to scout out a path or warn other drivers of an oversized load. However, even if a lead car is not legally required for your load, you might want to provide one or request one anyway. This can alert the heavy haulage driver of traffic congestion and other such dangers, which can be invaluable when a driver needs to be mindful of obstructions on the side of the road, and the like. If they're overly distracted with the load they're carrying, this can increase the risk of an accident. A lead car is like a second set of eyes for the driver and it can help improve their safety and the safety of your equipment being hauled.
Change the delivery schedule and route.
You may need to pay more money to have your equipment delivered on off-peak hours (such as after hours), but this can mean less congestion on the road. Less congestion and fewer other drivers can mean fewer distractions for your heavy haulage driver and less risk of an accident. In some cases, it might even be safer to opt for an overnight delivery, if you need to use busy freeways that are often full of traffic during the day.
Changing the delivery route can also be needed if it would mean avoiding low bridges or even train tracks. A collision with a truck and a train, while very rare, can be devastating. A heavy haulage truck may be more likely to experience such a collision since they need to drive so slowly and may not be able to clear the tracks quickly, or there may be risk of their tires getting caught on the tracks because of their size and weight. Discuss this risk with your heavy haulage company and consider changing the route, even if it means adding more time to your schedule.