A Detailed Guide for Transporting Heavy Machinery to Your Construction Site
There's a lot of work that goes into transporting heavy equipment to a construction site. Besides choosing a hauling company, you also need to prepare the machinery before the d-day (delivery day). Doing this avoids costly repairs that could result from poor planning and mishandling of equipment before, during and after transportation. With this in mind, here is a detailed guide to adhere to when transporting your equipment to the construction site.
1. Prepare the Machinery for Haulage
Prepare your heavy machinery for transport before the d-day to avoid the last-minute rush. First, check the manufacturer's manuals for all the pieces of machinery that you want to transport. Look out for any specific haulage instructions and adhere to them.
Additionally, carry out the following procedures to prepare your equipment for transport:
- Secure any moving parts and parts that may dislodge or come apart during transport
- Unhook batteries before the d-day
- Clean machinery and repair any damaged parts
- Latch the doors to prevent swinging during transportation
Find a reputable transport company for the task. Experienced transporters know how to handle heavy equipment, and they can save you from incurring maintenance and repair costs due to improper handling of machinery while in transit.
2. Manage Oversize Loads
Most heavy construction equipment, such as cranes, excavators, graders and dump trucks, are either overheight, overweight, overwidth or overlength. Thus, they are usually assigned the "wide load" designation. Oversize loads can double or triple your total haulage costs; therefore, you need to manage them if you want to make savings.
To avoid the "wide load" designation, ship machinery attachments separately as opposed to leaving them on the equipment. You can also retract or remove buckets and booms to bypass height restrictions. In some cases, you can even remove the wheels of machinery to reduce their length.
Talk to your transporter about your concern for oversized equipment. With their experience, the carrier can advise you on how to manage the loads and reduce transportation costs.
3. Stay On Guard on the D-Day
On the d-day, inspect the equipment before transportation. Take photos to document the condition that the equipment was in before transit. Also, ensure that there are personnel on the site to offload the equipment on arrival. If possible, make a point to be present as well.
After offloading, inspect the machinery for any damages. Do this before the transporter leaves so that they can confirm the presence of damages or faults and advise you accordingly. This will go a long way in ensuring that you get compensation for repairs.
Follow this guide to ensure smooth transportation of your construction machinery. Remember, working with a reputable transport services company can reduce delays and save you money on haulage and repairs.
