Heavy equipment transportation is an important industry for Canada’s economy as it is a vital component of across-the-border trade and for transporting goods within the country. A task that can be quite dangerous if not performed correctly.

Due to its ideal location, Calgary is a regional distribution center that receives goods from all major ships and airports within the country. Therefore, highways here are saturated with heavy equipment trucks, contributing to 25% of accidents annually.

Transporting heavy equipment is a specialized method that requires professionals to load equipment. Using a standard flatbed trailer adds a lot of risk to this task and can be dangerous causing injury. During a heavy equipment hauling job, the last thing you want is an onsite injury or damage to costly parts. Therefore, you must plan and coordinate carefully and consider certain things before starting your job.

Read this post to find out some of the safety precautions you need to take when hauling heavy equipment to ensure everyone’s safety.

Choose The Right Trailer

You must choose the right type of trailer for every heavy equipment hauling job. Having a large trailer with a lot of room does not guarantee that it is going to be strong enough to handle the weight of the load it has to carry. There are many axle designs and load configurations of trailers available for over-dimensional shipping, and you must ensure that you make the right choice.

You need to complete a safety rating check of the trailer and its load capacity before departure. Always ensure that everything is working properly, such as reflectors, head and backlights, horns, axles, tires, hydraulic hoses, and more. You must remember that uneven terrain and road bumps will effectively increase the weight of your load. Depending upon the size, the ease of loading and unloading, and the type of load there will be different types of trailers available to you including:

• Standard flatbed trailers
• Tilt trailers
• Gooseneck trailers
• Tandem dual bed trailers

Double Check Your Equipment

Specialized equipment is used to ensure the safe shipping of heavy hauls. Proper investigation and thorough safety checks must be performed on these pieces of equipment before every job to ensure that things go as planned on the road. Double checking the equipment is necessary to ensure that these are working properly before departure. Thoroughly inspect the tie-down equipment for any signs of breakage and wear.

It’s recommended that multiple people perform the safety check to ensure that no issue is looked over. Place red flags as markers if the cargo extends three feet beyond the trailer’s body. Loose materials on the equipment, such as dirt or rocks, must be cleaned off, so these things don’t fly off on the road.

Properly Secure The Load

Getting the right kind of trailer and vehicle to ship your heavy load is not the only thing you should be focused on during your heavy-haul transportation. Another important safety aspect is to properly distribute and secure the freight to the trailer. Most accidents involving trucks and trailers occur due to improperly secured loads.

To avoid the risk of tipping, make sure that the weight distribution is equal throughout the trailer’s size. If the weight is not equally distributed, it makes it difficult for the driver to remain in control of the truck and the trailer. Moreover, you must properly secure the load to prevent any incidence of load shifting during transit.

Keeping the pieces of equipment secured is important to avoid damage to personal property, loss of valuable equipment and to prevent severe injuries on the road. Apart from the tips mentioned above, you can take the following measures to ensure a safe heavy haul job:

• Cover vulnerable parts of equipment
• Bring an adequate transportation staff
• Prepare for any roadside emergency
• Plan your route in advance
• Check road laws and regulations
• Obtain all necessary permits

About AAA Towing

AAA Towing takes pride in offering automobile towing and heavy haul services within Calgary and surrounding areas. For more information on heavy equipment hauling, click here to contact our team.