Tanks and pressure vessels
Cylindrical loads with awkward centres of gravity, cradled and chained rather than slung, and escorted where the width demands it.
Our own exemption notices · Our own escorts
Abnormal load transport
Loads over 44 tonnes, over 2.9 metres wide or over 18.65 metres long, moved across mainland UK with the route studied, the notices given and our own escort vehicles in front.
On the road
What we move as abnormal loads
Process plant and vessels
Silos, separators and process units taken from the fabricator to site in one movement.
Silos and storage units
Tall, light and awkward — the loads where travelling height decides the route rather than the weight.
Oversized drums and reels
Cable drums and reels that overhang the bed, strapped and marked and moved under notice.
One-off shapes
An Archimedes screw water turbine carried from New Mills to Bury. A load that is not a box, a cylinder or a machine still has a centre of gravity, a footprint and a route.
Crane sections and jibs
Tower crane lattice and jib sections on the extendable beds, delivered in the order the erection team wants them.
The four thresholds
Is your load actually abnormal?
Exceed any one of these and the movement is an abnormal load. They are alternatives, not a checklist — you do not have to breach all four.
| Measure | Threshold | Measured how |
|---|---|---|
| Gross weight | over 44,000 kg | The combined weight of vehicle and load. |
| Axle load | over 10,000 kg on a single non-driving axle, or 11,500 kg on a driving one | Weight through one axle, not the total. |
| Width | over 2.9 m | Measured over the widest point of the load, not the vehicle. |
| Rigid length | over 18.65 m | The rigid length of the vehicle and load together. |
If you are close to a threshold, measure rather than estimate — particularly width, which is taken over the widest point of the load including any packaging, strapping or projecting fittings, not over the vehicle body.
Width and length have their own pages. If your load is over 2.9 metres wide, see wide loads. If it is over 18.65 metres of rigid length, see long loads. Both come back here for the paperwork and the escorts.
What we actually do
The haulage is the easy part
On an abnormal load the vehicle is rarely the constraint — the route, the notice periods and the escort availability are. Our own wide load exemption notices cover the whole United Kingdom, and we run our own escort vehicles rather than waiting for someone else’s to become free.
We carry out a full route study, identify the bridges, roundabouts, street furniture and overhead constraints, give the statutory notices, and liaise with the police and highway authorities where the movement requires it.
The other advantage is that our vehicles lift as well as carry. A crane lifting over 8 tonnes is on the lorry itself, so the load goes on at one end and off at the other without hiring a mobile crane twice.
How a movement runs
From dimensions to delivered
1. Dimensions and route
Tell us what the load is and where it has to go. We check it against the thresholds and study the route for bridges, restrictions and street furniture. If we need the exact dimensions to finish the study, we will ask for them.
2. Notices and planning
Statutory notice given where required, police and highway authorities liaised with, escorts allocated and a movement window agreed. You get a date, not a to-do list.
3. Lift, move, place
Our crane loads it, our escorts run it, our crane sets it down. RAMS and a lift plan produced by our own NEBOSH qualified health and safety team where the job needs them.
Common questions
Abnormal load haulage, answered
What counts as an abnormal load?
A vehicle and load combination that exceeds any one of four thresholds: 44,000 kg gross weight, 10,000 kg on a single non-driving axle (11,500 kg on a driving axle), 2.9 metres wide, or 18.65 metres of rigid length. Exceeding one is enough — they are not cumulative.
Do you have your own exemption notices?
Yes. Our wide load exemption notices cover the entire United Kingdom, so we are not applying for permission job by job in most cases. That is usually the difference between a movement happening this week and happening next month.
Do you provide escort vehicles?
We run our own. It matters more than it sounds: waiting on a local police escort to become available can add hours to a movement or push it to another day. Running our own escorts means the timing is ours to plan.
Do you deal with the police and the council?
Where the movement requires it, yes. We carry out the route study, identify the constraints, give the statutory notice and liaise with the police and highway authorities along the route. You get told the date it can move, not a list of things to arrange.
How far ahead do you need to know?
The route study and the notice periods sit on the critical path, not the haulage. Statutory notice to the authorities is a minimum of two working days, and a police escort requested through a force is generally a fourteen day lead time — which is exactly why we run our own. Tell us the dimensions and the two postcodes as early as you can and we will tell you what the real lead time is for your movement.
Can the load be lifted as well as carried?
That is our main advantage over a general haulier. Our vehicles carry their own cranes, cranes lifting over 8 tonnes, so the same outfit that moves the load also lifts it on and off. No crane hire at either end.
What do abnormal load transport companies actually have to arrange?
Notice to the police and to every highway and bridge authority on the route, a route survey where the load justifies one, escort vehicles, and the exemption notices that allow the movement at all. We hold wide load exemption notices covering the whole United Kingdom and we run our own escorts, which matters: an escort requested through a police force generally carries a fourteen-day lead time, and ours does not.
Is abnormal load haulage something you do routinely or occasionally?
Routinely. It is a normal week rather than a special project, which is the useful thing to know when you are choosing between abnormal load transport companies. The paperwork is the slow part, not the driving, so the earlier you tell us the sooner it moves.
Wide loads · Long loads · Low loader hire · RAMS and lift plans
Moving something out of the ordinary?
Tell us what it is and where it has to go. If we need the dimensions to answer you, we will ask.
