The construction industry is a very vibrant industry. Construction can take place in different places and for diverse reasons. This simply means that construction is a wide topic. The most common constructions include structural construction and infrastructure construction. These activities are carried out in different places throughout the year. For such activities to be successfully implemented, heavy equipment is used at different stages of the construction. This includes excavators, bulldozers, graders, tower cranes and compactors to mention but a few. These machines have to be moved from one construction site to the other to perform varied tasks. Transporting heavy equipment is a daunting task that requires skill and caution as we will clearly see herein.
The first step about transporting heavy equipment is selecting the correct hauling and trucking company for the job. The top company is one that has suitable trucks to move the equipment in question. Such a truck should be able to withstand the weight of the load. The said company should have the proper local jurisdiction licensing to carry out the job. Importantly, the firm should have a good transportation record with competent personnel. This is very important because the transportation of heavy equipment is surrounded by dozens of eminent danger and accidents waiting to happen. The personnel in charge of different sections of the transportation should be alert, experience and competent for the job. This includes equipment movers, truck drivers, assistants, and other logistics personnel. These teams make crucial decisions every time a load is mounted or offloaded.
The local government is aware of the danger of moving heavy load on the major highways which have other road users. Consequently, they expect a trucking company to adhere to laid down laws and regulations during such activities. In addition to the local council regulations, individual firms also take extra precautions to ensure that the movement of loads is done as safely as possible. The firm’s personnel should follow all these regulations to the letter. Once a trucking firm has been hired by a client to move a load for them, the logistics team must inspect the load prior to moving it. This inspection seeks to ascertain the weight, width, and height of the load. These features are very important in determining the route of transportation. The roads, bridges and under paths that the truck will use must be able to allow the weight, height, and width of the load to be transported safely.
The logistics team must also determine if the composition of the load requires the truck to be escorted. The escort vehicle is used to warn another motorist as well as the truck driver of the impending truckload and related dangers and hazards on the road. The loading and offloading exercise should be carried out with precaution such as clearing the loading tracks, guiding the loader to correctly mount the load and loading and offloading on level ground. All these precautions are taken to protect the load from slipping and causing serious injury and damage to the people on site and other properties.