What is heavy haul, wide load and oversize load?
In New Mexico the legal (which means no permit required) maximum load width is 8’6”, the legal maximum load height is 14’, the legal overall (includes any front/rear overhang) semitrailer maximum length is 57’6” or 65’ on designated highways and the legal gross vehicle weight GVW (gross vehicle weight) is 80,000 lbs.
When is a New Mexico OS/OW permit needed?
The maximum dimensions and weight stated above are to be used as an indicator that permits may be required when your load on the lowboy or standard trailer exceeds any of these weight and dimension maximums. New Mexico has numerous oversize and overweight loads in transit due to the oil and shale fields industry. Heavy haul activity is very common in the high oil and gas production counties of: Chaves, Eddy, Lea and Otero counties.
Great Western Transportation knows the permit requirements for New Mexico, all US states and Canadian provinces, so one call to Great Western Transportation will immediately answer your freight questions.
Numerous heavy machinery and oversize materials are being hauled to and through New Mexico daily. New Mexico regulations (in the New Mexico Administrative Code 18.19.8 NMAC) on oversize and overweight are not specific in certain weight and size ranges regulations. None the less your permits will be secured and in place for your OS/OW load shipment.
Covered below are three heavy haul, oversize and overweight load examples related to the oil industry and their relation to heavy haul and OS/OW.
1-Your non-divisible three-phase well test separator weighs 61,300 lbs, so in this case your load will be overweight! Why the three-phase well test separator only weighs 61,300 lbs you may ask. However the additional weight of the tractor trailer of 31,000 lbs to 37,000 lbs, this is an average weight of a common truck and semi-trailer, means on the low end the GVW will be 92,300 lbs and on the high end will be 98,300 lbs.
There is also a second issue that has to be addressed with this load, and that is the fact common flatbed trailers are rated to transport up to approximately 48,000 lbs. This means a specialized type of trailer will be needed to transport this load. This is where the term heavy haul is introduced. This type of specialized trailer in trucking industry speak is called a heavy haul trailer. These are trailers that can transport loads above the 48,000 pound mark. Common weight hauling capacity of these trailers is 40,000 to 120,000 pounds. A permit will be required for the three-phase well test separator load, because it’s overweight.
2-Your non-divisible crane arm is 10’ wide and 38’ long! The crane arm is considered an over width load when on a trailer, since the maximum legal width of a load is 8’ 6”. If the crane arm weighs 39,000 lbs it can be transported by a standard flatbed trailer, as the average maximum trailer weight capacity is 48,000 lbs. This is not a heavy haul load, since no special flatbed trailer is required, but it will require a permit, because the crane arm is oversize.
3-Your non-divisible winch raised substructure is 13’ high at its highest dimension. At first you may think that’s OK, because maximum height is 14’, but it is oversize! This is because the trailer is generally 1.5 feet to 2 feet from the road at the trailer bed level, this is where the winch raised substructure will be placed, thus it is 14.5’ or 15’ off the ground in terms of height.
Lets clarify what non-divisible means in New Mexico, according to the NM MTD (Motor Transportation Division).
When applying for a special permit, the applicant must demonstrate that the load to be moved cannot reasonably be dismantled, reduced or disassembled. A special permit will not be issued if the load can be reasonably reduced to legal limits. Reductions shall be made whenever possible, even though the use of additional vehicles becomes necessary.
So in our cases the above loads could not have been broken down or split up to reduce the overall dimensions or weight. In all cases, three-phase well test separator, the crane arm and the winch raised substructure cannot be broken down into smaller pieces.
To be eligible for an oversize or overweight permit, the main criterion is that the load be non-divisible, that is, that it cannot be reduced or broken down and transported on a legal tractor trailer.
New Mexico Permits
Oversize and over width permits are required for freight that is over the dimensional maximums in terms of width, height and length when loaded on a trailer. Overweight permits are required for loads that put the gross vehicle weight over the maximum weight limit. The process of getting a State of New Mexico Motor Transportation Division permit is fairly complex and out of the scope of this article. However some of the basic dimension and weight questions the State of New Mexico Motor Transportation Division Size and Weight Permit Division will ask are:
- Description of Load
- Gross Weight
- Width
- Length
- Height
- Front Overhang
- Rear Overhang
New Mexico Oversize Signs
All trucking companies in New Mexico involved in hauling oversize and overweight shipments must have amber colored strobe or flashing lights on top of the tractor trailer. Plus signs or banners on escort pilot car stating:
- OVER WIDTH
- OVER HEIGHT
- OVER LENGTH
- OVER SIZE
To summarize, a heavy haul load is one that requires a special type of trailer that can support the weight of the load, and due to its dimensions will most likely require an oversize permit, additionally an overweight permit if GVW is over 80,000 lbs.
For any of the following oil field equipment transport and shipping contact Great Western Transportation.
- Accumulator Units
- Blowout Preventers
- Casing & Tubing
- Compressors
- Mud Systems and Tanks
- OCTG Casing
- Pipeline Equipment
- Plant Equipment
- Topdrives
- Torque Converters
- Valves (Gate, Kelly, Relief, Safety, Check)
- Workover Equipment
Great Western Transportation can handle all your heavy haul, oversize or wide load shipping needs in: New Mexico and the Permian, Avalon, Wolfecamp and Bone Basin areas and counties field locations.
