cargo hub
specialized / oversized trucking companies.
Oversize, overweight, and heavy-haul. Census hints include machinery and mobile homes. Permits are issued by states, not by FMCSA, and they are load-specific.
when $750,000 applies
For-hire property carriers in interstate or foreign commerce operating vehicles of 10,001 lbs or more GVWR/GCWR, not transporting the hazardous materials listed in 49 CFR 387.9.
FMCSA cargo-carried codes used as hints
- code 8 — Mobile homes
- code 9 — Machinery, large objects
State permits and escorts
Dimensions and axle weights are state (and sometimes city) permit problems. FMCSA authority does not replace a Kentucky or Texas oversize permit.
Higher contractual liability
Brokers often require $1M+ BI&PD on heavy-haul even when the federal floor is $750,000. That is a contract choice, not a hidden CFR line.
oversize is a permit, not an FMCSA cargo class
Census hints for specialized / heavy-haul include machinery and mobile homes. Those checkboxes do not issue a Kentucky or Texas oversize permit. Dimensions and axle weights are state (and sometimes city) problems, load by load.
Interstate operating authority lets a for-hire carrier haul property across state lines. It does not include blanket overwidth, overheight, or overweight permission. Escort cars, pole cars, and travel windows are in the permit, not on L&I.
Machinery checkboxes include dealers, construction fleets, and occasional movers. Ask trailer type, permits, and escorts for this piece.
trailer type has to match the drawing
RGN, dual-drop, stretcher, and multi-axle configurations are equipment facts. Ask loaded height, deck length, and axle count against the shipping dimensions. A standard step-deck that “should fit” is how a bridge strike starts.
Route survey is part of the job when the piece is high or the route is restricted. If the carrier has no survey and no permit office in mind, they are quoting a guess.
Securement for heavy machinery still sits in 49 CFR 393 Subpart I plus shipper drawings. Chains, binders, and blocking plans belong in the file.
liability floors versus job value
The federal BI&PD floor for ordinary property can still be $750,000 even when the transformer on the deck is worth more than that. Brokers often require $1M+ by contract on heavy-haul. That is a contract choice, not a hidden CFR line. Write it.
Cargo must cover the piece. A $100,000 cargo policy on a $2 million press is a known gap. Do not book the gap and hope.
If the piece is also HM or a tank, stack those checks. Specialized plus hazmat is two checklists.
cost items that belong on the rate con
Permit fees, escorts, police, bucket trucks, and utility spotters are not “included” unless the rate confirmation says so. Leave them off and the carrier will invoice them, or they will run without them.
Wait time at the shipper for crane delays is detention on specialized equipment. Define it. A day-cab wait rule from van freight will not fit.
utility, bridge, and travel-window risk
Overheight is a route problem. If the carrier has not run this corridor with this loaded height, they need a survey or a known legal route. “We went that way last year” is not a survey.
Holiday and night blackouts are in the permit. A Friday cover that cannot move until Monday is a storage problem. Write when the piece actually rolls, not when the truck arrives at the shipper.
Cranes, millwrights, and plant shutdowns sit outside FMCSA. If origin labor is not scheduled, a permitted truck waiting in the yard is still your detention. Confirm both calendars.
equipment and desk questions
- Shipping dimensions and weight, including crating and boom, in writing?
- Trailer type (RGN, dual drop, stretcher) and loaded height against the route?
- Which states need permits, and are they in hand or applied?
- Escort plan and who pays?
- Cargo and BI&PD limits versus piece value, named to this MC?
- Route survey for overheight, and any curfew or holiday blackout?
step-deck quote on a piece that loads at 14′6″
Do not cover. The equipment does not match. Wait for a trailer that makes legal height, with permits if still over legal, or pass the load.
carrier wants to run tonight, permits “in the morning”
Oversize without a permit is not a desk risk you take. Cover when the permits exist, or do not cover.
desk checklist
- Route survey, permit office, and escort plan before you cover the load.
- Confirm trailer type (RGN, dual drop, stretcher) against the shipping dimensions.
- Raise cargo and liability limits to the load value — the federal minimum is not the job’s value.
common mistakes
- Assuming interstate authority includes blanket oversize permission.
- Leaving permit cost and escort cost off the rate confirmation.