Windmill tower sectionYou’re driving along when you see this, THING in the right hand lane going slow. Sometimes it has a little car,minivan or pickup following it or leading it or both all decked out with cute little amber lites and red or orange flags.

Sometimes it takes up more than one lane sometimes it takes up the WHOLE ROAD. It’s a Heavy Hauler. It might be me. I’m a Heavy Hauler. I’m doing the best I can, it’s not easy being heavy and wide and long and tall.

I have a big motor eighteen speeds and good gear ratios still, them hills is tough. And you wanna talk about fuel economy? It is to laugh. When I’m loaded, maybe 3 mpg, lots of times less, LOTS less.

For example I just come off a project I was on for three months (see here ). On those loads my gross weight was 140,000 lbs, height was about 17ft, width was about 14ft and I was 106 foot long. I had a pilot car the whole way, two part way and I was by no means quick, or agile or fast, sometimes it would take several minutes just to turn a corner.


dsc00665.JPG The state tells me what road to get on and limits the times I can be there. I pay over and above all the other fees, permits and licenses that all truckers gotta pay. Some places that permit is expensive, sometimes over a thousand dollars, sometimes way over.

Even a minor screw up in a normal truck is expensive, with heavy haul it’s even more so, and the fines, you wouldn’t believe. Why would anyone WANT to do what I do? I dunno, maybe, it’s a personality thang.

Heavy Haul in particular and OverDimensional in general are “niche” jobs. There aren’t many of us who do it full time, lots of drivers do it occasionally. I’m not saying most driver’s couldn’t do heavy haul (or OD) but most of them don’t want too. I know this because all the time on the CB radio I hear drivers saying that they used to do it but they quit.

Why did they quit? Maybe it was the risk? It is kinda risky, if you’re not careful, you can die real quick or kill others. Being long, tall, wide and or heavy makes it difficult to get around. It’s all too easy to tear up something.

Maybe it’s the waiting? I wait ALL the time. I’m waiting right now.

  • Lot’s of states won’t let me run on weekends.
  • Most states won’t let me run at night.
  • Most cities won’t let me run during rush hours.
  • Most states won’t let me run on holidays.
  • Most states won’t let me run in inclement weather. And the definition of inclement varies a LOT.
  • Then I wait to load and unload.
  • And I wait for permits, sometimes hours, sometimes weeks.

Maybe it’s, the hassle or the rules. You wouldn’t believe the rules! I’m under state control, county and city as well as Federal. Each and every state (and very often county and city) have individual rules requiring permits governing what I do. They can and do contradict each other often. I once had a load out of Florida going to Washington State. I was mandated to do certain things in Florida that were illegal in Washington. I had to know that or I’d get a ticket, a big one too and so it goes.

But it can’t be the money. I make fairly good money. Generally the bigger and especially the heavier the load, the more it pays. So, why do I do it? Well, there’s the money.

dsc00354.JPGAlso there’s the sense of accomplishment. I used to pull a dry-van. This is more satisfying to me. Going up a mountain heavy, without overheating and coming down that same mountain safely, that’s a skill. Securing the load so it stays on, that’s a skill.

Getting a really big load down a not so big road and around corners, that’s a skill. Being in compliance with all the unbelievable, silly, contradictory, aggravating, frustrating and stupid rules, that’s a skill too and it took time to learn. Not getting on the bad side of Weigh Masters and other assorted bears, that’s a skill I’m still learning and could do better at.

When I get to a customer they’re generally glad to see me. Sometimes they’re REALLY glad to see me. I’m just not another truck carrying soap.

Scattered across this USA there’s :

  • about a hundred wind towers that I had a hand in transporting.
  • about fifty cell phone communication shelters.
  • about twenty cement bathrooms in rest areas and parks.
  • And Lots and lots of heavy equipment - Trucks, cranes, excavators, bulldozers and the like.

I generally do a load or two a week. I’ve been doing it for, closing in on two decades.