411,000# Vessel: 14-line Goldhöfer with Wing Dollies
October 2007

Palletized Trucking was selected by McIver & Smith Fabricators to transport a large vessel from its plant in north Houston to Industrial Terminal.  The vessel was 81 feet long, approximately 20 feet in diameter, and weighed 411,000 pounds.

For this project, we assembled a 14-line Goldhöfer hydraulic platform trailer configuration equipped with our unique retractable hydraulic wing dolly system, providing a total of 30 axle lines on the ground.  The wing dollies have a span of 23 feet in the closed position to 34 feet when fully expanded.  The use of the wing dolly system provides the necessary bridge law compliance to develop the most advantageous and efficient transport route.  The dolly axles can be lifted off the ground when not required for weight distribution to cross bridges.

Our super heavy haul project team worked closely with the manufacturer to develop a project plan for the safe transport of this extremely large load.  This included the route survey and all arrangements for police escorts, utility bucket trucks, and permits.  The route survey identified all points where power lines had to be de-energized and lifted to allow safe passage of the load.

On October 11, the vessel was loaded and secured for approximately 20 mile trip to Industrial Terminal. The route included travel on primary and secondary roads, and contra-flow movement on an interstate highway frontage road, traveling west on the eastbound lanes.  The police escorts re-routed frontage road traffic and blocked access to the road during transit.

Thanks to careful coordination and planning, skilled personnel, and an unyielding commitment to safety, this super load was delivered without incident and on time.