Sunday, September 4, 2011

What Is Heavy Haulage?

Many businesses and industries have huge amounts of heavy cargo of various kinds to shift from one point to another - usually over a long distance, often from country to country. This is mostly referred to as heavy haulage. Haulage such as this is not often done by the company owning the goods, but rather by a national or international haulage company that is designed especially for the task. They have the trucks, the drivers and the experience to shift heavy loads over long distances. Many companies find it more cost effective in outsourcing their heavy haulage needs.

When a company is involved in the production of raw materials or heavy goods requiring haulage, they have to provide a safe loading place at their site or factory for the equipment necessary to load the goods and for the haulage trucks to drive into. These places are called docks and will be at least large enough for a semi-trailer to drive into. Depending on what the goods are, the docks could be much larger.

Getting your goods to the right destination!

Mining sites for instance, will have huge docking bays where the iron ore is loaded onto big trucks; it can then be carted to their own special railway line for further transport - often to a port - so that it can be loaded onto ships. Large supermarkets, for example, will have a warehouse with hundreds of docking bays to fit trucks with their semi-trailers into.

Haulage companies provide the necessary transport to take large shipments that sometimes weigh hundreds of tonnes and in some cases these goods may be packed into containers for ease of loading. These containers or special crates are often supplied by the haulage company too. They also supply their own documentation to ensure the goods, dates and cost have all been safely recorded.

Choosing a haulage company is about much more than cost. While that may come into it, often safety of the goods and prompt execution with no unnecessary delays is just as important. Making sure that the haulage company has experience in handling the types of goods you are transporting is also an important consideration. Likewise, knowing the company has the necessary insurance in place to cover any unforeseen circumstances.

Companies who send goods need to know they can rely on the haulage people to get their goods to the right destination in good order and good time.

Smiths Mechanical specialises in heavy haulage throughout the UK. Boasting a specialist vehicle and trailer fleet providing both ridged and articulated combinations covering a wide range of weights and lengths. So if you are looking for a heavy haulage company look no further than Smiths Mechanical Heavy Haulage.


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