looking for advice on the best way to get into hauling heavy equipment

SHC are you a company driver or O/OP?

 

If you wanted to get into heavy haul and have no exp, I work at TMC and I have done some over length and over width loads. They also have a fleet of specialized trucks for machinery. It takes a few years of no incidents and good driving at TMC to get onto it. There is a few good companies out there that are flatbed to get your foot in the door and start learning about pulling an open deck and securing loads and those types of things.

 

Well most of the guys have hit it right on the head.
Find company that has the bigger things and just start working your way up.
I got into heavy haul when I.T. was still I.T. Man I'm getting old.
Well I was the fall off guy. Hauling counter weights buckets, blades etc.
Then one day a couple of the guys said why don't you take this ld?
Said I'm not qualifed yet by the company.Well they made the call and next thing you know I was doing the smaller dozers and things.
Worked my way up.
Got into heavy haul in 1990 and have been doing it since.
Work your way up on how you feel .

Meaning if that 20' wide load scares you, DO NOT DO IT.

There have been some loads I've looked and have it spook me bad and have turned them down.

Good Luck

 

Wasn't really going to chime in because you were getting the proper information from everyone. HOWEVER It would of been good of you to mention that you are only 20 in your first post.

That is going to be your biggest obstacle. Youth and inexperience combined.

One of the most important attributes that a heavy haul operator can have and must have is judgement. And that all important quantity can really only be gained and appreciated by experience. And will take you many years to gain it. And many people never do regardless of the years.

Wanting to do heavy haul is an admirable trait on your part and a worthwhile goal. It is just a fact of life that it will take you some time and life experience to attain it.

What others have said is correct. Learn proper load securement and get your PHD in the school of hard knocks and you will be ready.

Have you thought of the military as an option for the time being? Would give you some great life experience and pad your bank account.

As far as the automatic vs stick is concerned. You will definitely want to learn to work the button. By that I mean a 13 or 18 speed.

I wish you the best. If you decide to go for your CDL at your age just know that it is going to be some time before you can fulfill your wishes. Good luck.

 

Yeah and if you go into the military you can go motor T and be in a truck company and you will learn how to haul heavy equipment and then when you get out you can take a CDL class for free.

If your going to do heavy haul or atleast want to eventually your going to want to keep yourself fresh on a stick and a 13 or 18 speed is always the best one to know how to use. But in your case look at it like this. You have to start somewhere and once you start driving you can only learn and get experience which is what your needing.

 

I am an O/O and hauled the windmill blades, and did some flatbed work as an O/O.....

The excavators I did when I was 21 and I was a company driver back then.

I have found it is hard to get on at a company as an O/O doing HH without the experience required. I know I can go be a company driver and do it, but I can't justify selling the old girl and hoping into somebody else's truck. Plus i want to just be able to do 1-2 local moves and spend the rest of the week at home. I know there is plenty of local machinery moving around the Chicago area and Detroit/Indy

 

I am not sure if I would be offering exactly what you are looking for. We haul a lot of farm & construction equipment from Eastern Iowa to IN, OH, MI. We usually haul steel back to Iowa. If you have your own truck, you could run as hard (or not) as you like. Let me know if you would like to discuss it further.