Debate & Definition of a Specialized Heavy Haul Operator

Not a big fan of either LA or Friso at all! but all the rest battling the tight streets low wires bad HOODS, its kind of fun to me besides I learned in all those places so its not to bad for me to get around in. Yes the NYPD has better things to do than babysit a truck, but never had a real problem there.

CATALINAFLYER: was not referring to you, but if the badge fits?LOL I'm to dam old and been doing this to long to worry about awards for doing my job. I feel about the same as you. and really if you want me happy pay me! haha

 

THIRDREEF: not sure what to say on the 80,000 lb over weight, I sign up regardless but have been told in numerous states, sign aren't necessary for weight only a permit is required. the book says signup but the states contradict them selves. now with multi axles you better sign up. BTW that you for the info on the trains and centapieds

 

I think many jobs in this industry require skill... Being accident free for many years is a skill in itself never-mind all the other things you do as part of your job. Everyone has different risk and skills all over the world when it comes to this job therefore the whole industry to be "true trade".. Without getting into individual job specifics right away and focus on job the part of driving the truck.. Anything from driving the ice roads to driving bad ice rain or snow to mountain driving etc.... I mean I drive in lots of snow in the winter months that makes me more skilled in driving in snow then a driver in say Florida where it never snows.... I would want to say that I am the more skilled driver because I drive in all type of bad weather while the other driver doesn't have winter issues and mostly have dry roads and no slippery conditions.. Meanwhile an ice road trucker would want to say they are more skilled then me because they drive the ice roads....


Now I have in the past hauled Oversized\Heavier Loads but nothing over 15ft and maybe grossing as much as 100,000lbs.. Currently I am Heavy Haul grossing up to 130,000 with 8 axle setup (hauling waste).. Both of these require skill.. I mean 130,000 is a bunch of weight and requires skill and isn't something "newbies" should be doing as you can get pushed down a hill fast if you lost a gear and freaked out and couldn't find it.. You got a killing machine rolling fast and heavy... Weight tho doesn't separate a skilled driver when it comes to oversized loads.. A 130000lbs gross 10 wide load is just as dangerous as a 50,000lbs gross 17 wide...

Some jobs are more skillful then others but we all have a skill in this industry one way or another... I gotta hand it to people who haul these super-loads something I'd love to do.. I do think generally speaking High/Wide/Long loads are probably some of the higher skilled jobs out there, weight is not a factor here... I just think mistakes can happen very easy because everything around isn't designed for over dimensional loads. I mean my loads are heavy but at least my trailer is still the normal width of a lane... I mean you look at most trucks in the US are only 5 axles where as in Ontario most trucks are running around with 7 to 9 axle setups (some with 10 axle setups but the extra axle is for use in Michigan because what we in Ontario can haul on 9 axles, Michigan needs 10).... Does this make me a more skilled driver then most American drivers because you only have 5 axles running around?

 

In some states like Utah And Nevada you can haul a divisible load such as dirt , cement etc and with 9 axles you can haul 129,000 lbs. in nevada for an annual is 2960 bucks.. Utah was 350 last I talked to them. Nevada you can go on any road 365 days a year. Where heavy permitted loads like a 2-2-2 has frost laws on some roads.

 

Go to Inuvik... Ice roads, frozen rivers , nice and cold...andThe big thing.. Nicest people you could meet

 

I would like to address the original question. For starters, I am not a driver. I own a trucking company and we pull vans, flats, steps, and RGNs. In my opinion, there is definitely a difference between standard open deck, oversize, and heavy haul. I am not making judgments about which is more difficult, I am only saying there is a difference. There is also a big difference when you exceed 12' wide and 14'6 high. Heavy haul seems to suggest it is more about weight, but I think it is accepted in our industry to use it to refer to hauling anything very large. If you ask anyone that hauls oversize, they will not classify hauling a 10' wide 30K lb tractor as heavy haul. People who haul oversize know that heavy haul refers to something bigger. In my opinion heavy haul would refer to any load exceeding 12' wide, 14-6' high, and over 92k lbs (requiring a 6 axle rig).

 

Anything that requires a permit can be considered a heavy haul. Some are lighter or smaller than others. Then there is the guy that's 8'6 1/8" wide with more flashing lights than Iowa 80 truck stop has . And the way it's going 97,000 will be a truck load. God help us if we get this. Just because the bigger the trailer.. The smaller the club. It's nice to be in that small club. And yeah you are pretty close on your dimensions as starting to be a heavy load. It has a skill level above the other types of trailers. Like the permit says.. You are responsible for hitting anything like overpasses, mile markers etc. just like would you let all of your van drivers pull a flat or a step? Some just don't have the skill or the care it takes.

 

My company has tshirts that say Heavy Haul, therefore I'm a heavy haul driver. In fact, I'm too heavy to fit into any of the tiny shirts that say heavy haul.

 

So you must be a super load.

 

This is an interesting thread. What is considered Heavy Haul?? The guys that haul 10' steel plate?? IMO no they are not. Anyone can do that, even someone with only 6 months out of School can. And I just shake my head when I see them with the steel STRAPPED on the trailer. So that brings us back to what is Heavy Haul. Now some of you will say I'm not Heavy Haul, I specialize in wide loads, most are considered Super Loads 16' + I have the same headaches an some times more than the guys who are grossing 200,000 on 13 axles. There are more times than not that I have to have Trooper escorts where the heavy load does not. And I will be the first to tell you,I love having troopers as escorts, red lights, please, they block the intersections an I don't have to stop. They want to get it over an go home or back to doing trooper stuff. Depending on the State they are doing it as a off duty detail, or they are on duty doing it as an assignment, ether way they want to get it done as fast as possible. 99% of the time I'm on 2 lane roads with narrow shoulders, loads of fun when you are as wide or wider than the road. You have to know how to work your escorts. Most of the time I have at least 2, sometimes depending on the state 3. You have to take the time to know your route before hand ether by studying the map and or looking it over on Google maps, and or having your lead escort run the route before hand and do a survey to turn in with your permit application. You have to know how to load it and secure the load. Most of the time I like to use my Flatbed if the load is not to tall, gets it up enough that you can clear Guard rails, Mail boxes most mile markers, lolly pops. For the higher loads I have a 3 axle step.

Now the guys that do the real heavy loads are specialized in their own right, for starters you have to know how to put the trailer together, what shims to use for that load weight, I've seen guys do it wrong and it is funny has all get out.
and load it an secure it. Yes I've been there an done that. I would rather do the wide an long my step is a stretch.

So to some it up are we different than the guy pulling a van or or the guys pulling 10' wide loads?? YES we are.
Do I need a badge on my shirt to let everyone know I'm special, nope all they need to see is me going down the road. I get my satisfaction from getting it from where I loaded it to where I unload it in the same condition as it was when I started. I get a major kick out of seeing people's mouth hang open as I go by.

when you look on our headache racks or in our tool boxes you will find stuff that a normal flatbed driver does not have, long chain, short chain, chain with big hooks on one end. 5/16, 3/8 an 1/2 inch chain, all kinds of shackles, I have 4 that must weigh 10 lbs each. In this business you can never have to much chain, I collect them. LOL and binders I have a few snap binders, but I rarely use them for the most part I only use ratchet binders and I have tons of them. We have some customers that will refuse to load you if you try to use snap binders.

Most of the Heavy Haul guys I know are in their late 40's and up including myself. Most have at least 20 years out here. Me over 30. Why? Because for the most part we have been there an done that and worked our way up to the big stuff. Do we need something to tell everyone we are better than the other guys, no. We prove it every time we load and haul that monster safely down the road. If you can do that, then you Sir are a true Professional heavy Haul truck driver.