Transport Spotlight
Heavy Hauling Perspectives
Bay Crane Companies transported seven cable reels from a U. S. port to northern Maine for construction of an electric transmission line. Each reel stood 14 feet,
10 inches tall and weighed 54.4 U. S. tons.( Photo courtesy of Bay Crane Companies.) having a custom-tailored plan as being one key to success.
“ Every haul is different, so we approach each project with a customized plan, from route surveys and engineering to equipment selection and logistics,” he said.
“ The second key is having a skilled, experienced team,” McDonald added.“ Our operators, drivers and project managers know how to anticipate challenges and how to work as a coordinated unit to meet them. We also prioritize safety and compliance, understanding weights and restrictions.”
Working With Customers
How do successful heavy haulers work with customers in order to plan moves and provide the right equipment?
According to BOSS and NessCampbell, communication and know-how are both vital.
BOSS’ Kauffman noted that once a customer submits a request for a quote, BOSS Heavy Haul evaluates the project requirements to determine the most effective execution plan.
“ Our team identifies the optimal hauling solution to ensure the move is handled safely, efficiently and cost-effectively so we can deliver the best value to our customers,” he said.
NessCampbell’ s McDonald said that for his company, every project starts by listening to the customer in order to fully understand the scope of the project, what’ s being moved, where it’ s going and the schedule.
“ From there,” McDonald said,“ our team assesses the route, identifies potential challenges and determines the best equipment configuration for the load and route.”
Trends
Bay Crane’ s Bernardo noted two specific trends he sees in the OS / OW hauling industry.
One is that“ the volume of projects has increased dramatically recently,” though he didn’ t specify what is driving that growth.
The other trend Bernardo mentioned is that the use of new technology“ has really helped Bay Crane’ s ability to route and model the large, specialized loads we move.” BOSS’ Kauffman noted two trends. The first is that the volume of OS / OW work is currently high, but that well-qualified carriers are becoming harder to find. He noted that two particularly busy sectors are data centers and solar farms.
The second trend is that permitting and routing for large loads is becoming more difficult.
“ That’ s particularly true in states that don’ t have the resources to move the process along in a timely manner,” he said.
Tracking Performance
The only expert to talk about how his company measures performance was NessCampbell’ s McDonald.
He noted that the company measures a project’ s success by timeliness, safety, compliance with governmental regulations and most importantly, customer satisfaction.
As for measuring equipment performance, McDonald said,“ Reliability, utilization and safety are the big ones. We monitor equipment uptime and maintenance schedules. Every piece of equipment goes through regular inspections and preventive maintenance checks that we track digitally so we can see trends or catch small issues early.”
Bay Crane transported a super load for an Intel factory in Ohio. It was one of more than
20 oversize loads weighing up to 900,000 pounds delivered for the project. The specialized tractor-trailer rig was needed to meet the state’ s axle loading requirements.( Photo courtesy of Bay Crane Companies.)
34
November 2025 • www. cranehotline. com