Heavy Haulage Brisbane
Moving heavy plant and over-mass cargo across Brisbane and SEQ — platform floats, low loaders and the permit and escort plan to match.
Heavy haulage is about mass. When a load pushes past what a standard trailer and prime mover can legally carry, it moves into heavy haulage territory — and that means a multi-axle platform float, often with a jeep dolly and steerable rear, an NHVR access permit for over-mass, bridge and pavement rating checks, and a pilot escort plan. In Brisbane and SEQ, heavy haulage concentrates on transformers from the Port of Brisbane, mining equipment outbound to western operations, and large cranes and plant. We plan heavy haulage as an engineered move: the float combination, the route's bridge ratings and the permit all have to line up before the load travels.
What counts as heavy haulage
A load becomes heavy haulage when its mass exceeds standard axle-group limits and needs an over-mass NHVR access permit, or when it needs a multi-axle platform float rather than a standard low loader. That typically means loads from about 40 tonnes up — large excavators, transformers, mining modules, cranes and heavy precast. The permit, the bridge ratings and the float combination are all planned together.
The platform float and dollies
Heavy loads move on platform floats with three or more axles, frequently with a jeep dolly at the front to share the drawbar load and a steerable rear axle group to negotiate tight SEQ roundabouts. For the heaviest transformers and mining modules we add axles and run a longer combination, all checked against the bridge and pavement ratings on the route. The combination is engineered to the load, not the other way around.
Bridge ratings and route surveys
Heavy haulage needs a route survey and bridge/pavement rating checks — the load's axle weights have to be within what each bridge on the route can carry. The Gateway, Ipswich and Logan Motorway corridors and the Toowoomba range crossing all have specific rating and length constraints. We survey the route, confirm the ratings and book the permits before we commit a move.
Permits, escorts and lead time
Over-mass moves need NHVR access permits, often a multi-pilot plan, and for the largest loads a police escort and traffic management. Lead time is critical — bridge assessments and permits can take days to weeks. We book early and coordinate with the Port of Brisbane, substation and mine gate scheduling so the move doesn't stall.
What we move
Transformers and substation plant, mining equipment and modules, large cranes, heavy precast and bridge segments, large excavators and dozers, and any over-mass load moving in or through Brisbane and SEQ. See our transformer, mining equipment and crane job pages for detail.
Get it quoted
Send the load weight and dimensions, the pickup (port, yard or manufacturer) and the delivery destination. We'll plan the float combination, the permits and the escort and give you an indicative rate.