RGN (removable gooseneck)
The front detaches so machinery can drive on. A low deck leaves room for taller loads.
- Deck height
- About 18–24 in
- Legal freight height
- About 11′6″
- Typical capacity
- 40–55 tons, more with added axles
Services · Heavy haul
Heavy Haul & Specialized Freight
Excavators, transformers, cranes and anything else too big, too tall or too heavy for a standard trailer. I match the load to the right trailer, line up the permits and escorts, and stay on it until it’s set down at delivery.
- RGN · Lowboy · Multi-axle · Schnabel
- Permits & escorts arranged
- Up to 80-ton capacity
Oversize & overweight
When your freight isn’t standard
A load counts as oversize when it’s wider, taller or longer than the legal limits, and overweight when the truck’s gross weight goes over 80,000 lb or an axle is over its limit. In most states that means anything wider than 8′6″, taller than about 13′6″ from the road, or longer than a standard trailer allows.
Those loads need state permits, sometimes escort vehicles, and always a carrier who has done it before. Through the Landstar network I have access to specialized trailers and experienced heavy-haul owner-operators across North America, and you get one contact who plans the whole move with you: trailer, route, permits, escorts and timing.
Equipment
Trailers for heavy and oversized loads
The right trailer keeps a load legal, or keeps the permits simple. These are the main options in the Landstar network.
Lowboy & double drop
A deep well between the gooseneck and the axles for tall, heavy equipment, loaded by ramp or crane.
- Well height
- About 18–24 in
- Lowboy capacity
- About 40–80 tons
- Best for
- Tall machinery and equipment
Multi-axle
Extra axles spread the weight so very heavy freight stays within axle limits.
- Capacity
- From about 80 tons up
- Best for
- Heavy machinery, transformers
- Planning
- Permits and route checks
Schnabel & beam
The load is carried between two arms or beams and becomes part of the trailer, for the heaviest and tallest pieces.
- Best for
- Transformers, vessels, reactors
- Typical weight
- Often 100+ tons
- Planning
- Route surveys and engineering
Blade & stretch
Extendable trailers for long freight that won’t fit a standard deck.
- Best for
- Wind blades, beams, poles, pipe
- Length
- Extends far beyond 53 ft
- Planning
- Length permits and escorts
Steerable trailers
Rear axles that steer, so long loads can make tight turns on local roads and job sites.
- Best for
- Long girders, beams and tanks
- Benefit
- Tighter turns, less off-tracking
- Planning
- Often paired with escorts
Typical loads
What I move on heavy-haul trailers
- Excavators & bulldozers
- Cranes & aerial lifts
- Transformers & generators
- Industrial machinery
- Agricultural equipment
- Steel structures & bridge beams
- Wind turbine components
- Boats
- Tanks & pressure vessels
- Modular & prefab units
How it works
How a heavy-haul move comes together
Specs and photos
Dimensions (L × W × H), weight, photos, and how it loads: crane, forklift or drive-on.
Trailer and route
The right trailer, and a route that clears bridges, overpasses and weight limits.
Permits and escorts
Permits for every state on the route, with pilot cars where the rules require them.
Move and delivery
Travel within the permits’ hours and routes, with updates until it’s off the trailer.
Request a quote
What I need for a quote
- Item description, make and model
- Length, width and height, with photos
- Weight
- Loading and unloading method: crane, forklift, ramps or drive-on
- Pickup and delivery addresses, with site access notes
- Ready date and delivery deadline
- Whether it can be partly disassembled to reduce size
- Tarping or special securement needs
When does a load need an oversize permit?
When it’s wider than 8′6″, taller than the state’s height limit (often 13′6″), longer than allowed, or puts the truck over 80,000 lb gross or past axle weight limits. Each state on the route issues its own permit.
When are escort vehicles required?
It depends on the state and the size of the load. Many states require one pilot car once a load passes roughly 12 feet wide, and more escorts, or a police escort, for wider, longer or taller loads. I check the rules for each state on the route.
How far ahead should I book a heavy-haul move?
As early as you can. Routine oversize permits often come through within a few days, but superloads that need route surveys and engineering reviews can take weeks.
What’s the difference between an RGN and a lowboy?
Both have a low deck for tall equipment. On an RGN the gooseneck detaches so machinery can drive on from the front; a fixed-neck lowboy is loaded from the rear with ramps or by crane.
Can oversize loads travel at night or on weekends?
Often not. Many states limit oversize travel to daylight hours and restrict weekends and holidays, so those limits are built into the schedule from the start.
Dimensions, limits and escort rules vary by state, route and load. The figures on this page are typical, not guarantees; I confirm the requirements for every load.
More services
Other freight I move
Request a quote
Have something big to move?
Send the dimensions, weight and a few photos, and I’ll come back with a trailer, a route and a rate.