Important!
We are not a permit service.  We do not arrange permits for carriers.  The following is for informational purposes only.  We also do not answer permit and escort requirements.  Always read your permits and provisions sheets carefully. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

District of Columbia DOT Ph#: 202-442-4670

PERMITS: Permits are valid for five days.

OPERATING TIME: Travel allowed 24 hours a day “unless extremely overwidth or overheight,” except no travel from 7:00 am – 9:30 am and 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm. Some moves may be restricted to the hours of 10:00pm – 5:00 am.  Travel is allowed on weekends and holidays.

LEGAL DIMENSIONS

Length: 48′ semi-trailer

• no overall limit on designated routes
• 55′ overall on non-designated routes

Overhang: 3′ front, 5′ rear

Width: 8′-6″ (8′ on non-designated)

Height: 13′-6″

Weight: 80,000 Gross

• Steer – 20,000
• Single – 20,000
• Tandem – 34,000
• Tridem – depends on axle spacings

ROUTINE PERMIT LIMITS

Length: Determined by route

Width: Determined by route

Height: Determined by route

Weight: Maximum determined on case by case basis. No axle can exceed 31,000 lbs. Loads 140,000 lbs. and up need special approval.

ESCORTS

Length: 80′ or over – one escort

Width: Over 12′ – one escort

Height: Over 13′-6″– one escort

Weight: Over 79,000 lbs or any axle weight over 31,000 lbs – one escort

Miscellaneous: Blades, buckets, counterweights can be hauled with the equipment.

Signs & Flags: “Wide Load” signs are required on all overwidth loads. No flag requirements.

The post District of Columbia Oversize Permits appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

Most importantly is that emails time/date stamp a record of the information that was provided.  For example.  If you email a broker carrier that a load must be tarped, the carrier has little defense by saying “you never told me that” which can easily happen when relying on phone calls only.  Of course a “rate confirmation” also would provide the “tarp” requirement, but you can see how emails better protect your communication and can help avoid “he said/she said” issues.

The post Send Email From STARS appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

The following graph shows the real data of 5 dispatchers in our office for the month of September 2015.  I will further explain each dispatcher so you can get a better sense of how things can vary in our office.

First, the revenue generated in the graph is made entirely by broker customer revenue which is where our dispatchers start in Tier 1.

Blue – The number of phone calls made.

Red – The amount of revenue generated.

Dispatcher 1 – A balance of experience and phone calls made this individual the second highest producer for the month.

Dispatcher 2 – This dispatcher does not focus on broker customer revenue, but on customer direct revenue.  Had I included the customer direct revenue, the red column would be much higher.

Dispatcher 3 – Being aggressive and making the calls will produce revenue. Although this dispatcher doesn’t have the experience of the others, they make up for it by making many more phone calls and making things happen.

Dispatcher 4 – This dispatcher focused on a particular relationship with a broker customer that offered him good consistent freight for our drivers.  This is an example of working smarter not harder.

Dispatcher 5 – This dispatcher is a combination of working smart but not overly aggressive.  More hours working would mean greater revenue.

The Best Dispatcher

If you asked me what the characteristics would be of the best dispatcher, it would be as follows, but not necessarily in any particular order.

• Works 8-5 Monday through Friday…. those who work more make more.
• Make more phone calls! Generally speaking more calls equals more revenue.
• Focus on customer direct business – You will make more money in the long run with this revenue.  It pays more, more loads, less problems, more customer loyality.
• Work Smarter not harder! Work with the drivers and customers that are easy to work with and provide the best opportunity for revenue.

If you focus on these 4 things, you will be an excellent dispatcher and likely generate the most revenue.

The post Dispatcher Revenue vs Phone Calls appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

You need to know what skills you consider to be your strengths.  Keep in mind some are almost mandatory, but others are only more helpful if you pursue that path.  In our process of dispatcher training we will get into more details as we continue on with these lessons.

Who am I?

1. Do I have good phone skills and do I like to talk on the phone with many types of people?
2. Do I like a fast pace work environment?
3. How am I as a negotiator? I’m I willing to negotiate a better deal than what is being offered?
4. Can I be a salesperson? Am I knowledgeable and enthusiastic enough to tell a potential customer what is I do and how I can help them.
5. Am I detailed oriented.  Can I follow and understand the steps laid out and read the fine print and cross my t’s and dot my i’s?

If you answered “yes” honestly to these 5 questions, then you likely have what it takes to be successful as a truck dispatcher.  If you are still interested then do read on.

The number one key arguably for being successful is to be on the phone talking with drivers and customers.  Sure, there will be plenty of time dedicated to your computer researching or do data entry, but those things are generally dictated by a conversation you had with a driver or customer.

Conversation With A Driver

Drivers are full of valuable knowledge and they are eager to share it with those who ask.  This is to your advantage so be sure to use it.  They are a great resource to get answers to  questions about the technical aspects of their equipment and other general knowledge about rules of the road etc.  Also, they understand their business better than anyone, so discussing their expected RPM, lanes, and commodities is the best way to determine what they are interested in and how you can begin working with them in the future.

A driver’s detail screen in STARS allows you to enter the driver’s information so you can use it for future reference.  Here are a list of questions you likely will want to ask a driver.

1. What is your target RPM, this will help you gauge what loads to offer him.
2. What types of loads is he most interested in.  This is a very open question, but you want to get general info like commodity types, oversize loads, tarp/no tarp, etc.
3. What geographic area are you interested in?  Do they go where the money is or do they stay east of the Mississippi for example.
4. And of course their equipment.  What type of trailer do they have and what specs does it have.  Include dimension and weight information.

Conversation With Customers

A  Customer is someone who is going to pay to have you haul their freight.  There are two basic types.

• Broker Customers – These are brokers or logistic companies and often they are other trucking companies as well.
• Direct Customers – These are manufactures and other shipper type locations that are handling there own shipping needs.

Conversation with Broker Customers

You may find that when you call a broker on the phone they start to sound a lot like you.  That’s because they are in the same business as you.  They work with trucks and shippers everyday. They talk fast because like you they are busy moving loads.  This business is often a numbers game and you have to call on X number of loads to get the right one for the driver.

Questions you want to ask broker customers are as follows and they are fairly straight forward.

1. What is required on the load? Trailer type, pickup times, tarp, etc.
2. What does it pay, have miles at the ready so you can figure RPM, FSC, and accessorials.  You will need this info when talking to the driver.
3. Finally, get on their email list for future load possibilities (use trucks@heavyhaul.net).  Find out the kind of freight they have consistently and then update STARS with the info and include sales notes.

Once someone completes our dispatcher training and has mastered this form of earning revenue, you then earn access to new and more revenue producing methods.

You want these skills listed above to be second nature to you.  You shouldn’t have to refer to a list of questions although you might start out that way.  You won’t know everything about this business,  but you can certainly learn much of what you need to know very quickly to be successful.  Remember… be persistent, ask questions, and don’t give up.

The post Truck Dispatcher Training For Success appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

Click on the tear drop and when the window opens click on the ‘Sammons Driver’ link.  This will open a new window and you can then use the AS400 system to complete the data entry for this driver.  Once the driver is updated there is little updating we have to do as Sammons sends us a location update of all drivers every 15 minutes.

Please watch this 6 min video show you exactly how to update a driver on the map.

The post Update Trucks appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

To create a new To Do form the Main Menu click “New” and then select “To Do”.   A new window will open.

Watch the below video for a complete demonstration.

The post To Do List appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

Stop Off – Pick Up – Use code 432
Stop Off – Delivery – Use code 452

Add a separate line item for each additional stop off.  You will only need the city and state to add a stop off.

The post AS400 Stop Off appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

1. The option 4520 does not include county, city, and overweight permit costs.
2. Our agency is not liable in errors of permit costs if a 1090 was submitted.

Below is a video on how to enter a 1090 in the Sammons AS400 system.

!!!!IMPORTANT!!!!

Don’t wait to book a load!! Run the permit estimate in 4520 and work with the driver on the load.  If he is interested then book the load.  After the load is booked it is mandatory to then run a rate quote 1090 on the load.  The importance of this is listed above!

Use 4520 to estimate permit costs.
Use 1090 to verify permit cost after booking the load.

The above image shows the estimated permit costs when running the 4520.  You will noticed that each traveled state provides you the cost and miles.  The total for cost and miles is in the upper right hand corner.  Results $441 permit costs and 2,074 miles.  You will also notice in a the 3rd column some states listed show “CYCN”.  This stands for City or County permits.   We won’t know if the route includes CYCN permits until we submit a 1090.

Generally speaking the origin and destination of the load is the most likely place to have additional city or county permits because this is where we know the driver will have to exit the interstate system in order to load or unload.  Often times the driver can route around city and county permits in other states outside the origin and destination states.

The point being is we won’t no for sure so you must enter a 1090 on each and every oversize shipment.

If a load requires escorts or is over the standard oversize dimensions for the 4520 then contact Dave Guth ext 102.  If Dave is unavailable then contact Travis ext 101.

The post 1090 Rate Quote appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

The post Enter Load AS400 appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

Login:

Use your same login as when you logged into 360.  The link for login to DAT Power Online is https://power.dat.com.

You can watch training videos at http://www.dat.com/help/power/training-videos.

You can also have a DAT rep give you training on the new features and conversion.

There is also online training every Thursday at 1pm eastern. From the DAT Power homepage click on the link “Online Training Thursdays”.

The post DAT Power Online appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

Alaska Shipping is a unique service of the trucking industry.  Not every trucking company is willing to send their trucks to the great white north.  However, we have many drivers that enjoy the demanding job of shipping product to and from Alaska.  We are going to discuss in this article of just what is involved for both the equipment and driver to enter Alaska via Canada.

United States to Canada to United States

So how does shipping to Alaska differ versus shipping within the continental United States?  Well, in order to get to Alaska you have to go through a foreign country, Canada.  I've written other articles about Canada shipping.  Canada to US Shipping and Border Crossing Paperwork.   Hauling loads to Alaska through Canada is different than shipping directly to Canada.  In fact it's much easier, so you shouldn't be too overly concerned with the process.

1. Passport - The driver will need a US passport.
2. United States - Canada Transit Manifest Customs Form 7512-B
3.  Legal Equipment - Canadian trucking laws are enforced. Spread Axle, Canadian oversize permit hauling restrictions for example.

Transit Manifest Customs Form 7512-B

This form consists of 4 copies that are validated by the US border crossing agent.

1. The 1st copy is kept by the port of arrival, the entering Canadian Customs Officer.
2. The 2nd copy is kept by the port of exit, the exiting Canadian Customs Officer
3. The 3rd copy is provided to the US Customs port of reentry.
4. The 4th and final copy is kept for the trucking company's records.

Common Questions Answered

• The truck may be sealed by the Canadian Customs Officer, but not always.
• PARS Labels - No Pars Labels are required for this type of move.
• Customs Broker - Unlike Canadian destined shipments, no customs broker is required to process US to US shipments.
• Port of Entry - Any port of entry along the border will work.

Alaska Shipping

With the right driver and equipment your precious cargo can be delivered to Alaska through Canada quickly and safely.  Like anything, familiarize yourself with the process, gather the right paperwork and your in business.

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We Love Heavy Haul Trucking!

My name is Travis Smith and I’ve been working in the trucking business since 1994 and with Heavy Haul Trucking since 2001. Our office knows about oversize, heavy and specialty loads and how to get your load exactly where you need it, safely and on time. I enjoy writing about Heavy Haul and if your interested in learning more, please sign up for our free newsletter. If you need a shipping quote, just call (417) 312-2920 or visit our Free Freight Quote page for more details. Google+

The post Alaska Shipping appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

A quick video of entering a new load.

The post New Load in Sammons appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

The post Deliver A Load appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

Remember:  The Pro# Sammons uses looks like this: 501300-020.  In STARS we don’t track the -020 portion of the number.  So internally we only use 501300, but for communication with the Sammons driver or Sammons corporate office, use the entire number with the -020.

Watch the video below on how to “disptch” a driver in the AS400.

The post Dispatch Driver on Load appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

There is one other thing to keep in mind when checking credit in the AS400 system and that is if you are working with a customer direct shipper (no broker/logistics freight) then you will need to make sure the account is not assigned.  You will notice the below image on the far right side shows “AGT” 408.  This means this customer is assigned to this agent and we won’t be paid commission.  There are a few reasons this may not be the case so it is best to discuss with Dave or Travis if you see an account assigned to an agency.

Reasons An Account Assignment May Not Be Valid

1. Lack of Activity (The agent hasn’t shipped from them in months)
2. The account is a broker or logistics account which are not assigned.
3. Agency is no longer with Sammons
4. Load was posted on ITS or DAT.  This is not guaranteed but has worked in the past.

The post Checking Credit appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

Because the AS400 is not an intuitive computer system, we are going to make some videos showing you exactly how you perform certain tasks. It’s important to follow the steps and to watch the videos as you perform the tasks until you get familiar with the nuances of the AS400.

If the AS400 locks up on you, you can close the window and reopen and log back in which generally fixes the issue.

Before we get started I want to point out a few things about the keyboard you will need to know.

Tab – The tab key is the easiest way to navigate around the field on a page in the AS400. By pressing the Tab key you will jump to the next field on the page and you can keep pressing Tab until you reach the field you need.  You can also use your mouse and click on the field you want to enter, but again the AS400 works a bit easier when using the tab key.

Shift-Tab – This works the same as Tab but reverses the direction. If you “pass” the field you need, you can press shift-tab to bring you back to the spot you wanted.  It is a quick way to find the last field or so on a page as well since you don’t have to tab all the way through the other fields.

ESC – The escape key is necessary when the AS400 doesn’t like the command you entered, you will see a note on the bottom of the screen. You will need to hit the ESC key in order to remove the comment and choose the next command.

F1 – The F1 Function key is used to “go back” or “End Job” on the screen you are on. For example suppose you clicked the wrong function, you can click F1 to bring you back to where you were. Sometimes you have to click F1 more than once to bring you back to a new starting point.

F3 – Function key F3 is the ‘Exit’ button. This can be used throughout the AS400 and works similar to the F1 ‘End Job’. You will just have to use the available command prompts or Function keys listed in the bottom of the screen.

Function Keys (or CMD) – You have 12 function keys on your keyboard: F1, F2,…F12. These typically are the keys you press to perform tasks in the AS400.  The AS400 can refer to these keys as CMD1, CMD2, …etc. they are the same thing.

Function Keys F13 – F22. If you see a selection like F22 in the AS400, you can use that by holding your ‘shift key’ then pressing F10. The way this works is Shift-F1 (F13), Shift-F2 (F14),… Shift-F10 (F22), etc.

Logging on And Changing Password

The following video will show you how to logon to the AS400 and change your password.

The post AS400 Training appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

There are several items we need to get through in order to move to the next step.

At this point you should have your headset and second monitor setup and ready to go.

8 x 8 Phone System

Your computer needs to be connected via an ethernet cable to your router.  Wifi will not always work correctly.

1. You will need to download our virtual office desktop phone.

click here for download

2. Once you have downloaded the software it will be necessary to login.  Check with Travis for your login credentials.

3. Navigate to the Virtual Office->Settings->Audio & Video and click on Audio & Video.

Go through the testing features to setup your headset.

4. When your headset is setup and working set the ‘General’ tab settings as follows.

5. No changes to ‘My Profile’.

6. No need to make any changes in ‘Contacts’ and do not import contacts from google, exchange, etc.

7. No changes in ‘Meetings’

8. ‘Messages’ should look like this.

9. ‘My Services’ you can change your password for voicemail, timezone, etc.  Email for voicemail should read: sale.ssglobal@gmail.com

Click here for PDF on how to access voicemail settings

10. ‘Forwarding’ nothing you need to do.

11. ‘E911’ is required that your address be displayed here, so please update as necessary.

If you are having issues with the phone system setup you can call technical support:

1-408-687-4120
press 1 – business technical support representative
press 1 – virtual office phone
press 2 – technical support
press 1 – phone configuration

Provide your phone number and extension.

Your phone should now be ready.

Internet Browsers

Google Chrome – If you have not already done so, please download Google Chrome onto your computer.  This browser is fast and works best with STARS.  STARS is the name of our Transportation Management Software (TMS).  You can open a  new tab in Chrome and log into our group email account called: sale.ssglobal@gmail.com.  Ask Travis for login information.

Firefox – You will also need to download Firefox browser as well.  You will use Firefox for your own personal Gmail account.

Google Chat – Connect with Travis using Google Chat from your personal Google Gmail account in Firefox.  This allows for instant messaging for when you have quick questions or for me to send you web links, images, etc.  My personal Gmail account is travis.ssglobal@gmail.com

Heavy Haul Trucking Group Chat – This is another Google Chat window that all dispatchers are on.  It allows us to communicate as a group and should only be used when you are trying to message two or more people.  If you have a message to just one person, open a personal chat window.

Group Gmail Account

trucks@heavyhaul.net – This is our default email address and is used for most communications with customers, brokers, drivers, shippers, consignees, etc.  You also have a personal email address of ‘firstname’@heavyhaul.net.  We have more information explaining the how and why of our Gmail in our Email Lesson 6.

The post Office Setup Procedure appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

We have organized this program to give someone with little to no understanding of the trucking industry a quick head start so that you can be on your way to making money in this industry.  This is NOT a “get rich scheme”!  As with most careers, the harder and smarter you work the more money you can make.  We of course will do our best to teach you the technical aspects of this business, but it is up to you to put the time and energy into applying what we teach you into making money for yourself.

The trucking industry is huge, 100’s of billions of dollars worth every year.  We can’t even scratch the surface of the potential revenue that is out there, but we are going to certainly try our best.

I’m often asked “How much money can I make?”  Well the truth is first there is no limit, but it depends on many factors.  Where are you putting your effort?  Are you a dispatcher or salesman?  Do you work 8 hours a day or 8 hours a week?  Are you proactive in that you pick up the phone and make something happen or are you reactive and pick up the phone only when it rings?

We all have lives outside of work, and we respect that,  but our business model allows people to work from home.  Can you work from home?  Do you have distractions?  TV, loved ones, kids, the kitchen, etc?  This can impact your time and focus and in a nutshell working from home is not for everyone.

We want you to be successful as much as you want to be successful.  Again, we are going to do our part by taking the time and giving you the tools to build revenue.  So take the time to read and understand what we provide you and more importantly put it into practice and make the calls and send the emails necessary to make things happen. The road to success in this business is about learning, developing relationships, and dedication.  Sounds like an excellent recipe for life itself!

Back to All Lessons

The post Trucking Basic Training appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

This business is done over the phone and the computer.  We have systems in place for both.  Our 8×8 phone system is a full featured business phone system that gives us all the tools we need. It is up to you, however, to use it.

Skill – Learn how to talk to our drivers.

Sammons drivers are professional, friendly people who understand their equipment and capabilities.  They are your bread and butter to making money in this industry.  Use them as a resource, when you talk to a driver ask him about his business:

• Ask him about his equipment.
• The lanes he likes to run.
• The rate per mile (RPM) he wants to make.
• How often does he like to get home.

These are only a few of the questions you can ask and talk about, but the important message here is that they are a wealth of information and are glad to talk about their business and share it with others.  Be considerate of the driver’s time and the fact he could be driving or loading etc.  Always ask if they have the time to talk or if it would be better to call them back.  Often, time is of the essence and you might have an excellent load opportunity.  Explain to the driver the purpose of your call and identify if you have a load opportunity that needs a quick answer or a more casual question that can be discussed later.  Remember we all have priorities and the drivers’ may not always be inline with yours.

Most all of the Sammons drivers are mapped on our ‘Map Trucks‘ tool in STARS.  This particular feature is available only to our office here at Heavy Haul Trucking.  Sammons corporate does not even have this tool available to them.  Because Sammons provides us the information we want to be respectful of the information they are providing us and be professional with the drivers and their information.

Skill – Learn our computer systems

STARS

Our STARS system was developed in-house.  It is our primary tool to track our loads, customers, drivers, etc.  We are always looking at ways to improve STARS to make everyone here more successful.  If you have an idea or feature you would like to see, let us know and we can look at adding it.  You’ll want to get proficient with all our computer system tools.  If your stuck on something ask someone and we can get you the answer.

ITS

ITS or Internet Truckstop, is a very popular load and truck posting service used throughout the country by most trucking professionals.  It has a lot of very useful tools and our dispatchers use it quite extensively.   Our membership has all the necessary tools you will need to get started making money.  You will start by ‘searching loads’ which will help you match loads with trucks in our system.

The post Phone and Computer appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

Brokers and Logistics companies are one in the same.   A “broker” is the older, perhaps a bit more negative word, to describe a business or individual that ‘brokers’ freight.  They are the middleman between the customer and the truck that is hauling the load.  The term “logistics” is a newer buzz word to describe a broker.  Quite awhile ago brokers got a bad rap from a few bad apples in the industry. Some brokers would contract loads with customers and get paid only to hire a carrier and not pay them.  Besides the fact that this is illegal and unethical, it was a bad business practice that tarnished the industry.  So, logistics became the new buzz word with a new image.

Perhaps this is unique to our industry, but brokers are both our customers and our competition.  We often, as in everyday, haul broker freight throughout the country on our trucks.  Ideally, we want to work with shippers directly, but the reality is we need the freight brokers can provide to keep our trucks loaded.  I like to think of brokers as a salesperson for our company.  They have made the sales call to a customer and we provide the truck to satisfy the shipment.  An example of a win/win at its best.

As a dispatcher in this industry you need to first become proficient at talking with brokers and finding the loads for our drivers.  Brokers and dispatchers live fast paced lives.  We live on the phone making deals.  Whether we are on the phone with a customer coordinating a load or negotiating with a carrier to haul a shipment, it’s very phone intensive.  If your not on a phone making a call then you’re either at lunch or just taking a break.

Brokers and Logistics companies are in the business to move freight and you have access to the trucks they want.  This doesn’t always mean you can work a deal.  It’s a negotiation and practice will help refine those skills. Sometimes you have to “sell” the load to a driver as much as you have to negotiate a rate with a broker.  You want the best price possible, but most importantly you want to move the load.  If a broker offers you a load for $2,200 and a driver wants the load for $2,500 it is up to you to make sure you can get both parties to agree.   You have to sell it to both the driver and the broker and agree on a rate.  As the dispatcher you’re not too concerned with either price, you just want the load to be hauled and for that you often have to negotiate.  If the driver agrees with $2,200 then there is nothing further you need to do, than to move the load!

Back to All Lessons

The post Brokers and Logistics Companies appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

It is my goal in this lesson to provide a sample conversation with a broker.  It’s to get you familiar with the questions asked of you and what questions you should ask.  Of course this is only a guideline and conversation can go in different directions, so a good understanding of equipment, trucking, etc will allow you to move quickly and to answer and ask the necessary questions.

You will be the dispatch and calling a broker to inquire about a load posted on Internet Truckstop

Broker: Dispatch…  Although this might appear unprofessional, companies answer like this all the time.

Dispatch: Yes, I’m calling on a load you have posted from Denver, CO…  Generally it is not necessary to introduce yourself or be any more specific than what was stated for the broker to understand the purpose of your call and what load you are calling about.  Of course if it is required you can provide equipment type and destination city, etc.

Broker: Okay, we are needing a stepdeck to pick up tomorrow. This is more of an acknowledgement that they are aware of the load you are calling on. It often doesn’t provide anymore more information than you already know.

Dispatch: I have a truck that is interested in the load.  What is the rate?  We are getting right to the point with this question.  This is the first hurdle to overcome.  We must determine if we are in the ballpark on rate.  Ideally, you should have an idea of what the load “should pay” or better yet, what the driver is looking for in pay.  Also, we have stated “I have a truck” this is what a broker wants to hear.  You have what he wants, so state it.

Broker: $2,200.  The broker might be low balling you on this offer.  They could also be desperate for a truck and willing to pay more.  It is your goal to receive a high enough rate that the driver will take the load.  If that is $2,200 you are all set and can move forward with the load.

Dispatch: Yes, we want to take the load.  I’m skipping some dialog that might be required about that load, but don’t assume that if something wasn’t discussed it is not required on the shipment.  Better to ask the questions to the broker at the time to avoid any problems. The following are questions that probably should be discussed.

• What is the commodity?
• Is the load over dimensional?
• Does the load require a tarp?
• What are the loading and unloading hours?
• Is there any other information on this load that the driver should be aware of?

Broker: Okay, what company are you with?  This will become very routine, but you should have Sammons truck information at the ready.  The broker wants to be sure you are setup in their system, have the proper insurance, and an email or fax to send a confirmation to.

Dispatch: This is Travis with Sammons Trucking, MC# 124692.  My phone number is 417-312-2920 x101. You can fax the confirmation to 417-312-2925 or email to trucks@heavyhaul.net.  The MC# is unique to every carrier and is generally the number referenced although sometimes FID is requested.  It is our preference that you use our general phone number followed by your extension.  Also, we prefer the use of email over fax, but either will work just fine.

Broker: Can I have the truck number, driver’s name, and cell phone?  All this is typical and generally okay to provide.  We ask that you get a verbal confirmation from the driver that it is okay to give out his cell phone number.

Dispatch: Okay thanks, when should I be expecting the confirmation?  Also, what is your name and do you have an extension?  Do you also have an email? We don’t want to bug a broker for a confirmation, but depending on when it loads, timing can be important.  The load is not “real” until we receive a confirmation.  Sending a truck to pick up without a load confirmation in hand can be risky.  Email is a great way to communicate, but dispatchers name and phone/ext is required.

Broker: I should have that to you in the next several minutes.  This gives you a window of time to follow up on in case they wrote down the wrong fax number or email.  So its okay to check back in 15 min or so if you haven’t received it.

Back to All Lessons

The post Dialog With A Broker appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

The following information should be at your fingertips until you have it memorized.  We have several names we do business as.  This might sound strange and confusing, but we represent a couple larger companies, so depending on who you are talking to, the company name we represent can change.  I wouldn’t get too worried about this, but it will make sense quickly enough.

Heavy Haul Trucking
www.heavyhaul.net
Phone: 417-312-2920
Fax: 417-312-2925

Heavy Haul Trucking – This is our company and who writes your check.  Our legal name is Summerset Solutions LLC, but we no longer use it to our customers, but many still know us as that name.  Heavy Haul Trucking is our brand we use on our website, email, and when talking to direct customers.

Sammons Trucking
MC# 124692
FID or EIN # 20-3364486

Sammons Trucking – This company is based in Missoula, MT.  They consist of approximately 300 owner operator trucks of platform type: Flatbed, Stepdeck, Double Drop, and Specialized.  When calling Brokers & Logistics companies this is the name we represent ourselves as.  We can only take freight from brokers with our Sammons trucks.   This is why we represent ourselves in this case as Sammons Trucking and not Heavy Haul Trucking.

Matson Logistics
MC# 218094
FID or EIN# 94-3032396

Matson Logistics – We are a broker/logistics company just like the companies we work with to move freight on our Sammons Trucks.  Heavy Haul Trucking does not have a broker license, we use both Sammons Trucking and Matson Logistics as our broker authority.  There are two advantages of having access to two broker authority companies.

1. A customer might receive credit with one company and not the other.
2. A carrier might be approved with one company and not the other.

We have in both cases been able to move a load that we would not have otherwise been able to move because of a customer credit or carrier approval reason.  Although this in not all that common, it does happen occasionally.  When a carrier calls on a shipment we have from one of our direct customers, we process this shipment with the carrier as Matson Logistics.  Sometimes we would use Sammons Trucking for a couple reasons I stated above, but typically we broker through Matson Logistics.  Because it is Matson that the contract and payment to the carrier will be made with, we use the name Matson Logistics with these carriers.

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We use Google Chrome as our browser for our general Email client.  We also login to STARS with the Chrome Browser.  The advantage of this is we can click on links to emails from STARS and it will open the email in Gmail, a great time saver! Email is a huge part of our communication with customers, shippers, carriers and even with drivers too.  There are several advantages to using email.

• Time saver – If you can send an email you save time in not having to make a phone call.
• Reference – Because the information in written down, there is less confusion when providing information over the phone and someone having to take information down by hand.
• Time Date – We save all emails and they are a great way to time/date stamp when a conversation happened.  It’s a lot more difficult for a carrier to say “you never told me that” when you have it written down in an email.

We all share a Google Gmail account for administrating our emails.  There are several points that we want everyone to follow.

1. Do not delete emails.  Use the archive button instead.  This allows us to reference the email in the future as necessary.
2. Every dispatcher has their own personal email, but we primarily use the trucks@heavyhaul.net email and then just sign your name at the bottom.
3. Because all emails come to one account we all have access to read the emails, so do not use your email for personal emails.
4. If you read an email that does not concern you, be sure to mark the email as “unread” if it was unread when you opened it.  Otherwise the intended recipient might not notice the email.
5. You can “star” an email you want to come back to later.
6. When an email has been read and no longer needed be sure to archive the email and keep the inbox clean of unnecessary emails.

Labels – Gmail calls the left side navigation “Labels”.  They are used with filters that automatically place an email from a sender into the correct label.  An email will still show up in the inbox, but will also show up in the label whether the email has been archived or not.

STARS – Our software has the ability to send emails to customers and carriers.  With just a click of a button you can type a quick message and send and email straight from STARS.  If, for example, you want to update a customer on the status of their load, you can type “your load has been delivered”.  All the rest of the information for the email has already been applied by STARS.  Your name, load, etc is automatically entered.

Faxes – We use email to both send and receive emails.  If someone needs to send us a fax, just provide them our fax number 417-312-2925 and we will receive it in our inbox in Gmail.

• Inbound Fax – Subject will read as follows: New Fax Message from (xxx) xxx-xxxx on (date) at (time).  The attachement is a PDF so you can open it with Adobe PDF reader or similar program.   From this point you can save the document on your computer or print it on you printer or just archive the fax for future reference.
• Outbound Fax – To send a fax is simple.  You type the number followed by @rcfax.com example: 4173122925@rcfax.com.  You then must attach a PDF document to the email.  You can leave the subject line blank.  If you need a cover sheet with a comment, then you can type that in the subject line of the email itself.  This is generally not necessary but it is available.  The body of the email does nothing, so it does not matter whether there is text in the body of the email or not.

It can be helpful to read emails as they come in as a learning tool.  You can get familiar with terms and how certain things are discussed between customers, drivers, and carriers.  There is generally no sensitive information in these emails, so feel free to read away.

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The 8×8 Phone System is a full featured phone system that has many features:

Virtual Office

The Virtual Office Call Controller fits in the corner of your desktop screen.  You can use it as you would a telephone.  You can dial a number, answer a call, or even chat with another dispatcher on our phone system.

A – The big red A in the image is where you see your users profile and where you can change your status from ‘green’ (available) to several other statuses like ‘Do Not Disturb’.

B – The big red B in the image shows a list of other dispatchers and will let you know who is on the phone or available along with icons to call them or send them a chat.

Favorites

You place all the dispatchers in your “Favorites”.  You can locate them in your Contacts  and view the “All” tab.  Hover over the contact you want to add to favorites and click on the blue star that appears in the pop out window.  When done your Favorites tab should look like this.

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Map Trucks

Sammons Trucking has approximately 300 trucks in their system.  We currently map about 250 of these trucks.  The map is updated every 15 minutes.  You will notice there are several different colored dots.  There meanings are as follows:

Map Truck Features

Locations

List View

Search Fields

Click on a Mapped Dot

• Hover – When you hover your mouse over a dot, you will get basic truck information.
• Click – When you click on a dot, you will get a popup window with more truck information.
• Click “Driver Detail” – When you click on “Driver Detail” from the popup window, you will get a new window with complete truck detail.

Driver Detail

The driver detail screen has a lot of information, including a ‘note’ history of conversations with the driver and ‘loads’ history of any loads that truck has done with our office. We continue to update a driver’s information as his equipment changes. It is the responsibility of a dispatcher to review a driver’s information and update as necessary. If everyone is committed to this task, then everyone benefits from accurate information.

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Residual Commission

The most exciting thing about developing new customer business is receiving the additional commission each and every time our office moves a load with your customer.  This means that even if you don’t quote, book, or dispatch the load, you will get the commission for the sales portion.  Of course if you provide the other three functions as well you get the entire commission payout!

Ideal Customer

The ideal customer has the following attributes:

1. Good credit
2. Ships regularly
3. Easy loads: no tarp, light loads, easy loading/unloading.
4. Excellent Rates

So these four things are a wish list in a perfect world.  The reality is a customer is not likely to possess all four, but that doesn’t make them not worth pursuing.

Good Credit: An account needs to have generally about $5,000 in order to do any business and if they can’t get $5,000 in credit then we probably can’t get credit at all and we need to move on.  An account that has $100,000 credit gives you the opportunity to move a lot more freight.

Ships regularly:  Building up a customer following is about the numbers.  You don’t want just one customer you want 10, 20, 50+ customers.  So customers may ship every day or every week while others may ship only a few loads per month.  It’s all about revenue and you want your name on as much of it as possible.  It doesn’t make since to sale to someone who moves one load and that is it.  We use the website to generate those leads to us.  Here we are talking about building a relationship with a customer who ships regularly.

Easy Loads: Typically if a shipper loads regularly they have the loading/unloading down, but customers can require tarps or have heavy loads that drivers are less inclined to haul.  Perhaps only one in five drivers will take a load from a given customer, but if you are hauling a couple loads a week out of shipper you are making money.  This is where that residual income can come into play.

Excellent Rates:  Excellent rates means that the drivers will take the loads offered.  Unfortunately, customers who ship regularly are often approached by a lot of carriers and so rates get depressed because the demand for loads can be greater than the demand for trucks, but that can be the reverse as well.  Not too worry, usually the market rates are inline and some driver’s accept the loads as the alternative can sometimes be slim.  Again, its about revenue!  What is the difference to you if a load pays only 1.50 rpm for a total of $3,000 linehaul vs a load that pays 2.00 rpm for a total of $3,000 linehaul?  The answer?  Nothing.. That’s right your commission is the same in that scenario.  It is true that it will be easier to find a truck on a $2.00/mile load than a $1.50/mile, but that doesn’t change your commission.

Would you rather move 2 loads a day at $1,500 each or 5 loads a day at $1,000 each.  Again, it’s about the total revenue.  If your putting the time in this business of 8 hours a day you might as well push as much revenue as possible.  So 5 loads a day is generating $5,000 in revenue per day vs the $3,000 in revenue the other way.

Generating Leads

Over the years we have gathered many ways of developing leads.

• STARS
• Broker Loads
• Manufacturing Lists

There are other ways as well, but these three ways will give you more leads than you can handle.  Other ways to develop business is through good old fashion networking, talking to drivers, and other referral business.

The Sales Call

When making a sales call to a new prospect customer, keep in mind that it’s a process and this process takes time.   There can also be dead ends and negative attitudes by the people your selling to but generally speaking they are professionanl.  We are selling professional to professional and this is a far cry from contacting people at home while they are having dinner.  Read this article on  Trucking Agents – Sales Life Cycle for the life cycle of a new trucking customer.

Asset Based

We are asset based, which means we have approximately 300 trucks at our disposal that we operate.  When you call a customer you absolutely can tell them we have 300 of our own trucks.  Many customers don’t want to work with brokers and although we broker too, we tell them that we understand that, but we have trucks and those are the trucks we are interested in loading.  If we have the opportunity to broker the customer’s freight in the future that is great, but at this stage it’s about getting our foot in the door.

Customer Packet

Often a customer is going to want information on our company or will require information to set up a carrier for hauling approval.  We normally send our customer packet for this purpose.  It is several pages and includes information, like:

• Insurance
• MC Certificate
• Permit
• License
• Safety Rating
• Banking
• W-9

You can find the customer packet in our Google Drive account in the Sammons folder and document is called “customer packet”.  You can either email or fax this document as needed.

Customer Development Steps

1. Make initial contact – Find the person’s dept, name, phone, fax, email who is involved in making the decisions.  This person we will call the “traffic manager”.

2. Sell to the traffic manager that you have 300 trucks and that you regularly have trucks in their area.

3. Send customer packet to customer for setup or carrier approval.

4. If customer has a contract for us to sign, let Dave or I know and we will send to Sammons Corporate for review.

5. Send available truck list to customer.

6. Provide rates as necessary.  Start with the rate calculator, but Dave and Travis are good resources as well.

7. Keep up communication with customer until providing trucks for them is routine.

Sample Sales Call

I will use the initials DP: for you the dispatcher and TM: for the traffic manager at the customer.

TM: Good morning this is John may I help you?

DP: Good morning John, this is Travis Smith and we operate a fleet of 300 trucks and wanted to see about getting our trucking company set up with you to assist you in hauling your freight.  Would you be able to assist me in that?
To keep the traffic manager engaged in the conversation, always end with a question throughout the conversation until you have all the information you need.

TM: Are you a broker?

DP: No, we have 300 of our own trucks and are interested in loading your product with our trucks.  What is required to approve us as a carrier for you company?
If you don’t ask a question, you have given control back to the customer and the conversation will end sooner than you want.

TM: You can email me your information and I can review it.

DP: Certainly, I’ll send that over to you right away, I realize your busy, but what types of trailers do you utilize?  Flats, Steps, Double Drops?

TM: Mostly flats and steps.  Do you have those?

DP: Yes, our entire fleet is made up of flats, steps, and specialized trailers.  Could you tell me the product that is being shipped and if tarps or any special loading requirements are necessary?

TM: Most of our loads require tarp, but on occasion we have loads that aren’t tarp.

DP: Great, that is no problem.  What size tarps do you typically need?  And, can you give me an idea of how many loads you ship a day or week, etc?

TM: 4′ tarps are fine in most cases and we only ship about 15-20 loads a week.

DP: And do those loads go nationwide, Canada, or certain destinations?

TM: We ship nationwide and each load can vary.

DP: I understand, would it be best to email you a list of our trucks in the area or is their a number we should call when we have a truck available?

TM: If you have a truck in the area you can call xxx.xxx.xxxx.

DP: Perfect, one final question if I could, because I know your busy.  How long does it take to get carrier approval and when would be the best time to follow up with you?

TM: Send me your information and give me a call next week.

DP: I certainly will and I really appreciate you taking the time to speak with me today.  Have a great day!

TM: Your welcome.

 Follow up

Enter sales notes in STARS and add a follow up date as necessary.  Let Travis or Dave know where you are on an account so we can add your name as the salesperson on the account.  Most of the time you will need to be proactive in setting up a new customer.  Meaning don’t rely on voicemails being returned to you etc.  You are going to have  to pick up the phone and make the necessary outbound calls.

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ITS is a load and truck posting board available on the internet with a user name and password.  We use this software in multiple ways but as a Tier 1 dispatcher you will use it primarily for finding loads for Sammons trucks that appear on our Map Trucks mapping system.

ITS – Searching Loads

You can use ITS in one of two ways works best:

1. Search Best Loads – Search the best loads out at the time and then check to see if we have available trucks in the area. This is a great way to filter for the highest paying loads first or the most revenue on a load.  It’s important to note that for the most part a load that pays $2,000 has the same amount of work as a load that pays $6000 in regards to dispatching.  So, its smarter, when possible, to book the highest revenue load first.
2. Match Loads to a Truck – In this method you may have spoken to a Sammons truck that is looking for a load and you use ITS to find loads that match his equipment and needs.  This approach works well when you have a truck driver you know and can easily determine that kind of loads he is interested in taking.   So, work smarter, work with the trucks that put the fewest restrictions on the loads he is interested in taking.  Remember highest revenue is the goal.

Load Searching

The following video explains how to use ITS to search for available loads.

Posting Available Trucks

The following video explains how to post a Sammons Truck.  We ask that you only post a truck that you have spoke to and are actively searching for loads. Also, in the “Special Information” section on ITS please include your phone extension so that the calls are routed to the correct dispatcher.  Posting trucks allows the ITS software and the broker customers out there to do much of your work for you. So take the time to understand the tool, but again please post trucks that you are working with and have spoken to.

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Our rate quote calculator is a powerful tool.  It provides the speed and accuracy to help our dispatchers determine rates quickly servicing our customers with excellent turn around time for quotes and for our drivers when finding loads for them throughout the country.

Remember! Rating can be challenging and not always consistent.  There are numerous factors that have to be considered.  Unfortunately these only become apparent after experience and gained knowledge.  Although the rate calculator is intended to be accurate and fast it doesn’t take into account many other factors.  So use it, but don’t rely on it either.  Learn from the rate calculator, discussions with drivers, negotiations with carriers and brokers.  This will give you the confidence to truly become an excellent rater in the trucking industry.

Step 1 – You must choose your base equipment type.

1. Flatbed – This is for platform equipment and will provide you a rate for a legal flatbed load only. More specialized trailers would cost more.  This rate will not include accessorials or any oversize charges.
2. Van – Our drivers do not pull van, so you would only use this rating calculator for direct customers.

Step 2 – Enter your origin and destination city, state or zip code.  Unlike other STARS fields, the city field does not look up a list of  origin or destination cities.  You can type any value you want, so its important to spell the location correctly.  The state field has a drop down list of values.  The zip code is the quickest and easiest if you have that value.

Step 3 – Map – Click the map button. Several things happen when this is done and I’ll explain a couple of them.

1. Geo Code – The values entered are sent and the latitude and longitude for the origin and destination are returned.
2. Mapping – The origin and destination is mapped so you can see a visual of the lane you are quoting and the number of miles.
3. Rates – The locations are analyzed in our database and compared to a number of rating factors.

Step 4 – Enter the miles returned on the map and click the Calc button.

1. FSC – Fuel Surcharge – The value provided here is from Sammons and changes on a weekly basis.
2. RPM – This value is provided from analytics written into the rate calculator.
3. Linehaul – This is calculating the Miles and RPM
4. Fuel Surcharge – This is calculating the Miles and FSC and is the same for all columns
5. Total – This adds the Linehaul and Fuel Surcharge

Customer – This is the value you would use for a direct customer or shipper.

Carrier – This is the value you should expect from a broker company for one of our Sammons drivers.

Sammons (FAK) – This is the estimated total you would need to meet or exceed to make full commission on the load.  Below this value would pay only half commission.  It’s important to point out that several factors can make the total amount inaccurate.

• Locations – Locations are determined by Sammons by zip codes and the rate calculator uses latitude and longitude based on a key set of cities throughout the country.  So a zip code and our city and state might not always result in the same RPM.
• Miles – The rate calculator uses miles generated from the internet and Sammons uses mileage calculated from PC Miler or Rand McNally.  These miles might not always agree and can be off by quite a bit in some cases.  For the most part it will give you an accurate target of being above or below the target RPM.

The rate calculator is located in the dispatcher menu system in the ‘Tools’ drop down.

You should always have the rate calculator open when talking to drivers and brokers.  The advantage of this calculator is you can enter and receive data while on the phone with someone limiting the amount of back and forth phone calling.

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Broker Loads

We receive numerous emails from brokers of loads they have available.  These emails range in quality for two reasons.

1. Some emails have a lot of load information including rate, commodity, dimensions, etc. while others have very little information.
2. Some email lists consist of consistently bad freight because of the type of commodity, lanes, or rate.

There is little we can do about the quality of the emails from brokers, but we can learn how to pick and choose the emails and loads that we have the best chance of moving.

All Broker Loads

“All broker loads” is a Gmail Label on the left side navigation, see lesson 6 Email.  When a new broker load list comes into our inbox, it will likely also come into our “All broker loads” label automatically.  I want to show you how you can search for what I call the “Golden Eggs”.  The golden eggs are the loads that are worth pursuing.

• Gross Revenue – The higher the revenue the more commission, so steer clear of low revenue freight. Target freight at least over $1,500.
• RPM – The most important value is being above the “FAK” rate. see Rate Calculator Lesson 10
• Match Loads to Trucks – Quickly view if we have trucks in the area.  If no trucks are available in the area then ‘archive’ the email and move on to the next opportunity.

If a load is worth pursuing, then you can either talk to the truck or the broker first.  Unfortunately you will have to talk to both either way, but sometimes it’s better to talk to the broker first and other times the truck first.  You will just have to start the process and over time you will better determine which is the better to talk to first.

View Lesson 4 Broker Conversation

Speed

Loads and certainly the good loads can go quick in this business.  You want to be on top of the emails that come into the inbox and quickly scan for the golden eggs.  To repeat myself, if there are no good loads or no trucks available for the good loads, archive the email and move on.

It won’t take long to learn and look for the good loads.  If you have questions call us and we’ll be glad to assist you.

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Congratulations!  You have moved your first load and likely the most difficult.  You’re using and understanding the tools.  You’re learning how to talk with drivers and brokers.  And now that work has paid off into revenue!  So what do you do now?  Here are the next steps to dispatching the load.  The steps might not always be exactly as ordered here, but in general these are the logical steps.  Also, there are more detailed lessons for each of the steps listed below, but this will give you a short list to start with.

1. New Load – From the ‘Main Menu’ tab click on New->Load.  STARS keeps track of all our loads, customers, shippers, consignees, and drivers.   This information collected helps with future sales calls, rating, and accuracy in dispatching.  Entering your first load might seem to take a lot of time, but you will gain efficiency over time.  Also, as you begin to work with brokers again and again you won’t have to reenter new information.  STARS has over 6,000 customers in the database so many brokers we have worked with already.

2. Rate Confirmation Sheet – The broker will send you via email or fax (email preferred) a “Rate Confirmation”.  This is the agreement between the broker (customer) and the carrier (Sammons).  It should provide you all the information including the pay on the load which was agreed on the phone. If you started entering a New Load, as you should, before receiving the rate confirmation then you will need to edit the load in STARS to add any missing information like addresses, dispatch instructions, and contact names and phone numbers.

Link to Adobe Reader XI Click Here

3. Edit Rate Confirmation – Often in the legal section of the rate confirmation are terms that we don’t want to agree with and often cross out these areas before signing and returning a copy.  If possible its best to communicate via email, so even if the broker faxed us a copy we should ask for their email and send a signed copy back by email.

4.  AS400 System – Notify Dave or Travis that you have booked a load and let us know the STARS load number.  We will enter the load into the Sammons system for you.  You will eventually have access to this process yourself.

5. Dispatch Driver – You will have to communicate to the driver the dispatch instructions.  This is possible one of three ways.  1. Dispatch over the phone – Slow and inaccurate and least preferred. 2 – Email the Rate Confirmation – This generally provides all the information no concern of phone dictation. 3. STARS Driver Dispatch – Email the dispatch sheet has much of the information laid out as the Rate Confirmation.   The dispatch sheet is cleaner because it doesn’t contain all the legalese, signature area, etc.  Just the important information the driver needs.

6. Check Calls – Accurate dispatch involves making calls to the driver and customer before an issue arises.  You don’t want a customer calling asking if the driver got loaded at his 10:00am appointment.  We need to be “Johnny on the spot” and know where the driver is at his loading appointment and then update the customer.  A customer who knows we are on top of things and communicates well, is more likely to give us loads in the future and even pay more as the extra reassurance is worth more money.

7. Load Notes – Load notes are crucial and the best way if not really the only way the rest of the people in the office know what is going on with the load.  You should record a note nearly every time you talk to someone about the load.  You can use your best judgement here, but basically consider if you weren’t in the office and someone else was looking at the load, would the note help out the dispatcher assisting on the load?  Notes are short, abbreviated and to the point. STARS will automatically time/date stamp with the users initials, so entering the note closest to the time in which the event occurred is best. If the driver calls in loaded at 10:30am we don’t want the note time/date stamped at 1:00pm.  If that does happen, make the note specific and state the driver was loaded at 10:30 am to cut back on confusion.

8. Driver Loaded – When the Sammons driver is loaded, he will need his “PRO Number”.  In STARS the field is called the “Freightbill Number”.  They are the same thing!  You will need to call Dave or Travis and we will provide the pro# for you.  The Sammons pro# is a 6 digit number followed by -020.  We only keep track of the 6 digit number 498644 for example.  But when we correspond with Sammons, we include the -020 like so: 498644-020.  If a driver were to load another load like an LTL then the next number would be -030 and so on.  We normally don’t deal with LTL’s so -020 is likely what you will be working with on your loads.

9. Email Rate Confirmation to Sammons – After the load is assigned a Pro Number and the driver is ‘Intransit’, you will need to email the rate confirmation to Sammons: mso.billing@sammonstrucking.com.  This is a requirement for billing the customer.  You can enter the pro # (along with the -020) 498644-020 on the subject line and attach the rate confirmation.

10. Track the Load – As dispatcher it is your job to track the load, record updates (load notes), and handle any problems that occur.  If we are doing our job the problems seem to go away, so stay after each load.  Problems can really slow things down.  When the load delivers notify Dave or Travis and we will “deliver” the driver in the Sammons AS400 system.

Dispatching is a skill built over time with experience.  You can’t expect to read these lessons and become a master, but we our trying our best to get you there ASAP.  Refer to this lesson on your first several loads and it will become old hat soon enough.

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We refer to our office setup as a “virtual office”.  As such, we can’t just tap the shoulder of the person seated next to us to ask a question or pass a note.  This can have its challenges, however, we balance this with the fact we can all work from home offices and the advantages of that are many.  I’m going to touch on how we do communicate using STARS and other tools that can really be better than all facing one another in an office.

Instant Messaging – All users are logged into their own personal email through the Firefox browser.  We have a group chat window which is used for the purpose of communicating with all dispatchers.  If you have a message for an individual you can also send them a private chat.

8×8 Messaging – This is another instant message system we get with the 8×8 phone system.  It does not have group chat capability but it is a good tool for one on one communication.

Load Notes – At the bottom of every load are the ‘load notes’.  These are the comments that a user types in to explain what is happening on the load.  The system will automatically time/date stamp and add the users initials.  So the user can concentrate only on the note itself.  Keep these things in mind when typing notes.

• Keep comments short but descriptive.
• We don’t check spelling! Abbreviate when necessary and often.
• NO PRONOUNS! Use names instead. “I spoke with him and his dispatcher said it was ok but her boss was not available.” This is not clear, so try this. “I spoke with John, driver, and Susan, his dispatcher said that Tom, Susan’s boss, was not available.
• Enter notes often and after any call regarding load status, or communication with principal parties like driver, customer, shipper, consignee, etc.
• If you are out of the office your notes need to tell the next person what is going on with the load!

Customer Notes – Anytime you speak with a customer and certainly on a sales call make a note of what was discussed. If you learned something valuable you need to record it.  It’s extremely difficult to remember all the people and companies involved in our business and industry.  Make the notes for yourself and others to use.

Driver Notes – If you have called a driver to discuss load options etc make a note.  This allows all other dispatchers know that someone has spoken to him and what the status was at the time.  Review the time/date stamps on loads.  If the driver hasn’t been talk to in a couple days or more, then his situation has likely changed.

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You can access the website through STARS->Web Tools->Ritchie Specs

You might talk to a customer who says they are shipping at ‘Caterpillar D3G XL’.  Ideally the customer will provide you the dimensions, but if not, we can use Ritchie Specs to find them.

The Manufacturer in this case is ‘Caterpillar’ so you would type that in the search box.

The model number is ‘D3G XL’.  There can be varying modal names and sometimes you have to just select the closest one available.  Enter and select the model.

Once you have located the equipment type click on “Go” and they will generally show you a drawing of the equipment with the dimensions specs plus a whole lot of other data you don’t need.

Length x Width x Height x Weight

Pay attention to the overall dimensions.  Use the drawings to quickly see what letter you need to reference for the overall length.  Item ‘A’ is overall length.  So review the length of ‘A’ and then do the same for Width ‘B’ and Height ‘C’.

Weight is often listed in the ‘Specifications’ area and we often use the “Operating Weight” value.  In this example it’s 16,227 lbs.

This piece of equipment is not oversize, but would require a stepdeck trailer at minimum do to the height.  However, often this type of equipment requires a trailer with an RGN for loading and unloading.  It just depends, so be sure you are asking the right questions.

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We have a number of ways to communicate with a Sammons driver. Although the phone is the primary means of communication we also can utilize email and texting. The following video will demonstrate how to utilize some of these tools.

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Over Dimensional Trucking

Over dimensional trucking has a lingo all its own and as such it can be confusing to those who don't work in it every day.  Here we address some of lingo and equipment required to handle and properly ship oversize loads. 

• Loading and Unloading
• Dunnage, Blocking, etc
• Dimensions
• Routing
  

In this article I hope to cover some of the terminology used to describe not only trailers but about commodity descriptions too.  We've written many articles about related subjects on this site and I will provide links to those articles for greater detail when available.

What is the Commodity

Machine or Wheeled Vehicle

It makes a big difference on what type of trailer equipment you use.  If it's a wheeled or tracked vehicle it needs to be driven on most likely, but not always.  Perhaps a stepdeck with ramps will work, but weight and ground clearance can be limiting factors.  What if the wheeled vehicle doesn't work and it has be be pushed on the trailer. That gets difficult if not dangerous with a stepdeck with ramps.  Don't get caught on just the loading side, you have to consider the delivery location as well.

How is the product going to be loaded and unloaded?

Loading

If you have a machine how is it going to be lifted, Does it have D-rings to lift with chains? Will it be lifted by forklift?  When it sits on the trailer does it need dunnage, blocking or will it sit flat on the trailer deck.  If blocking is required, how much and at what height will it increase the overall height of the load?

What are the over all shipping dimensions including dunnage, blocking, etc?

Max Dimensions are key

Dimensions should be discussed as it is going to sit on the trailer. A tank that stands on the ground which is 8'6" in diameter and is 14' tall is going to shipped as 14' long x 8'6" wide and 8'6" high and require a flatbed trailer.  It's not uncommon that someone will say the tank is 8'6" in diameter only to find out there are legs, a cradle, vents, or other components that stick out on top, the sides, or underneath that must be considered.  All these things will change the overall hauling dimensions.

Permits and Escorts

One inch can make a big difference!  In one state you might be legal or only require permits, while in another state you may need escorts in addition to permits. Click here for our state permits and escorts information.

Footprint

The commodity footprint is a term used quite often and with a lot of confusion. Basically, it means the amount of space the commodity is using to sit or is touching on the trailer.  This becomes very important when dealing with a stepdeck or double drop trailer where there are upper and lower decks.  A double drop for example has around a 29' bottom deck. If your commodity has an overall length of 32' it may require a stretch trailer to accommodate the additional 3'.  However, if the commodity has any overhang on the front and/or rear of the piece it might not need the full 32' well requirement and actually fit inside a standard double drop well.

In the below image:

A - Would represent the overall length of this loader

D - Would represent the footprint length of the loader.

The end result is to communicate and ask the important questions.  It's not always a straight forward as it seems.  When the driver knows exactly what is required when picking up a shipment it greatly reduces the chances of having problems.

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We Love Heavy Haul Trucking!

My name is Travis Smith and I’ve been working in the trucking business since 1994 and with Heavy Haul Trucking since 2001. Our office knows about oversize, heavy and specialty loads and how to get your load exactly where you need it, safely and on time. I enjoy writing about Heavy Haul and if your interested in learning more, please sign up for our free newsletter. If you need a shipping quote, just call (417) 312-2920 or visit our Free Freight Quote page for more details. Google+

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Shipper – This is the physical location that product is shipped from.  It is the address provided to a driver in order to pick up a load.

Customer – This is the location we bill for a shipment we do.  It can often be the same as the shipping location, but it can also be the consignee or third party billing location.  In some cases we are paid by credit card or even wire transfer.

In the example below, the shipper is different than the customer.  However, we have shipped loads from this shipper and billed both a third party and the shipper as well.  Meaning this shipper has had two separate bill to customers.

We track both shippers and customers and many are entered twice because of both being the same, meaning same address in shipper as the customer.

Our ‘Map Shippers’ will map any shipper who has the “Frequency” field given a value.  So it’s very easy to have a shipper map or unmap as you only need to change the value of “Frequency” from nothing to something or vice versa.

Search

The search field value Frequency has the following categories.

• Daily
• Monthly
• Occasionally
• Prospect
• Seasonally
• Weekly

Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Occasionally, and Seasonally help filter out the shippers and how often they ship.  This is only an approximate and we can update as necessary.

A prospect is a new opportunity for a new customer.  You want to take the opportunity to pursue ‘prospects’ because they are sales leads where you can earn sales commission dollars for bringing us new business with these accounts.

In the image above, you will see the ‘checkered flag’.  This is how we see new prospects.  They are open for anyone to call on to try to develop the account.  Just notify Dave or Travis and we will assign you the account, but we will follow your progress to be sure you are handling the account.

Truck Radius Search

Tier 2 gives you access to the truck radius search under ‘Truck Tools’.  You use this feature to look for truck capacity in an area where a direct shipper is located. The example mentioned early was we had a shipper in Minden, LA.  This particular shipper uses a lot of double drop equipment because most of what they ship is oversize.  In the ‘truck radius’ search we can enter the following.

1. Center – Enter the city and state of the shipper: Minden, LA
2. Radius – Determine how far to search out for trucks.  200 miles for example
3. Trailer Type – Enter ‘Double Drop’ if you want to only see these trailer types.
4. Click “Search”

The results will show on both the map and below as a list.

Now that you have these results, you can go through the process of calling the shipper and checking on available loads and follow up with the trucks.  You can also copy and paste these results into an email to the shipper or customer.  It just depends on the nature of the contact and what method works best for them.  Some people are better with email while others are better with a phone call.

You will get to the point where the contacts will know you well and even rely on you for capacity.  You have to develop this relationship, but when you do, it can be worth its weight in gold!

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Click here for a list of all trailer types and there dimensions

Flatbed

This is the most basic platform trailer equipment. It is generally 48′ long but can be 53′ as well, although that is much rarer. The height is 5′ or 60″.  You will find that often people in the industry use both feet and inches to reference a specific dimension.  We have an article on dimension etiquette.

Stepdeck

A stepdeck trailer has a lower deck height than a flatbed enabling it to haul taller pieces. This comes at a price, however, in that the stepdeck has a shorter deck length. Because this trailer gets more specialized it generally gets a better price, about 15 cents per mile on average.

Double Drop

A Double Drop has an even lower deck height, between 18″ to 24″ off the ground. This allows it to haul pieces around 12′ high. The deck length is much shorter only about 29′.

Specialized

Specialized trailers are a general term of describing any trailer type with unique features designed for a specific purpose.
Multiple Axles – Will allow to haul more weight.
Stretch – Trailers that can stretch or extend to accommodate longer pieces.
Variations of all these types of trailers and specialized features can create a large range of trailer types.

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Shipping Wide Loads

Of all the dimensions: Length, Width, Height, and Weight, width is the most straight forward, but it can have its complexity as well.  First off, the max legal width of any load through any state is 8'6".  Any commodity over 8'6" wide is considered over dimensional or overwidth.

Max Legal Width is 8'6"

Unfortunately, when a load goes beyond 8'6" wide things get a bit more complicated. You will need permits to move an over width load, but the costs can vary by state.  Click here to view permit costs by state.

State Requirements

States can vary widely, no pun intended, in regulations of hauling overwidth loads.  Here are samples of overwidth regulations that are out there that can affect how a truck travels through a given state based on specific criteria.

• Lane Width - This is the actual width of the road lane being traveled.
• Bridges on the route
• Two-Lane roads vs Interstate or Four-Lane roads
• Non-Designated roads - Over 8' is considered oversize on some routes
  
• Spring thaw restrictions (yes, for over width too, not just over weight)
• Commodity (Bulldozer blades for example)
  

Escorts

​Escort requirements are going to vary by state and each state will further breakdown escorts depending on your overwidth shipment.  For example:

• The route can determine if escorts are required
• The over width dimension can determine when an escort is required and how many escorts.
• Police escorts can be required in addition to civilian escorts.

Super Loads

Each state will provide a max over dimensional width that can be hauled with permits and escorts.  This can range from 14' to 20' wide.  Beyond this limit set by the state is called a superload and the requirements of super loads can vary.  Click here to read more about super load hauling.

• More time to issue clearance to haul a load.
• Restrictions on routes
• Cost more for permits
  

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We Love Heavy Haul Trucking!

My name is Travis Smith and I’ve been working in the trucking business since 1994 and with Heavy Haul Trucking since 2001. Our office knows about oversize, heavy and specialty loads and how to get your load exactly where you need it, safely and on time. I enjoy writing about Heavy Haul and if your interested in learning more, please sign up for our free newsletter. If you need a shipping quote, just call (417) 312-2920 or visit our Free Freight Quote page for more details. Google+

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So what's involved in quoting freight rates for a shipment?  Let's go through the different factors and how we can determine what an overall rate for a shipment needs to be.  We will focus on the factors and not the actual rates.

Freight Rates

After enough experience one can get proficient in determining freight rates for most loads accurately, but it isn't fool proof either.  We are all human and mistakes happen and unforeseen situations come up.  Many times with "spot quoting" a shipment you likely aren't provided with all the facts of the load and when it's time to schedule enough things have changed that the rate is no longer accurate.

This is why it's so important to have an honest approach to your customers and communicate to avoid any potential hardships that could have been prevented.

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We Love Heavy Haul Trucking!

My name is Travis Smith and I’ve been working in the trucking business since 1994 and with Heavy Haul Trucking since 2001. Our office knows about oversize, heavy and specialty loads and how to get your load exactly where you need it, safely and on time. I enjoy writing about Heavy Haul and if your interested in learning more, please sign up for our free newsletter. If you need a shipping quote, just call (417) 312-2920 or visit our Free Freight Quote page for more details. Google+

The post How to Calculate Freight Rates appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

A heavy hauler realizes every project is different and as such requires all involved to make decisions and review procedures and most importantly to communicate with everyone involved. We strive to excel in all these categories, but mostly we want to communicate so that we are clear with the customer, shipper, consignee, driver, and everyone else who needs to know so we can be the best heavy hauler out there.

Project Move

This particular project consisted of 8 loads total.  The 4 largest loads were 51'3" x 11'11" x 11' (LxWxH) see dimension ettiquette.   Of these four loads, two were 29,000 lbs and the other two were 23,000 lbs.  We were awarded the contract to haul these four loads.  The other 4 loads consisted of one oversize and three legal double drop loads which were contracted and hauled by another carrier.

In this article we are going to discuss:

Lane Choice

Generally speaking during the quote you likely will choose the shortest route from origin to destination. However, the shortest route is not always the best route.  In this example I mapped the lane using Google to illustrate there were a few possible choices.  So we discussed the following points with dispatchers and drivers to decide on the best route.

The final decision was to take the southern route even though it was 60 miles further.  All our trucks traveled together once loaded and arrived on time to meet the crane appointment.  The other 4 loads which we didn't work with traveled the northern route and got caught on a "closed" mountain pass in Utah and missed a day which caused more expense for the crane to layover.

Holiday Schedule

Holiday Closures

We enjoy holidays as much as the next person, but they can definitely up the frustration level for any heavy hauler.  In this case the holiday closed all government offices issuing state permits, but it did not close travel, so as long as the driver's had their permits in hand they were free to travel on the holiday. We made sure permits were ordered before the offices closed and the trucks kept rolling.

Communication

Listen Don't Tell

Most importantly you listen to the needs of your customer and you listen to the drivers needs to handle the job professionally.  Everyone else mediates and performs actions to satisfy getting a job done well, on time, and within budget!

Heavy Hauler Professional

A heavy hauler can sit back and enjoy their job when you listen and react with thought and understanding to the situation.  Look ahead to potential problems and make adjustments as necessary.

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We Love Heavy Haul Trucking!

My name is Travis Smith and I’ve been working in the trucking business since 1994 and with Heavy Haul Trucking since 2001. Our office knows about oversize, heavy and specialty loads and how to get your load exactly where you need it, safely and on time. I enjoy writing about Heavy Haul and if your interested in learning more, please sign up for our free newsletter. If you need a shipping quote, just call (417) 312-2920 or visit our Free Freight Quote page for more details. Google+

The post Heavy Hauler appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

Side Kit

A sidekit is the most common and oldest tarping system out there. They consist of plywood or composite sides that are attached to a flatbed or stepdeck trailer with stakes about every 4 feet.  Bows cross the trailer to support a specially designed tarp that covers the entire 48' trailer.  The bows have about a 30" rise allowing the tarp to drape the sidekit by about 18".  Sides and bows can vary in dimensions but expect the center height to be about 6'6".

Pros and Cons

On the positive, you can remove the sides and tarp for side or overhead loading.

This tarping system can add 800-900 lbs of weight and can limit you on the commodity height you can haul.

Curtain Side

Is it a van or a flatbed? Well, that's a tough question.  It's a bit of both.  Either way it's a specialized trailer that serves a particular niche in the hauling industry. This tarping system has sides that are rolled up or removed allowing loading from the side (sounds like a flatbed).  But, it also has a stationary aluminum roof with swing doors in the rear (sounds like a van).

Pros and Cons

The advantages are side loading and can haul taller commodities than a side kit, with an easy tarping system.

They do add weight and are quite a bit more expensive over a standard flatbed. No overhead loading either.

Conestoga

​There are several manufactures of this type of tarping system, but Conestoga is the name most people call it even though that is just one brand name. This is an accordion style system.  The entire tarping system (sides and roof) can be pushed either to the rear or front of the trailer.

Pros and Cons

​This systems allows for loading from either the side or overhead.

Again this tarping system is going to add weight and cost quite a bit more.

So there you have it. If you want to save some headaches when it comes to tarping, these 3 solutions will certainly help.  They do add weight to your trailer and they can be expensive so you have to decide if the time savings not to mention reduce the risk of injury is worth it.

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We Love Heavy Haul Trucking!

My name is Travis Smith and I’ve been working in the trucking business since 1994 and with Heavy Haul Trucking since 2001. Our office knows about oversize, heavy and specialty loads and how to get your load exactly where you need it, safely and on time. I enjoy writing about Heavy Haul and if your interested in learning more, please sign up for our free newsletter. If you need a shipping quote, just call (417) 312-2920 or visit our Free Freight Quote page for more details. Google+

The post Tarping Systems appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

A pull out outrigger, as pictured above, does not require a board as does the swing outs or attached outriggers.  Ramps provide access for driving the vehicle right onto the trailer outriggers.  This type of system provides for a more stable loading as you don't experience movement on the board.

An outrigger board lays on top of swing out or attached outriggers. The left image shows a board on attached outriggers.  The end of the board has the potential to "flip up" once a wheel begins to travel on the board.  Precautions should be taken to avoid "board flip".

A trailer with outriggers is generally 96" or 102" wide. A 96" trailer is generally used more with agricultural equipment hauling.  The outriggers can then be used to increase the trailer width to support as we mentioned earlier larger pieces of equipment that need a wider base or wider trailer.  Another advantage to pull out outriggers like the kind shown below is that they can extend allowing a 13'6" wide trailer base.  Whereas swing out outriggers might only add around 10" additional trailer width to each side.

Pull Out Outrigger

Attached Outrigger

Swing Out Outrigger

I mentioned "board flip", but boards can also brake or bust and so pull out's that don't use a board have that advantage.  A board can bust easier depending on the spacing of the outriggers as well. Typically you will find spacing between outrigger supports every 12" to 22".

Thank you and I hope you know more about trailer outriggers.

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We Love Heavy Haul Trucking!

My name is Travis Smith and I’ve been working in the trucking business since 1994 and with Heavy Haul Trucking since 2001. Our office knows about oversize, heavy and specialty loads and how to get your load exactly where you need it, safely and on time. I enjoy writing about Heavy Haul and if your interested in learning more, please sign up for our free newsletter. If you need a shipping quote, just call (417) 312-2920 or visit our Free Freight Quote page for more details. Google+

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PERMITS: Permits valid for two consecutive days. Must have permit prior to entering Alberta.

OPERATING TIME: Most vehicles can travel 24/7, but when over 12’6″ wide, travel is not allowed after 3:00 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and no Sunday travel is allowed. Over 14’6″, travel is allowed during daylight hours only.

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS:

Tractor Wheelbase: On legal sized loads, tractor wheelbase (from center of steer axle to center of drive axles) cannot exceed 244 inches without the Annual Permit for Long Wheelbase Tractors.  This still limits overall length to maximum of 75’6″. With an annual dimension permit and with a single trip oversize or overweight permit, tractor wheelbase is allowed to increase to a maximum of 267.7 inches.

Tridem Drive Tractor: Tridem drive tractors are not legal unless all axles drive and are evenly spaced. Lift axles are not allowed. If a lift axle is chained up, wheelbase rules apply.

Spread Axles: A spread axle group (6′ or more spread) is not allowed to carry more than 20,000 pounds total (10,000 pounds per axle).

Lift & Flip Axles: Alberta does not recognize lift axles unless they meet very specific guidelines outlines in the Annual Equipment Exemption Permit for Trailer Lift Axles.   Otherwise they must be chained up securely. Flip axles are allowed on double-drop trailers with an Annual Equipment Exemption, if they are evenly spaced and put up when trailer is not loaded, trailer kingpin to center of axle group does not exceed 50 feet, trailer length does not exceed 60 feet, and overall length does not exceed 82 feet.

LEGAL DIMENSIONS

Length: 53′ semi-trailer and load (lift axle must be up)75.5′ overall

Overhang: Center of rear axle group to end of trailer or load must not exceed 35% of trailer wheelbase (measured as Kingpin to center of rear axle group) or else it will need to be permitted.

Width: 8’6″

Height: 13’7″

Weight:

• Single – 20,020
• Tandem – 37,400
• Tridem – 46,200 (52,900 with minimum of 9.8′ spacings)
• Steer- 12,100 (can get more with wider tires)

ROUTINE PERMIT LIMITS

Length: Depends on routes and load

Width: Depends on routes and load

Height: 17′ normally, but may depend on routes

Weight:

• Single – 12,100
• Tandem – 55,000
• Tridem – 59,400

ANNUAL ALBERTA PERMITS: These permits are available and cover all our units:

• Annual Dimension Permit: Covers up to 14’6″ wide, 16’4″ high, 88’6″ long (or 100′ long with stretch rgn), 21′ rear overhang.
• Equipment Exemption for Trailer Lift Axle: Allows use of certain types of lift axle if very specific conditions are met.
• Equipment Exemption for Trailer Flip Axle: See Lift & Flip Axles section, above.
• Equipment Exemption for Long Wheelbase Tractors: see Tractor Wheelbase section.
• Equipment Exemption for use of “Oversize Load” signs.

ESCORTS

Length: Varies by route and season

Width:

• Over 12’7″ – 1 escort
• over 14’6″ – 2 escorts

Height: Not usually required

SIGNS, FLAGS & LIGHTS: Flag widest point(s) of any load over 8’6″ wide or light at night. Over 10′ wide also requires signs front and rear – “D” warning signs or “Wide Load” signs, or you can use “Oversize Load” signs with a copy of the Annual Equipment Exemption Permit noted above.  Over 11′ wide requires a flashing beacon light on tractor cab, visible from all directions. If not visible from the rear, a second beacon should be mounted to the rear.

SEASONAL LOAD RESTRICTIONS: During spring thaw, overweight permits are not issued for any highways within the thaw zone.  Legal axle weights only are allowed on main highways, and some routes further restrict weights to 75% or 90% of legal. Spring thaw “road bans” last until about June 15th.

The post Alberta Oversize Permits appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

PERMITS: Permits valid for one trip only, duration depending on length of trip.

OPERATING TIME: Travel is permitted 24/7 when under the following dimensions: 10’6″ wide, 14’6″ high, and 82’ long. Otherwise, daylight hours only, no Sunday travel, and no travel during the summer (last Friday in June until second Monday in September) after 2:00 pm on Friday and Saturday until 4:00 am the next day.

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS:

Tractor Wheelbase: Tractor wheelbase, measured from center of steer axle to center of drive axles, cann0t exceed 244 inches on a legal load without a Long Wheelbase 30 day Permit (see table). This permit only applies for legal leads. British Columbia does not have any exceptions to the 244 inch wheelbase rule for oversize or overweight loads, except when the overall length (tractor and trailer) does not exceed 65’4″.

Tridem Drive Tractor: In the past, British Columbia has allowed tridem drive tractor to have up to a 267″ wheelbase, if they do not have any lift axles and the axles are equally spaced, but that exemption is no longer in effect.

Spread Axles: A spread axle group (over 6′ spacing) is not allowed to carry more than about 20,000 pounds total (10,000 pounds per axle). However, the POE will sell you an overweight permit for extra weight on the spread if your load is a single piece and non-reducible. Tractor wheelbase still cannot exceed 244″.

Lift Axles: British Columbia does not recognize lift axles (they are not legal). Flip axles can be used if they lock into place, are equally spaced with other axles in the group, and if overall length does not exceed 75’4″.

LEGAL DIMENSIONS

Length:

• 53′ semitrailer (lift axle must be up)
• 75’4″ Overall

Overhang: Center of’ rear axle group to end of must not exceed 35% of trailer wheelbase (measured as kingpin to center of rear axle group) or else it will need to be permitted.

Note: If you have a long wheelbase tractor no over dimension can be permitted. Up to overall length including rear overhang is legal.

Width: 3’6″

Height: 137″

Weight:

• Steer – 13,000
• Single – 20,000
• Tandem 36,300
• Tridem – 52,800

ROUTINE PERMIT LIMITS

Length; 101′

Width: 14’6″

Height: 15’6″

Weight:

• Single – 29,700
• Tandem – 50,600
• Tridem 63,800

Note: These maximums may vary by Specific route needed.

ESCORTS

Length: Over 90′- l escort

Overhang: Over 21′ rear overhang – l escort

Width:

• Over 10’6″ – l escort (beacon light may be substituted for escort on most highways, but not on Highway 97 to Yukon Territory, or on highway 77 north and south bound).
• Ovcr 11’5″ – 1 escort
• over 12’5″ – 2 escorts

Height: Not usually required

Note: Some routes may impose additional escort requirements

SIGNS FLAGS 81 LIGHTS: Flag all four corners and/or any front and rear projections of any oversized vehicle/load (light at night). Over 10’6″ wide also requires “Oversize Load” signs front and rear, or “D” warning signs or “Wide Load” signs can be used. When load/vehicle is over 10’6″ wide, a flashing beacon light must be mounted on the tractor cab, visible from all directions. If not visible from the rear, a second beacon should be mounted to the rear.

SEASONAL LOAD RESTRICTIONS: Spring thaw weight restrictions are highway and weather-dependent. Main highways arc usually restricted to legal weights only. Some highways may limit weight as much as 50% or 75%.

The post British Columbia Oversize Permits appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

PERMITS: Permits valid for one trip only, duration depending on length of trip. Must be ordered prior to entering the province.

OPERATING TIME: N0 Sunday 0r holiday travel. Over 10′ wide, no travel is allowed from 3:00 pm. Friday to sunrise Monday. No night travel over 12′ wide unless there are two (2) escorts.

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS:

Tractor Wheelbase: Tractor wheelbase, measured center of steer axle to center of drive axles, cannot exceed 244″ inches without an Extended Wheelbase Annual Permit. This permit is unit specific and must be ordered for a specific wheelbase length (center of steer to center of drive axles) and trailer  wheelbase (from kingpin to center of trailer axle group).  You must call them with the exact wheelbase measurements to determine if it can be permitted. Oversize/overweight permit loads do not get any additional exemption on the wheelbase rule.

Tridem Drive Tractor: Pusher or lift axles are not recognized; all axles must drive.

Spread Axles: A spread axle group (over 6′ spacing) is treated as a single axle for weight allowances, and it’s not allowed to carry more than about 20,000 pounds total (10,000 pounds per axle). You must carry an Annual Spread Axle Exceeding 3.05 Meters permit to enter Manitoba with a 10’0″ to 12’0″ spread axle trailer. However, this still does not allow any extra weight.

Trailer Lift/Flip Axles: Manitoba will allow lift or flip axle on trailer on overweight load permit if the axles are evenly spaced.  The axle must he chained up securely when not in use for the load. You can get an annual permit for a lift axle as long as the axles in group are evenly spaced.

LEGAL DIMENSIONS

Length:

• 53′ semi-trailer
• 75’5″ overall

Overhang: 3’3″ front and rear

Width: 8’6″

Height: 13’6″

Weight:

• Steer – 12,000
• Single – 20,020
• Tandern – 35,200
• Tridem – 46,200

ROUTINE PERMIT LIMITS

Length: 98’6″

Width: 15′

Height: 15′

Weight:

• Single 20,000
• Tandem – 44,445
• Tridem – 60,500

Note: Weight maximums may vary by axle spacings and highway classes.

ESCORTS

Length: Over 98’6″ – l escort

Width:

• Over 15′ – l escort on 4-lane divided highways
• 2 escorts on 2-larie highways

Height: Not usually required

Note: Some routes may impose additional escort requirements

SIGNS, FLAGS & LIGHTS: Flag all four corners and/or any front and rear projections of any oversized vehicle/load (light at night). Over 10’ wide also requires “Oversize Load” or “D” warning signs or “Wide Load” signs.

The post Manitoba Oversize Permits appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

PERMITS: Permits valid for three days. Must be ordered prior to entering the province.

OPERATING TIME: In addition to daytime (sunrise t0 sunset) travel, loads not exceeding 10′ wide, 98’5″ in length, and 14′ in height may also travel nighttime with a pilot car and on weekends and holidays. Loads not exceeding 12′ wide, in 98’5″ in length, and 14′ in height may also travel nighttime on multi-lane divided highways only and are granted weekend and holiday travel.

RESTRICTED TRAVEL: Loads not exceeding 16′ in width, 98’5″ in length and 14’9″ in height are not permitted to move after 3:00 pm. Friday or after noon on Saturday and Sunday. GVW over 137,787 pounds are not permitted to travel at night.

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS:

Tractor Wheelbase: Tractor wheelbase, from center of steer axle to center of drive axles, can now go up to 283 inches, but the overall tractor/trailer combined length cannot exceed 75 feet.

Lift Axles: A special permit must be obtained for use of a lift axle.

Spread Axles: A spread axle group (over 6′ spacing) is treated as a regular (closed) tandem. It is not restricted t0 lower weights as it is in some provinces.

LEGAL DIMENSIONS

Length:

• 53′ semi-trailer
• 75’5″ overall

Overhang:

• 3′ front
• 6′ rear

Width: 8’6″

Height: 13’7″

Weight:

• Single – 20,020
• Tandem – 39,682
• Tridem – Depends on axle spacings

ROUTINE PERMIT LIMITS

Length: 100′

Width: 16’4″

Height: 16′

Weight: On six or more axles, the maximum is 140,800 pounds.

Note: When height exceeds 16 feet, utilities must be contacted at least three days in advance of the move. One week prior to moving loads exceeding 16 feet wide or 93 feet in length, permit holder must contact police.

ESCORTS

Length:

• Over 90′ on 2-1ane highways – 1 escort
• Over 98’5″ on multi-lane divided highways – 4 escort.

Overhang: Over 10′ rear overhang – 1 escort

Width:

• Over 12′ – l escort
• over 16′ – 2 escorts

Height: Not specified

Note: Some routes may impose additional escort requirements

SIGNS, FLAGS & LIGHTS: Bright fluorescent red or orange flags must be at the extremities of all overwidth and overlength loads. Over 10′ wide also requires “D” warning signs at front and rear of vehicle, at rear of vehicle when transporting overlength loads or rear overhang exceeds 6.5 feet or on front of vehicle if front overhang exceeds 3 feet. Amber revolving or strobe warning light is required on cab roof. If it is not visible from all directions, supplementary warning lights are required. Flashing amber lights, visible from a distance of 500 feet, are required on extremities of loads exceeding 12 feet in width, 90 feet in length and on front overhangs exceeding 3 feet.

The post New Brunswick Oversize Permits appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

PERMITS: Permits are valid for three days. Must be ordered prior to entering the province.

OPERATING TIME: Daylight travel, plus night travel is allowed on most other loads, but there may be escort requirements in addition to special lighting. Daylight hours only when height exceeds 14 feet. No Sunday or holiday travel for any overwidth loads.

RESTRICTED TRAVEL: Loads exceeding 12 feet in width or 82 feet in length are not allowed to move 3:00 pm. Friday until Monday morning. Vehicles/loads exceeding 14 feet wide or 82 feet long may not move between the hours of 7:00 – 9:00 am or 4:00 – 6:00 pm.

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS:

Tractor Wheelbase: Tractor wheelbase, from center of steer axle to center of drive axles, has been changed to a maximum of 283 inches. This applies as long as the overall tractor trailer length does not exceed 75 feet, the trailer maximum length is 53 feet, and the trailer wheelbase (center of kingpin to center of trailer axle group) does not exceed 41 feet.

LEGAL DIMENSIONS

Length:

• 53′ semi-trailer
• 75′ overall

Overhang:

• 3′ front
• 6′ rear

Width: 8’6″

Height: 13’7″

Weight:

• Steer – 14,300
• Single – 20,020
• Tandem – 39,682
• Tridem – Depends on axle spacings

ROUTINE PERMIT LIMITS

Length: 100′

Width: 18′

Height: 15’8″

Weight:

• Single: 25,000
• Tandem: 50,000
• Tridern: 65,000

Note: loads exceeding these dimensions, allow at least seven working days

ESCORTS

Length: Over 82′ – 2 escorts

Overhang: Over 9’9″ rear overhang – 2 escorts

Width:

• Over 10′ – 1 escort
• Over 14′- 2 escorts

Height: Not specified

Note: Some routes may impose additional escort requirements

SIGNS, FLAGS & LIGHTS: Fluorescent red flags must be at the extremities of the load when width exceeds 9 feet, or overhang exceeds 3′ feet in front or 6’6″ in rear. “D” warning signs at front and rear of vehicle are required when width exceeds 10′, height exceeds 14′, length exceeds 75 feet, or overhang exceeds 3′ in front or 6’6″ in rear.  Amber revolving or strobe warning light is required on cab roof when width exceeds 9′, length exceeds 75 feet, or overhang exceeds 3′ in front or 6’6″ in rear.

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PERMITS: Permits valid for three to five days. Must have permit prior to entering.

OPERATING TIME: One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset, Monday through Friday. Weekend travel allowances depend on dimensions and routes, and some weekend and Friday limitations occur during summer months.  Night travel is permitted up to 10′ wide and 14′ high, but “conspicuity requirements” must be met, including reflectorizcd “D” signs.

RESTRICTED TRAVEL: Permit travel not allowed in the greater Toronto area between the hours of 7:00 am – 9:00am and between the hours 0f 3:30pm – 6:30pm.

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS:

Tractor Wheelbase: For legal size loads, Ontario is now allowing tractor wheelbase to exceed 244″ as long as thc trailer wheelbase is within prescribed limits.  At this time they are still officially restricting oversize and overlength loads to 244″ tractor wheelbase unless special authorization is obtained.

Spread Axles: A spread axle group (over 6’spacing) is allowed and given as much weight as a closed tandem (about 22,000 per axle legal weight).

Lift Axles: Ontario gives less weight on axles.

LEGAL DIMENSIONS

Length:

• 53’ semi-trailer (with some restrictions)
• 75′ overall

Overhang: 4’11” rear, with overall length not to exceed 75′

Width: 8’6″

Height: 13’7″

Weight:

• Steer – 12,000
• Single – 22,000
• Tandem – 39,600
• Tridem – 59,400

ROUTINE PERMIT LIMITS

Length: 120’

Width: 16’3″

Height: 14′

Weight: Depends on axle spacings and tire sizes.

Note: Route Surveys may be required over these dimensions, Expect extra wait time for issuance of permit.

ESCORTS

Length:

• Over 120′- 1 escort
• Over 150′- 2 or more police escorts

Overhang: Over 15′ rear overhang – l escort

Width:

• Over 13′ – 1 escort 0n all highways. (Route survey may also be required for over 13′ wide.)
• Over 15′ – 2 escorts on two-lane highways.
• Over 16’4″ on all highways – 2 or more police escorts.

Height: Over 15’11” 1 escort (Route survey may be required for over 14′ high.)

Note: Some routes may impose additional escort requirements. Excessive weight vehicles may require police escorts.

SIGNS, FLAGS & LIGHTS: Flags are required on all four corners and/or any front and rear projections of any oversized vehicle/load (light at night). “Oversize load” or “D” signs front and rear are also required on all oversized vehicle/loads. Signs must be removed or covered when not required.

The post Ontario Oversize Permits appeared first on Heavy Haul Trucking.

PERMITS: Permits valid for seven days, Must have permit prior to entering the province.

Note: Quebec permits are printed in French, not English.

OPERATING TIME: One-half hour before sunrise to one~half hour after sunset, Monday through Thursday, and one-half hours before sunrise to 3:00pm on Friday.

RESTRICTED TRAVEL: Travel is not allowed during “peak hours” when over 12′ wide or over 90′ long, or over 13′ of rear overhang. Travel prohibited on Sundays and legal holidays.

EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS:

Tractor Wheelbase: There is now an annual permit available for long wheelbase tractors coupled with decreasing trailer wheelbase similar to BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

Tridem Drive Tractor: If the drive axle is a lift axle, it is not counted for the wheelbase measurement – measure from the steer to center of the two fixed drive axles.

Spread Axles: Spread axle combinations are recognized on 48′ trailers.

LEGAL DIMENSIONS

Length:

• 53′ semi-trailer
• 75′ overall

Overhang: 6’6″ rear must be flagged

Width:8’6″

Height: 13’6″

Weight: Depends on axle spacings

• Steer- 12,000
• Single – 22,020
• Tandem – 39,600
• Tridem – 46,000

ROUTINE PERMIT LIMITS

Length: 131′

Overhang: 13′ front or rear

Width: 16′

Height: 16′

Weight: Depends on axle configurations and routes

ESCORTS

Length:

• Over 90′ – 1 escort.
• Over 130′ – 2 escorts.

Overhang:

• Over 13′ rear overhang – 1 escort
• Over 6’6″ front overhang – 1 front escort

Width:

• Over 12’3″ – 1 escort on all highways
• Over 14’4″ – 2 escorts
• Over 17’5″ – police escort and special conditions may apply.

Height: Over 14’9″- 1 escort with height pole

Note: Some routes may impose additional escort requirements.

SIGNS, FLAGS & LIGHTS: Flags are required at the wide points at the front and rear corners, and at the rear extremities of overhangs. A red light should be attached at the extremity of a rear overhang. “D” signs front and rear are required when vehicle/load width exceeds 10′, or overall length exceeds 82′, or height exceeds 14′. (“Oversíze Load” signs are not allowed to substitute for the “D” signs). Signs must be removed or covered when not in use.  All vehicles traveling under permit must have headlights turned on, and must display an amber beacon light visible from all directions.

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