Oversize load transportation from the Seattle and Tacoma ports

Why choose Long Road Transportation for oversize freight

Oversize work punishes guesswork, so the case for Long Road is operational:

• Zero incidents reported in six years, built on compliance, staff training, and equipment inspections.
• Expert drivers holding the overweight and oversize permits needed across the USA, with TWIC cards for the marine terminals.
• State permits handled in house for every leg of the route.
• Escort and pilot car coordination handled by our team, with our own escort drivers on regional routes.
• 200+ units of private chassis and equipment, serviced in our own repair shop, so capacity stays up.
• Live updates and tracking at the terminals, with full transparency on port standby times.
• Runs under its own operating authority and liability, a UIIA member working with all the major steamship lines through the NWSA ports.

What counts as an oversize load

Moving a loaded vehicle requires oversize permits and a qualified driver the moment any single dimension passes Washington's legal limit for the road: wider than 8 feet 6 inches, taller than 14 feet, or longer than the legal length for the trailer configuration. One dimension over the line means the move runs on a WSDOT Special Motor Vehicle Permit, and past 11 feet of width it usually picks up certified pilot cars.

Some pieces are both oversize and extremely heavy. For that the load moves on a specialized lowboy RGN trailer to safely move the large heavy piece from the port to your destination.

• 2020 Asset-based since
• 200+ Private chassis & equipment
• 2 PNW ports, every terminal
• 3-acre Tacoma yard & depot
• 24/7 Capacity & repair shop

Oversize freight services we run

Three lines of work cover the oversize freight we run:

Out-of-gauge container cargo

Long Road hauls out-of-gauge cargo, open-top containers, and flat racks off the Seattle and Tacoma port terminals, using open-deck trailers suited to the job, including stepdecks and RGNs, to accommodate the dimensions and weight. Flat rack and open-top moves are covered in depth on the out-of-gauge container cargo page.

Oversize and heavy haul trucking

Bare machinery and overdimensional pieces ride directly on the trailer deck, local and long-haul, on the step decks and RGNs in our fleet. Permits, escorts, and route planning come with the move.

Project cargo and breakbulk

Multi-piece projects with mixed dimensions get measured, staged, and moved in sequence, with breakbulk handling at our Tacoma yard. Dispatch quotes these piece by piece.

How an oversize move works

The move starts with numbers, and accurate numbers keep it cheap.

1. You send the exact dimensions, the weight, and the exact delivery address. For OOG cargo, an engineer's diagram showing dimensions and lifting points speeds up planning.
2. Our permit specialist obtains the state permits for the route.
3. Our team matches the trailer to the cargo's height, weight, and loading access.
4. Dispatch plans the route around low clearances and each state's travel windows, and schedules escort cars where the dimensions require them.
5. The load is picked up, hauled, and delivered. When the receiver needs the cargo off its flat rack and onto a road trailer, it transloads at our Tacoma yard on the way.

One planning detail saves real money. When tall cargo on a flat rack would run over the legal height on a standard chassis, we move that flat rack on a stepdeck or RGN. The lower deck brings the total height back inside the legal envelope, and that single change can drop a permit class and the escort cars from the move.

Permits and escorts on oversize routes

Every state issues its own oversize permits, prices them its own way, and publishes its own travel windows, including restrictions around weekends and holidays. Long Road's in-house permit specialist obtains the permits for each leg, directly or through a permit service, and dispatch builds the schedule around the windows so the load keeps moving.

Washington sets the escort thresholds in WAC 468-38-100: past 11 feet of width a load runs with two certified pilot cars on a two-lane highway, and over 14 feet 6 inches of height a certified escort leads with a height pole. Our team schedules those escorts with the permits and runs Washington-certified pilot/escort operators, and route surveys are arranged for the moves whose height or weight demands one. You send one set of dimensions; the coordination is ours.

Oversize cargo we move

The Tacoma yard and our open-deck fleet have handled machinery, aircraft parts, telescopic masts, and heavyweight industrial equipment over the years. The regular work falls into a few families.

Construction equipment

Excavators, dozers, and cranes, picked up at the port or the dealer's lot. Drivable machines roll onto the hydraulic RGN by ramp, with zero crane time.

Industrial machinery and presses

Production lines, presses, and plant equipment, moved on the trailer that matches the weight and the loading access at both ends.

Transformers and power equipment

Dense, high-value units where the securement plan and the driver's competence carry the move. A scale ticket reflecting the axle weights is shared with the final invoice, for backup and transparency.

Modular buildings

Prefabricated sections where the exact dimensions decide the trailer, the permit class, and the route, so each section is quoted on its measurements.

Military and government freight

Moves run to the schedule and the documentation the contract requires.

Trailers and lifting equipment for oversize cargo

Long Road owns its open-deck trailers, and the trailer is picked for the cargo, by height, weight, and how the piece loads. Bare cargo rides directly on the deck; containers ride on our private chassis.

Step deck trailers

The step deck keeps a tall load under legal height, and it is what carries a loaded flat rack low enough to stay legal on the road.

RGN and lowboy trailers

The RGN takes over for the tallest, heaviest pieces. Its deck rides low to the ground, and the gooseneck detaches so a machine drives straight aboard.

Top pick container handler

The SANY top pick at our Tacoma yard lifts loaded containers up to 100,000 lbs, for containers of any type and oversize loads. It stacks them for short and long term storage, and handles complex bulk cargo with precision and utmost care.

Transloading at our yard next to the Port of Tacoma

Our three-acre yard and container depot at 1531 Portland Avenue East is located minutes from the Tacoma port terminals, fully fenced with 24/7 CCTV. It handles oversize and breakbulk transloading off flat racks and open-top containers, container flips, and urgent prepulls, with depot space for oversize loads waiting on the next leg.

Where we haul oversize loads

Pickups run through the Port of Seattle (Terminal 5 and Terminal 18) and the Port of Tacoma, where the Husky terminal handles much of the OOG container volume. Bulk, non-containerized oversize cargo also moves through the Port of Everett.

Deliveries run local and long-haul, straight to receivers in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, and all across the USA, plus cross-border to Canada, including but not limited to British Columbia.

Frequently asked questions about oversize load transport

What is considered an oversize load?

In Washington, if the load causes the vehicle to be wider than 8 feet 6 inches, taller than 14 feet, or longer than the legal length for the trailer. Past those numbers the move runs on a WSDOT Special Motor Vehicle Permit, and over 11 feet wide it usually picks up certified pilot cars. Measure flat rack cargo together with the container, because the deck height counts toward the total.

How do you transport an oversized load?

Dimensions and delivery address first, then permits, then the trailer match, then the routed and escorted haul. Dispatch runs the whole sequence from a single set of cargo details.

Do I need permits for a wide load and who obtains them?

Yes. Any oversize dimension needs a permit from every state on the route, and each state runs its own system and fees. Long Road obtains them as part of the move.

How much does oversize load transport cost per mile?

The price follows the permit class, the trailer type, the escort requirement, and the route and season. Exact dimensions up front keep permits from being refiled, and smooth coordination on private equipment saves customers over 20% on total ground transportation costs by avoiding delays, mark-up charges, and demurrage.

Do you provide escort vehicles and pilot cars?

Yes. Long Road runs its own escort and pilot cars, and coordinates them with the permits on every move that needs them.

What trailer do I need for my oversize load?

You do not have to work that out. Send the exact dimensions, weight, delivery address, and any specifics of the freight, and our team matches your cargo to the exact trailer the move needs from our own fleet. As a rule height points to a stepdeck or RGN and a drivable machine rolls aboard the hydraulic RGN, but that call is ours and comes back with the quote.

How do I choose a reliable oversize trucking company?

Check four things: the carrier owns and maintains its open-deck equipment in house, its drivers hold the oversize and overweight permits, its safety record is verifiable, and it works the port terminals your cargo lands at. Long Road documents all four on request.

Get an oversize freight quote

Send the dimensions, the weight, and the delivery address through the oversize quote form, or call Long Road Transportation and give them to dispatch directly. Our dispatch and expert drivers handle everything from there: the permits, the trailer match, the escorts, and the delivery appointment.