2 Steps In Transporting Heavy Equipment To Oil Fields

Posted on: 21 April 2017

Oil fields need to have a lot of heavy vehicles and other kinds of equipment so that they can get the work done. The problem is making sure that all that equipment gets out to the oil field. It's not like they tend be right in the city center, and the heavy in heavy equipment and vehicles is an accurate description. So, what does it take to get all that stuff out to the oil field?

Planning

Most highways and roads have load limits. A load limit shows how much weight the road can from anyone vehicle before it starts to get damaged. So, someone who is planning on moving heavy loads is going to have to take the time to start planning a route. The logistics person is going to have to spend time looking at all the roads around the oilfields and what the limits are. That way they can figure out what the right route is. However, there are also other things that the logistics person is going to have to think about when they are in the planning stage. It isn't enough to make sure that the roads can handle the weight of the equipment, they also need to make sure that the roads are wide enough for the equipment and that the trucks don't have to handle any crazy corners or curves. That means they may have to make more than one route plan. 

Permits

Another step in getting heavy equipment to an oil field involves permitting. Because some of the heavy equipment is also extra wide, the truck may take up more than one lane of a road. That means that whoever is in charge of all the planning and logistics is also going to have to make sure that they have permits to carry heavy and extra wide loads on that road. In order to get the permits, that person may have to talk to the police in all the cities and towns the shipment goes through, as well as state police. They may be required to only move at night so that regular traffic isn't disrupted and will likely be required to have to have pilot cars both ahead and behind to warn people that a heavy or oversized load is coming through. 

Getting heavy equipment to an oil field isn't always easy, but with the proper steps, it can be done safely for everyone. 

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