- How To Ship A Cold Planer?
- About The Process Of Shipping A Cold Planer
- Insurance Coverage During Transport
How to Ship a Cold Planer?
Since a cold planer is such a large piece of equipment, only certain transport companies will have the capabilities necessary to ship it, and proper planning is required to execute it carefully. Call several reputable transport companies and logistics specialists to ask about their experience in cold planer shipping and in transporting other heavy equipment. Hire a transporter that assures their delivery and even offers insurance coverage during the transport.
About the Process of Shipping a Cold Planer
In most situations, your machinery will get delivered through an open-air cold planer transport method. By ground transportation, means an open trailer. If shipping overseas, a flatbed ship is used. These are both cost-efficient, affordable forms of open-air shipping. It does lack the protection provided by other shipping options, leaving the bulldozer susceptible to poor weather conditions.
Get a Free, No Obligation to Buy, Heavy Equipment Shipping Quote.
Get my free quote now or call us to do it for you:
If you do not wish to ship your cold planer through open-air methods, ask the transporter if it is possible to ship the cold planer through an enclosed form of transport. Enclosed shipping methods use large shipping containers to harbor the equipment from outside elements during its travels.
Insurance Coverage during Transport
Whether you choose container methods or open air methods for your cold planer hauling, make sure the transport company offers insurance coverage. By law, a licensed transporter must carry insurance coverage at least up to the minimum standards. However, this doesn't always cover the full value of your bulldozer. Ask the transport company about their insurance policy and what it covers. If they do not provide enough protection ask if you can purchase more. You may also want to call your insurance agent to see if your coverage protects the cold planer even during a transport.
Frequently Asked Questions
You may not realize the importance of informing your transport company about your delivery well ahead. You should hire a company and place your order three months beforehand.
The main reason is that since it's an oversize load, the company has to work out the logistics, like the route, weather, and traffic. At times, oversize loads require escort vehicles. The company must also sort out the permits for every city and state the truck crosses.
The earlier you hire a company, the more efficient the delivery is because they can perfectly work you into the schedule.
While flatbed trailers are usually the most popular option for transporting pieces of equipment, lowboy trailers are designed to take heavier loads, so they're perfect for cold planers.
Although not a super load, cold planers, and asphalt grinders are well above the 46000-pound weight limit. An average planer weighs around 60,000 to 90,000 pounds and is an oversized load.
A standard two-axle lowboy can take around 40,000 pounds, while a four-axle variant can hold up to 80,000 pounds, making it the best choice for heavy machinery like a cold planer. It also lowers the center, making it easier for the driver to navigate the truck.
While a cold planer can't fit inside a container, a company can transport it easily using either roll-on roll-off shipping or lift-on lift-off shipping, depending on which variant you own. The first method is standard for vehicles with wheels.
It's cheap since the loading crew can roll the planer onto the carrier and buckle it on, so it doesn't budge during the journey. It's the most commonly-used method for equipment that is too large to fit in containers.
On the other hand, LoLo shipping is for equipment that doesn't have wheels. A crane is used to pick up the cold planer and place it onto the carrier, and the loaders secure it using chains. It's more expensive than RoRo shipping because it considers the cost of using the crane, but it's still suitable for vehicles that can't be wheeled onto the carrier.
If you want to transport your cold planer overseas or on land, you won't be able to use a container. The reason is containers cannot provide safe and secure transportation for cold planers because they are very big, oversized, and have wide loads. While it's possible to overcome the weight factor, the other dimensions don't allow a planer to fit in 20 feet or 40 feet container.
A container is around 13.5 feet high, while a cold planer is approximately 16 feet high. At 55 feet, they're also too long to fit in a container. Since they're heavy and oversize equipment, it's unnecessary to use enclosed transport, whether shipped overseas or across the USA. Therefore, open-air transport method is most appropriate.
Share on Facebook 
Share on LinkedIn 
Share on Twitter 
