If you have some over-dimensional fright that you need to ship, it is important to realize that shipping over-dimensional freight is different from other freight shipments. Here are two things that you need to know about shipping over-dimensional freight for the first time.

# Transportation & Loading Needs To Be Scheduled In Advance

With an over-dimensional freight load, you are not going to want to schedule the shipment at the last minute. You are going to want to book transportation for your over-sized load further in advance than you do for regular freight shipping loads.

To start with, often times over-dimensional item requires the use of special equipment in order to put the item on the freight truck and secure it. This special equipment often has to be reserved and arranged for in advance as well, so you are not just reserving the truck in advance; you are reserving the equipment to put your load on the truck in advance as well.

By letting your shipping provider know that you have an oversized product to ship, they will have time to arrange to get everything in order for preparing the load.

The shipping company also has to make sure that they have the equipment available at your destination for unloading the over-sized item off their freight truck to whatever location you are sending it to. If you do not arrange this in advance, and you have to wait to have the item removed from the truck, you are going to run up your shipping costs with extra detention charges.

#2 State-By-State Permits Have To Be Obtained

Next, you need to obtain permits for shipping an over-sized load. Unfortunately, shipping items state by state is not an easy process. You will need to work with each individual state that your load will pass through to obtain a permit for that specific state.

The larger your oversized load is, the more complicated it can be obtain these permits. If your load is just an extra foot long, you may be able to get away with just putting a flag on the back and a oversized load banner and using the usual driving route.

However, the larger your load is, the more complicated the restrictions generally are for each permit. Oftentimes, the state will provide you with a specific route that the truck has to drive on. There may also be restrictions on the time of day that the load can be driven as well as the days the load can be driven through that state. Many states don't allow oversized loads to be on the road during the nights and weekends.

This can make transporting an oversize load over multiple state lines rather complicated, which will require coordination with the various states your load is going to pass through as well as coordination with the shipping company to ensure that all parts of the permit are followed. 

For more information and assistance with scheduling over dimensional freight shipping, contact a transportation company, such as Ripley Transportation Company, Inc..