Oversize load dispatch that prices the permits before it quotes the rate
An oversize load isn't quoted like regular freight. The linehaul is only the start. Every state on the route has its own permit, its own escort rules and its own travel restrictions, and a route that works for a 12 ft wide load may not work for a 14 ft one. Quote before you price all of that and you can lose money on a load that looked like a winner.
Our oversize load dispatch builds the quote the right way: linehaul plus permits, escorts and route costs, checked against your trailer and your schedule. Then the load comes to you to approve. Heavy haul dispatch works the same way, with axle weights and bridge limits added to the list.
- 5% of gross, 1 truck
- 7% new MC
- 4% fleets
- No setup fee
EXCAVATOR 12 FT WIDE 3 STATES
Three states, three sets of rules
Width, height, length and weight each trigger different permits and escort rules in each state. The quote has to carry all of them before the rate means anything.
price the permits first
Build an oversize quote from your own numbers
Enter the linehaul, the route miles, your permit quotes from each state, escort days and the escort's daily rate, plus any other costs like a route survey or police escort. The card adds them up into the quote and shows the rate per mile on the full amount, plus our fee on the gross.
We never fill in permit fees for you. They change by state, by dimensions, by weight and sometimes by route, and a guessed number is how carriers end up hauling at a loss. Use the real quotes from each state's permit office or your permit service.
The order matters too. Price the permits and escorts first, then quote. When a broker posts an oversize load with a rate already on it, the first question is what that rate includes. If permits and escorts are on you, they come out of that number before you see a dime.
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Who arranges permits and escorts, and who pays for them
Oversize and overweight permits are issued by each state, usually through its department of transportation. A load crossing four states needs four permits, each with its own route, travel hours and conditions. Some states issue routine permits quickly online; superloads take engineering review and much longer.
Who pays depends on the deal, and it should be in writing on the rate confirmation. Common setups are a rate that includes permits and escorts, or a linehaul plus permits and escorts billed separately. Either can work. What doesn't work is a rate con that's silent about it.
- Permits. Who orders them, who pays, and the exact dimensions and weight they're issued for. A permit for the wrong size is no permit.
- Escorts. How many pilot cars each state requires at your dimensions, whether a height pole is needed, and who books and pays them.
- Travel restrictions. Daylight-only travel, weekend and holiday bans, and city curfews can stretch a two-day run into four.
- Route survey. For tall or heavy loads, someone may need to check bridges, wires and turns on the route before you move.
Federal law sets the baseline legal width at 102 inches on the national network, and states set their own height, length and many weight limits above that. Anything past those limits needs a permit. Check each state's permit office pages for current rules before you commit to a route.
What we confirm before an oversize load reaches you
Oversize postings are often a commodity and a destination. We ask for everything that decides whether you can haul it legally, and what it really costs.
- Exact dimensions: length, width, height, and overhang front and rear.
- Total weight and how it sits on the trailer, for axle weights and bridge limits.
- Loading and unloading: crane, ramps, drive-on, or a rigging crew.
- Pickup and delivery windows, and site access for a long or wide setup.
- Whether the rate includes permits and escorts, or they're billed separately.
- Securement requirements for the piece, including chains, binders and blocking.
If the piece fits on a standard step deck or flatbed within legal dimensions, it may not need permits at all. We dispatch step deck and flatbed freight too, and we'll tell you when a load doesn't need the heavier equipment.
Lowboys, RGNs, extendables and step decks
Heavy haul runs on specialized trailers, and the right one depends on the freight. A lowboy or removable gooseneck (RGN) carries tall and heavy equipment low to the ground, and an RGN lets machines drive on from the front. Extendable trailers handle long pieces like beams and poles. Step decks and double drops carry freight that's tall but not too heavy for a standard axle setup.
We keep your trailer's deck lengths, well length, deck height, axle count and rated capacity on your card, and we match postings against them. If a load needs an extra axle or a different trailer, it doesn't reach you, or it comes with a note that it needs a partner carrier or different equipment.
Rates follow the equipment. A loaded RGN with permits and escorts is a very different job from a legal step deck load of the same weight, and the counter should reflect it. Check any flat or step deck rate with the flatbed rate calculator, which handles tarp pay, stops and empty miles.
What our heavy haul dispatchers handle
- Finding oversize and heavy haul freight from boards, brokers and equipment dealers that fits your trailer.
- Getting full dimensions and weights in writing before we counter.
- Building the quote with permits, escorts and route costs counted, using real quotes.
- Confirming who pays permits and escorts on the rate con before you say yes.
- Checking every broker on FMCSA's public records and their payment terms.
- Check calls, delivery updates, detention claims and a weekly report of loads, gross, fee and empty miles.
Every load comes to you with its dimensions, route conditions and terms. You approve it, and the broker sends the rate confirmation straight to you. If permits or travel rules change the schedule after you say yes, you hear about it before you move.
Starting heavy haul on a new authority
Heavy haul is one of the harder places to start a new authority. Shippers of expensive equipment want carriers with a record, and a mistake with a $400,000 machine is the kind nobody forgets. Insurance for specialized trailers and high-value cargo also costs more, and some shippers ask for cargo limits well above what a general freight carrier carries.
That doesn't mean it can't be done. Many new heavy haul carriers start with legal-size equipment loads on a step deck or RGN, building history before taking on permitted freight. Others start under a lease with an established carrier before running their own MC. We'll talk through which path fits your equipment and your cash on the first call.
Whatever path you take, every load comes to you first with its dimensions, permit needs and terms, so nothing lands on your trailer that you haven't judged for yourself.
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What oversize dispatch costs
5% of the gross on loads you haul for one truck with authority 6 months or older. 7% while your MC is under 6 months. 4% for two or more trucks while the fleet rate lasts.
No setup fee, no minimum, month-to-month, 30 days notice to cancel. A week you don't haul costs nothing. The fee breakdown has the full math.
Heavy haul and lowboy dispatch questions
Who pays for permits and escorts?
How are oversize loads priced?
How long do oversize permits take?
What is a superload?
Do you dispatch lowboys and RGNs?
Have a heavy haul posting? Run the basic lane math.
Before permits and escorts, check what the linehaul pays per mile with your empty miles counted. Then use the quote builder above to add the rest. If you'd rather hand the whole process to a desk, the application takes about two minutes.
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