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HTS Logistics
Heavy Equipment Auction Pickup and Transport

Heavy Equipment Auction Pickup and Transport

Release paperwork, removal deadlines and the transport check to run before you bid

Quick answer

How do you get a machine out of an auction yard?

Pay the invoice in full, collect the release document, and give it to the carrier with the yard's address and load-out hours. At Ritchie Bros., you or your transporter must present the original release ticket and a bill of lading (plus export papers if needed) before the yard releases an item. Move fast: Oklahoma's state surplus auctions allow 5 business days before storage fees start.

Updated October 2026 by the HTS Logistics broker team (FMCSA MC# 1178470).

HTS Logistics arranges pickups of equipment bought at Ritchie Bros. and IronPlanet auctions, and of machines rented through Cat Rental, as part of our heavy equipment transport service. The buyer hires us, not the auction company. We are a licensed broker (MC# 1178470): we book a carrier with the right trailer, order the permits and keep you posted from the yard gate to delivery. One 5-star Google review of HTS mentions a machine "hauled for a fair price" with "status updates along the way."

GET AN AUCTION PICKUP QUOTE CALL (631) 683-8275

What the yard needs before it releases a machine

Proof of payment, and proof that whoever is at the gate may take the machine. The documents differ by seller; four published examples:

Release documents and pickup terms published by four sellers
SellerRelease documentAt pickupSource
Ritchie Bros.Release ticket, issued when the invoice is paid in fullThe original release ticket, export paperwork if required and a bill of lading, presented by you or your transport provider; confirm load-out hours, specs and weight firstRitchie Bros. buyer checklist (Apr 2, 2022)
Maine state surplusItem Release Form, after checkout and full paymentThe buyer or transport company brings a copy; loading help is at the yard manager's discretion; buyers bring suitable equipment and get their own hauling permitsMaine Bureau of Central Services
Oklahoma state surplusBuyer's CertificateA copy of the certificate and a driver's license; if someone else collects, the buyer emails an Authorization of Release first; appointments 24 hours aheadOklahoma OMES (updated Jun 17, 2026)
City of Southfield, Mich.Buyer's CertificateAppointment 24 hours ahead; the buyer does all packing, loading and transport, with no assistanceCity of Southfield (Nov 4, 2024)

Attachments leave with the machine: Maine's terms require associated accessories, such as plows or attachments sold with trucks, to go in the same pickup, and Maine bars vehicles marked unsafe from being driven off the property. In Florida, a removed blade or bucket can share the machine's trailer on an overweight permit only up to two pieces, so tell us everything in the lot.

Send us:

  • the item or lot number and the paid invoice;
  • the release document, or the name it will be issued to;
  • the yard address, load-out hours and removal deadline;
  • make, model, serial number and any attachments in the lot;
  • the delivery address and who will receive the machine.

Removal deadlines, storage fees and permit lead times

The removal window is short, and the permit clock runs inside it. Oklahoma's state surplus terms give buyers 5 business days from the Buyer's Certificate, then charge $10 a day, paid at pickup; the City of Southfield, Mich. allows 10 business days before the same $10 daily fee. Both want payment within 5 business days of the close, by wire on invoices of $5,000 or more. At Ritchie Bros., the release ticket comes when the invoice is paid in full, so paying early starts the pickup early.

Permits can take a large share of a 5-day window. NJDOT's office review takes up to 3 business days, and New York City wants 48 hours for its permit; a superload can take weeks:

Permit lead times that can eat into a removal window
PermitLead timeSource
NJDOT routine permitOffice review up to 3 business days; bridge-engineer review typically 12 to 48 business hoursNJDOT permits FAQ
New York City DOT daily permit48 hours, one permit per legNYC DOT
Delaware River toll bridges (NJ-PA)Apply 2 business days ahead when over 80,000 lb, 13 ft 6 in high, 8 ft 6 in wide or 75 ft longDRJTBC
Ohio TurnpikeApply 2 business days before travel, by 3:00 PM ET, when over 11 ft wide, 112 ft long, 25,000 lb per axle or 120,000 lbOhio Turnpike
Illinois Tollway superloadAt least 3 business days' noticeIllinois Tollway
Connecticut superload5 business daysCTDOT FAQ
Florida non-routine permitAt least 10 business daysF.A.C. 14-26.00411
Pennsylvania superloadPreliminary application at least 3 weeks aheadPennDOT
Texas Super Heavy permit3 to 4 weeksTxDMV
California variance permitAt least 30 daysCaltrans

Send the release the day you receive it, and if the removal window is shorter than the permit lead time for your route, ask the seller about storage before you bid. Our guide to how oversize permits work explains the application steps, and oversize permits by state compares escort triggers, travel hours and fees state by state.

Check the transport before you bid

A machine's shipping width, height and weight decide the trailer, the permits and the escorts, and with them most of the transport bill (the heavy equipment transport cost guide shows how each piece is priced). The table runs that check for 10 machines across the main size classes, from manufacturer figures; loaded heights assume the 2 ft deck of an RGN (removable gooseneck) trailer or lowboy and are estimates.

Transport check for 10 machines: size, weight and permits on a 5-axle tractor and RGN
MachineW x H as hauledWeight (basis)Loaded on a 2 ft deck (est.)Permits neededWhat changes it
Bobcat T770compact track loader6 ft 8 in x 6 ft 9 in10,515 lboperating weight8 ft 9 inlegal heightNone by sizeLegal as it stands; fits a step deck or flatbed
Caterpillar 305 CRexcavator6 ft 6 in x 8 ft 4 in12,688 lboperating weight, no bucket10 ft 4 inlegal heightNone by sizeLegal as it stands; add the bucket's weight
Caterpillar 308 CRexcavator7 ft 7 in x 8 ft 4 in20,771 lboperating weight, no bucket10 ft 4 inlegal heightNone by sizeLegal as it stands; tie-down eyes on the track frame are standard
Caterpillar 320excavator10 ft 5 in x 10 ft 4 in49,800 lboperating weight with bucket12 ft 4 inlegal heightWidth, overweightUpper frame alone is 9 ft 1 in, so no setup brings it to 8 ft 6 in
Komatsu PC360LC-11excavator11 ft 3 in x 10 ft 9 in80,488 lboperating weight (Komatsu also prints 80,320 lb)12 ft 9 inlegal heightWidth, overweightWidth is over the 850 mm shoes; the bucket sometimes comes off to save weight
Caterpillar D5crawler dozer8 ft 2 in x 10 ft 1 in37,368 lbshipping weight, blade off12 ft 1 inlegal heightNone by size; weight depends on the rig10 ft 9 in with the VPAT blade on; 8 ft 2 in with it off
Caterpillar D6crawler dozer8 ft 10 in x 10 ft 6 in42,280 lbshipping weight, blade and push arms off12 ft 6 inlegal heightWidth; weight depends on the rigStill 8 ft 10 in over the trunnions with blade and push arms off (5,777 lb together)
Caterpillar D8crawler dozer9 ft 2 in x 11 ft 7 in76,126 lbshipping weight, ripper on13 ft 7 inover 13 ft 6 inWidth, height, overweightBlade and push arms (10,007 lb) come off; Cat's shipping weight leaves them out
Grove RT765E-2rough terrain crane10 ft 11 in x 11 ft 10 in89,349 lbbasic machine with 14,365 lb counterweight13 ft 10 inover 13 ft 6 inWidth, height, overweightSwingaway, hook block and headache ball (4,553 lb together) are extra
Caterpillar 395excavator12 ft 9 in x 17 ft 8 in207,400 lboperating weight, assembled19 ft 8 inover 14 ft 6 inWidth, height, overweight; superload rangeCounterweight (34,190 lb) and front linkage come off for road transport (typical practice)

Superload range = more than 200,000 lb gross with a 35,000 lb tractor and trailer, the line New York and Connecticut use. The Cat 395 figures are for the assembled machine, which is not a road configuration. Weight check uses our estimate of 35,000 to 45,000 lb for an empty tractor and RGN.

Two checks are worth running before you bid: whether the machine sheds width when an attachment comes off (a Cat D5 is 10 ft 9 in with its VPAT blade and 8 ft 2 in without it), and whether its weight puts it past a superload line (a Cat 395 at 207,400 lb assembled is over 200,000 lb before the truck). Our excavator transport and bulldozer transport pages cover those machines model by model, and the oversize load checker runs any size against 28 states.

Auction pickup questions

How much does it cost to transport an excavator from an auction?

It turns on the excavator's class. A Cat 308 CR, 7 ft 7 in wide and 20,771 lb, moves as a legal load; a Cat 320, 10 ft 5 in wide and 49,800 lb, needs width and overweight permits; a Komatsu PC360LC-11 at 80,488 lb needs more axles. Distance, fuel, permits, escorts and any storage days make up the rest, and our cost guide dates every benchmark it uses.

What are the best ways to move an excavator bought at auction?

Match the trailer to its height and weight. Mini excavators such as the Cat 305 CR (6 ft 6 in wide, 12,688 lb without a bucket) fit a step deck or flatbed as legal loads; 20-ton machines like the Cat 320 go on an RGN or lowboy with width and overweight permits; 35-ton and larger machines add axles and sometimes travel with the bucket off.

Will the auction yard load my machine?

Do not count on it. Maine's surplus yard offers loading help only at the yard manager's discretion and expects buyers to bring detachable trailers, Landoll trailers, ramps or rollbacks; the City of Southfield, Mich. provides no assistance at all. Ritchie Bros. tells buyers to confirm load-out hours before arranging pickup. The trailer we book has to load the machine without the yard's help.

What if I miss the removal deadline?

Storage fees start. Oklahoma's state surplus sales charge $10 a day after 5 business days, paid before the item is released, and Southfield charges $10 a day after 10 business days. Oklahoma also locks the auction accounts of buyers who default on its terms. Send us the release as soon as you have it so the pickup lands inside the window.

Do I have to be at the pickup?

Not at Ritchie Bros. or Oklahoma's surplus sales. Ritchie Bros. releases items to you or your transportation provider against the original release ticket and a bill of lading. Oklahoma needs an Authorization of Release emailed by the buyer when someone else collects, and the driver shows a license at pickup. Ask your seller whether the release can name the carrier.

Do you pick up equipment from IronPlanet and Cat Rental?

Yes. We move equipment bought through Ritchie Bros. and IronPlanet and machines rented through Cat Rental. Send the item number or rental contract, the pickup address and hours, and the make and model; we size the trailer and permits from the manufacturer's transport dimensions before we book a carrier.

Sources

Facts on this page were checked in October 2026 against the sources below. Rules and rates change; we confirm current requirements on every move.

  1. Ritchie Bros.: Checklist for equipment buyers at Ritchie Bros. auctions (Apr 2, 2022)
  2. Maine Bureau of Central Services: Maine Surplus online auctions and pickup requirements
  3. Oklahoma OMES: public online auction information (updated Jun 17, 2026)
  4. City of Southfield, Mich.: city equipment auction terms (Nov 4, 2024)
  5. Bobcat T770 (2026 Bobcat Full-Line Equipment Specifications B-1000 (08/26))
  6. Caterpillar 305 CR (Cat 305 CR Mini Excavator brochure (NACD) AEHQ8376-04 (10-2025), Build 07A (North America, Chile, Columbia))
  7. Caterpillar 308 CR (Cat 308 CR Mini Excavator brochure AEHQ8518-01 (10-2025), Build 08A)
  8. Caterpillar 320 (320 (07H) Hydraulic Excavator Technical Specifications (N Am) AEXQ3758-01 (11-2025))
  9. Komatsu PC360LC-11 (Komatsu PC360LC-11/PC360LCi-11 full brochure, EN-PC360LC-LCi-11-FB01-1022-V1 (c)2022)
  10. Caterpillar D5 (D5 Track-Type Tractor Technical Specifications AEXQ2535-03 (09-2022))
  11. Caterpillar D6 (D6/D6 XE Track-Type Tractors Technical Specifications AEXQ2470-05 (09-2022))
  12. Caterpillar D8 (D8 Track-Type Tractor Technical Specifications AEXQ3723 (05-2024))
  13. Grove RT765E-2 (Grove RT765E-2 Product Guide, ANSI B30.5 Imperial 85%, ©2020, Part No. 10-009-2M-0721PDF)
  14. Caterpillar 395 (395 (07H) Hydraulic Excavator Technical Specifications AEXQ4024-01 (02-2026))
  15. NJDOT permits FAQ (review times)
  16. NYC DOT: Permits for Over Dimensional Vehicles
  17. Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission: truck permits
  18. Ohio Turnpike Special Hauling Permit Information
  19. Illinois Tollway: overweight and overdimension permits
  20. CTDOT oversize/overweight permit FAQ
  21. F.A.C. 14-26.00411, procedure for issuance of permits
  22. F.A.C. 14-26.012, movement conditions and restrictions
  23. PennDOT: hauling permit resources (superload process)
  24. TxDMV Superheavy single-trip permits
  25. Caltrans variance permits

Get an auction pickup quote

Send the lot or item number, the yard address and load-out hours, the removal deadline, the machine's make and model, and the delivery address. We size the trailer and permits from the manufacturer's figures and plan the pickup around your removal deadline.

  • FMCSA-licensed property broker, MC# 1178470
  • Permits, escorts and route surveys arranged for each move
  • Carriers checked for authority, insurance and safety record
  • Commercial shippers, dealers, contractors and auction buyers

Prefer to talk? Call (631) 683-8275.

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