Heavy Haul Loads for Carriers

RGN, lowboy, step deck and multi-axle loads, matched to your trailer's deck height, length and axles

Quick answer

How do carriers get heavy haul loads from HTS?

Complete the carrier setup once (active authority, $1 million auto and general liability, $100,000 cargo, a W-9 and a signed broker-carrier agreement), then send your trailer's specs: type, loaded deck height, deck or well length, width and axle count. HTS offers the loads that fit those specs, with dimensions, weight and pickup details up front.

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

What kind of heavy haul loads HTS books

Mostly construction, farm and lift equipment: excavators, dozers, loaders, graders, cranes, tractors and combines, much of it bought or rented through Ritchie Bros, IronPlanet and Cat Rental, plus machinery coming off Ro-Ro ships and out of the Port of New York and New Jersey. HTS is a licensed broker (MC# 1178470), so every one of those loads moves on a carrier's own authority and trailer.

The trailer is decided by height first. A machine's transport height plus the trailer's loaded deck height has to stay at or under 13 ft 6 in in most states, so the deck you pull sets the tallest machine you can take without a height permit: a flatbed (58 in deck) takes up to 8 ft 8 in; a step deck (40 in deck) takes up to 10 ft 2 in; an RGN or lowboy (24 in deck) takes up to 11 ft 6 in; a lower RGN (20 in deck) takes up to 11 ft 10 in; a low-profile RGN (14 in deck) takes up to 12 ft 4 in; a double drop well (12 in deck) takes up to 12 ft 6 in. Deck figures are the published ranges in our heavy haul trailer data.

Which trailer each load needs

Manufacturer transport sizes for common loads, with the highest deck that keeps each one under 13 ft 6 in. Width over 8 ft 6 in means an oversize permit whatever the trailer.

Machine transport sizes and the trailer that keeps each under 13 ft 6 in
Machine	Width	Height	Weight (OEM)	Highest deck under 13 ft 6 in	Width permit
Bobcat T770compact track loader	6 ft 8 in	6 ft 9 in	10,515 lb	Flatbed (58 in)	No
Cat 308 CRexcavator	7 ft 6½ in	8 ft 4 in	20,771 lb	Flatbed (58 in)	No
Cat D5crawler dozer	8 ft 2½ in	10 ft 1½ in	37,368 lb	Step deck (40 in)	No
Cat 320excavator	10 ft 5 in	10 ft 4½ in	49,800 lb	RGN or lowboy (24 in)	Yes
Cat 950wheel loader	9 ft 7 in	11 ft 4 in	42,461 lb	RGN or lowboy (24 in)	Yes
John Deere 8R 410tractor	8 ft 6½ in	11 ft 8 in	28,000 lb	RGN (22 in)	Yes
Cat 140motor grader	8 ft 3½ in	11 ft 4 in	41,947 lb	RGN or lowboy (24 in)	No
Cat D8crawler dozer	9 ft 2 in	11 ft 7 in	76,126 lb	RGN (22 in)	Yes
Cat 336excavator	11 ft 9½ in	12 ft	81,100 lb	RGN (18 in)	Yes
Cat 745articulated truck	12 ft 5½ in	12 ft 4 in	72,995 lb	RGN (14 in)	Yes
Grove RT765E-2rough terrain crane	10 ft 11½ in	11 ft 10 in	89,349 lb	RGN (20 in)	Yes
Cat 349excavator	11 ft 7 in	12 ft 1 in	105,200 lb	RGN (15 in)	Yes
Cat D10crawler dozer	12 ft 4 in	14 ft 3½ in	111,739 lb	None: needs a height permit	Yes

Heights and widths are the makers' transport figures as configured in our heavy equipment transport data (blades, buckets and counterweights as noted there). Weights are OEM shipping or operating weights; the gross also includes your tractor and trailer, so heavier machines need more axles and overweight permits.

RGN, lowboy and step deck loads

RGN loads are tracked and tall machines that drive on over the front: excavators such as the Cat 320 and larger, mid and large dozers, rough terrain cranes. The 21 RGNs in our data run 14 to 24 in loaded, and a 20 in deck instead of a 24 in one is the difference between legal and a height permit for a Cat D8. Details and the detach procedure are in our RGN trailer guide.

Lowboy loads cover the same machines on fixed-neck and detachable lowboys; fixed-gooseneck lowboys load over the rear and sit higher (up to 43 in in our data), so they suit lower machines and short hauls. See the lowboy trailer specs.

Step deck loads are compact track loaders, mini excavators, smaller dozers with the blade off, tractors and lift equipment: anything up to about 10 ft 2 in tall on a 40 in lower deck. Ramps or a hydraulic tail matter here, because many of these machines drive on. See the step deck trailer specs, and for a machine that fits neither, a double drop well at 12 to 22 in.

What we need to know about your equipment

Trailer type, make and model, so the published deck height and rating can be checked.
Loaded deck height and usable length of the deck or well where the machine will sit, and whether the neck detaches.
Usable width: standard 8 ft 6 in, outriggers or an extendable deck.
Axles: how many, their spacing and ratings, and any jeep, booster or flip axle. Overweight permits are judged axle group by axle group (use the Bridge Formula calculator to check a setup).
Tractor and registration: axle configuration, plates and registered weight. Pennsylvania, for one, charges 4 cents a mile for each ton over the vehicle's registered gross.
Escorts: whether you run your own pilot cars and which states' certifications your drivers hold.
Home base and lanes you prefer, so the loads offered start near where your truck is.

Permit conditions that come with heavy haul loads

The permit is issued for your truck and trailer, and the driver is held to everything on it: the route, the travel windows and the escorts. A few rules catch carriers new to a state:

Escort certification. New York, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Washington, North Carolina and Kansas require certified escort drivers (or an accepted out-of-state certificate). New York accepts no other state's. The full comparison is on our pilot car requirements page.
Travel windows. New York allows no oversize travel on Sundays, and several states shut down around holidays, sometimes from noon the day before. Each state's rules are in our oversize permit guides by state.
Seasonal limits. While Michigan's spring restrictions are on, MDOT issues no overweight single-trip permits in the restricted area; Minnesota and Wisconsin post zone and county limits. See frost laws by state.
Superloads. Pennsylvania wants the preliminary superload application three weeks ahead and only the hauler may apply; Texas Super Heavy permits need an engineer's bridge analysis.

Questions from carriers

How do I find heavy haul loads?

Work with brokers and shippers that move machinery, and make it easy for them to match you. With HTS that means one setup (authority, insurance minimums, W-9 and a signed broker-carrier agreement) and a current record of your trailer: type, loaded deck height, deck or well length, width and axle count. Loads are offered by trailer fit, so the specs decide what you are offered.

What is an RGN load?

A load hauled on a removable gooseneck trailer, usually a tracked or tall machine that drives on over the front once the neck is off. The 21 RGN models in our trailer data have loaded decks of 14 to 24 in, which keeps a machine up to about 11 ft 6 in to 12 ft 4 in tall under a 13 ft 6 in limit.

How much weight can an RGN haul?

Makers rate the RGNs in our data at 35 to 80 tons, but those are concentrated frame ratings over a stated length, not legal payloads. What a load can weigh on the road depends on axle count, spacing and the permits for each state. The Bridge Formula calculator shows the legal weight for any axle group.

What is the difference between step deck loads and RGN loads?

Deck height. Step deck lower decks in our data run 34 to 40 in, so a machine taller than about 10 ft 2 in goes over 13 ft 6 in. RGN decks run 14 to 24 in and the neck comes off for drive-on loading, which is why tracked excavators and dozers are RGN loads and compact loaders and tractors are often step deck loads.

Do my pilot cars need to be certified?

In some states, yes. New York, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Washington, North Carolina and Kansas require escort drivers to hold a state certificate or an accepted out-of-state one, and New York requires NYS certification for every escort on a New York permit, whatever the driver's home state. Our pilot car requirements page lists the rule for each of the 48 states we track.

What insurance do I need to haul for HTS?

Active FMCSA operating authority with at least $1,000,000 auto liability, $1,000,000 general liability and $100,000 cargo coverage. The carrier setup page lists the full packet: W-9, insurance certificate and the signed broker-carrier agreement.

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.

HTS trailer dataset: 83 manufacturer models, loaded deck heights and ratings (makers' spec sheets) (checked October 2026)
Manufacturer transport dimensions for 47 machines (OEM spec sheets) (checked October 2026)
State escort certification rules (each state's official rule)
eCFR: 23 CFR Part 658, truck size and weight

Haul heavy haul loads with HTS

Set up once, send your trailer specs, and we offer the loads that fit them. Questions: (631) 683-8275, Monday to Saturday, 24 hours.

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