Heavy Haul and Logistics Glossary of Terms
Heavy haul and specialized transportation come with their own language. As an experienced heavy haul trucking company, Black Diamond Freight put together this glossary to help shippers understand the terminology used throughout the industry; from permits and trailer types to mobile home and cross-border shipping terms.
Axle Weight: The amount of weight distributed onto a single axle of a trailer or truck; regulated by state and provincial weight limits.
Apron: The platform area of a lowboy or RGN trailer where heavy equipment is loaded.
Bonded Carrier: A carrier authorized to transport cargo across international borders (such as US-Canada) under a customs bond.
Bridge Law: Federal regulations governing the maximum weight allowed on a vehicle based on axle spacing, used to prevent bridge damage.
Beam Trailer: A specialized trailer with an extendable beam used to transport extremely long loads such as girders or pipes.
Cargo Insurance: Insurance coverage protecting freight against damage or loss during transport.
CDL (Commercial Driver’s License): The license required to legally operate heavy trucks and haul oversized or heavy loads.
Customs Bond: A financial guarantee required for goods crossing the US-Canada border, ensuring duties and taxes are paid.
Cross-Border Freight: Freight transported between the United States and Canada, requiring customs documentation and compliance.
Deck Height: The height of a trailer’s loading surface from the ground; lower deck heights allow for taller cargo within legal height limits.
Dimensional Load: A shipment whose size (length, width, or height) exceeds standard legal limits, requiring permits.
Double Wide: A manufactured home built in two sections that are transported separately and joined at the installation site.
DOT (Department of Transportation): The federal agency regulating interstate trucking, safety standards, and compliance.
Dry Van: An enclosed trailer used for general freight that doesn’t require flatbed or specialized hauling.
Escort Vehicle (Pilot Car): A vehicle that travels ahead of or behind an oversized load to warn other drivers and assist with safe navigation.
Extendable Trailer: A trailer that can be lengthened to accommodate unusually long cargo, such as steel beams or wind turbine blades.
Flatbed Trailer: An open trailer with no sides or roof, commonly used for hauling machinery, equipment, and building materials.
FTL (Full Truckload): A shipment that fills an entire trailer, dedicated to a single customer’s freight.
Freight Broker: A company that connects shippers with carriers without owning the trucks themselves.
Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW): The total weight of a vehicle including the cargo, fuel, and passengers.
Goosenecks: A type of trailer connection (also referring to gooseneck trailers) that attaches to the truck’s bed rather than the bumper hitch, often used in heavy hauling.
Heavy Haul: The transportation of oversized or overweight cargo that exceeds standard legal shipping dimensions and weight limits.
Heavy Equipment: Large machinery used in construction, agriculture, or industrial work, such as excavators, bulldozers, and cranes.
Lowboy Trailer: A trailer with a low deck height, ideal for hauling tall equipment like excavators and bulldozers while staying within legal height limits.
LTL (Less Than Truckload): A shipping method where multiple customers’ freight shares space in one trailer.
Manufactured Home: A home built in a factory and transported to its site, regulated under federal HUD standards (distinct from modular homes).
Modular Home: A home built in sections in a factory and assembled on-site, often requiring crane placement.
Over-Dimensional Load: Cargo that exceeds legal size limits in length, width, or height, requiring special permits and routing.
Overweight Load: Cargo that exceeds legal weight limits for a given vehicle or axle configuration, requiring permits.
Oversize Load: A general term for cargo exceeding standard legal dimensions, often marked with “Oversize Load” signage during transport.
Permit Load: A shipment requiring a special government-issued permit due to its size or weight exceeding legal limits.
Pilot Car: See Escort Vehicle.
Project Cargo: Large, complex shipments; often industrial or infrastructure-related that require custom logistics planning.
RGN Trailer (Removable Gooseneck): A trailer with a detachable front section that lowers to the ground, allowing heavy equipment to be driven on directly.
Route Survey: A pre-transport inspection of a planned route to check for bridge heights, weight limits, and obstacles before moving an oversized load.
Step Deck Trailer: A trailer with two deck levels, allowing taller cargo to be hauled while staying within legal height restrictions.
Super Load: An extremely oversized or overweight shipment that requires extensive permitting, route planning, and often multiple escort vehicles.
Setup (Mobile Home): The process of placing, leveling, blocking, and reconnecting utilities for a mobile or manufactured home after transport.
Tarping: Covering an open trailer load with a tarp to protect cargo from weather during transport.
Tiny Home: A small, often mobile, dwelling typically under 400 square feet, transported on a trailer chassis.
Triple Wide: A manufactured home built in three sections, transported separately and joined on-site.
Weight Distribution: How cargo weight is spread across a trailer’s axles to comply with legal limits and maintain safe handling.
Wide Load: Cargo that exceeds standard legal width limits, requiring permits and often escort vehicles.