Oversize load transport UK & Europe – abnormal and wide loads

Oversize and abnormal load transport in the UK and to Europe — machinery, construction and agricultural plant, steel structures, tanks and transformers that do not fit a standard trailer. We choose the trailer, check the route bridge by bridge, obtain the notifications and permits in the UK and in every country on the way, arrange escorts and secure the load — one contact for the whole movement.

Send the dimensions, weight and addresses through the quote form (a photo or drawing helps) — we check the route and reply with a firm proposal and the permit lead time.

When is a load oversized or abnormal in the UK?

A standard articulated truck in the UK may be up to 2.55 m wide, 16.5 m long and 44 tonnes gross. A vehicle over 2.9 m wide, over 18.65 m rigid length or over 44 t is an abnormal load. Heavy loads are notified to the highway and bridge authorities through the ESDAL system, wide and long ones to the police along the route; heavy movements run under the STGO categories (up to 50, 80 and 150 t). There is no statutory height limit, but anything over 3 m must display the travelling height in the cab – bridge strikes are the most common abnormal-load incident.

Wide load transport: what each width needs

Width includes any side projections. Notice is counted in clear working days – weekends and bank holidays do not count.

Loaded width	What the movement needs
Up to 2.9 m	Not abnormal by width – a standard or low-loader trailer.
Over 3 m, up to 5 m	Two clear working days’ notice to the police along the route.
Over 3.5 m	As above, plus an attendant travelling with the load.
Over 5 m, up to 6.1 m	VR1 approval from National Highways (10 days’ notice) plus police notice; attendant.
Over 6.1 m	A Special Order (form BE16, 8 weeks’ notice) plus notice to the highway, bridge and police authorities.

Weight follows the same pattern: up to 80 t two clear days’ notice to the highway and bridge authorities, 80–150 t five days plus the police, over 150 t a Special Order.

On the Continent the limits are similar (2.55 m width, 4 m height, 40 t) but every country issues its own permits, so a UK→Germany or UK→Italy movement is planned country by country.

How we organise an oversized transport

1. Cargo data – exact dimensions, weight, centre of gravity, lifting and lashing points, photos or a drawing. From these we choose the trailer: step-frame, lowbed, semi-lowbed, extendable or modular for the heaviest loads.
2. Route and permits – bridges, tunnels, roundabouts, height and weight restrictions checked along the whole route; notifications and permits obtained in the UK and in every country on the way. Lead times run from two clear working days for a police notice to 10 days for a VR1 and 8 weeks for a Special Order; each continental country has its own.
3. Escort and movement – private escort vehicles or police escort where required, movement in permitted hours (often at night) and outside weekends in some countries.
4. Loading and securing – by crane or under its own power, chains and straps to EN 12195, checked before departure and after the ferry or tunnel crossing.

What we carry

• Industrial machinery and production lines – complete or in modules.
• Construction and agricultural plant – excavators, telehandlers, combines, cranes.
• Steel structures, tanks, silos, long pipes and beams.
• Transformers, generators, switchgear and power equipment.

The price is made up of the trailer type, distance, permits and escorts in each country, ferry or tunnel costs for UK↔EU, and the chance of a return load. Send the dimensions, weight and addresses – we check the route and reply with a firm proposal.