Over-Width: A Common Problem
Possibly the most common abnormality is over-width, starting at 2,50m and stretching to 5.00m and beyond.
Dealing with Wide Loads depends on the Country
At 2.50m to 3.00m, dependent on the transit country, it’s probably just a question of authorisations – without necessarily a prescribed route or specified date/time. Beyond 3.00m, as the width increases, not only does it take longer to obtain the permits but other factors come into play – not only a designated route but also restricted movement times. Some countries prefer movement at night, others by day – some only on the autobahn, others not on the autoroute.
To put the 5.00m threshold into perspective, effectively this is “two trucks” wide, taking up most of a dual carriageway – leaving little prospect of overtaking, sometimes causing enormous traffic queues.
As a rule of thumb, presuming that the width cannot be reduced, at 5.00m, other methods/routes come into play. Where is the nearest, navigable canal/river? Is there a local quay and cranes, for transfer to/from vehicles? No stone can be left unturned.
Case Study: STG Transports 5m wide load from Oxted to Kazakhstan
STGs record for the widest load over the longest distance, involved a 5.00m wide piece from Oxted in the UK to Karaganda, Kazakhstan – routed via Finland, under escort for a distance of over 4.000 miles – no mean feat.
