Heavy Haulers Daily Blog

How to Save Money When Shipping Construction Equipment

Construction equipment shipping can be a major expense to construction firms and eat into profits. The massive size and weight of these machines require careful handling and thorough attention to detail in shipping.

Fortunately, you can save on the shipment of construction equipment if you arrange for its shipment in advance. There are many cheap ways to ship machinery. But for the safety of both equipment and crew, safe construction equipment shipping is essential.

The Cost of Shipping Construction Equipment

Many factors determine the costs otherwise associated with shipping construction equipment. Size and weight are the most critical factors influencing your construction equipment’s shipping cost. Because larger and heavier equipment requires more specialized resources, such as oversized load permits or escorts, shipping costs may increase.

Shipping costs may also depend on the type of construction equipment transportation. The modes of shipping are air, sea, rail, and truck. Yet, while air shipping can ensure speedier deliveries, it is much more expensive than sea or land transport. Therefore, you must scrutinize your shipping choices.

Furthermore, how far the equipment will travel is a major factor in deciding shipping costs. More fuel, effort, and time are required at longer distances, so shipping costs more. Several other factors might influence shipping costs, such as storage and loading or unloading requirements, packaging and crating, and custom clearance fees.

Transporting a rock truck on a lowboy trailer.

Knowing the various factors involved can benefit you when negotiating rates. It helps you save money on construction equipment transport. There are many risks in shipping construction equipment, too, and accidents may occur. As a result, make sure your shipment is properly insured.

Tips to Reduce the Cost of Construction Equipment Shipping

Proper planning can save money on construction equipment transport. This will guarantee the arrival of your equipment safely and on time. For construction equipment shipping, route planning is crucial.

Besides the weather and possible delays, you must also consider effective shipping methods. This might save you some extra cost of last-minute rush fees and faster means, which are more expensive.

The low-cost ways to ship machinery include consolidating shipments into one. Combined shipments are economical, and reducing the number of shipments saves time. Furthermore, intermodal transportation is economical for your construction business during equipment shipping.

Another suggestion is to cut the size or weight of your equipment down before shipping. Disassembling or eliminating the redundant parts can reduce the weight of the equipment. However, be sure the machine can safely be assembled before dismantling to avoid damage.

In fact, by improving the packaging you can save money on construction equipment transport. However, the packing design can be improved to reduce the chance of damage or even prevent accidents during transportation.

By introducing technology into your business, you can save costs when shipping your machinery. By monitoring progress, you can optimize logistics and plan routes with technology. For example, real-time monitoring systems allow you to see the state and status of your shipment as it is shipped.

You can avoid problems that may lead to extra costs by eliminating delays. You can find cheap ways to ship machinery through planning, combining shipments, and using technology.

Shipping a dozer on a lowboy trailer.

Comparing Quotes From Reputable Companies

Accurate and competitive quotations are crucial to cost control for planning construction equipment shipping. So you stay within your shipping budget. Thus, construction equipment shipping has to be planned, considering each item’s weight or size, to reach the destination intact and on time.

So, when comparing quotes from respectable companies, consider the scope of services available, transportation methods used, and delivery timeframe. Likewise, look for these possible red flags as you search for low quotes:

  • Unusually low quotes
  • Hidden fees
  • Unclear insurance coverage
  • Request for excessive advance payments
  • Unrealistic delivery timeframes

Heavy Haulers ensures your construction equipment gets to its destination securely and promptly. Our construction transport experts are adept at shipping oversized items. They will happily assist you in finding cheap ways to ship machinery.

We have specialized carriers, flatbed trucks, and lowboy trailers for oversized or heavy construction machinery. Contact us today for your construction equipment transport quote!