Oversize Transport of a 296-Tonne Convoy Over 350 km
- Aug 26
- 3 min read
A 296-tonne convoy, 52 metres long and 5.45 metres high, presents a very different transport problem from a conventional heavy load.
For this project, the cargo itself weighed 160.5 tonnes and measured 25.54 metres in length, 4.40 metres in width and 4.55 metres in height. The complete oversize transport configuration reached 296 tonnes and used a 24-axle modular trailer, with a tractor at the front and a pushing tractor at the rear.
The challenge was not only to move the cargo over approximately 350 km. It was to make the complete configuration work within an existing road network.
One Project, One Integrated Team
For complex heavy haul transport, the value of having the capabilities in-house becomes particularly clear.
This project brought together several activities that are often split between different companies: commercial planning, route engineering, equipment selection, transport execution and infrastructure modifications.
The process starts with the transport offer. The commercial solution has to be based on an understanding of the actual cargo, equipment requirements, route constraints and associated works — not simply on kilometres and a trailer rate.
From there, the same technical team can develop the route engineering, determine the appropriate modular configuration, assess the infrastructure and coordinate the execution.
That continuity matters. Decisions made during route planning directly influence the equipment configuration; the equipment configuration determines the transport envelope; and that envelope determines where civil works may be required.
A 24-Axle Configuration Built Around the Cargo
The transport used a 24-axle modular trailer, combined with a four-axle tractor at the front and a four-axle pushing tractor at the rear.
The complete convoy had an external turning radius of 34 metres and an internal radius of 27 metres.
These are not just equipment specifications. They become route parameters.
The 52-metre length and turning envelope had to be checked against curves, junctions and constrained sections, while the 5.45-metre transport height had to be considered against the available vertical clearance.
This is where having route engineering and heavy haul equipment under the same operational structure becomes useful: the transport configuration can be developed together with the route rather than treating them as separate problems.
Route Engineering Before Transport
The route study assessed the loaded convoy against road geometry, bridges and other structures, structural capacity, vertical and horizontal restrictions and traffic constraints.
The objective was to establish the actual operating envelope of the convoy along the route.
Where the existing infrastructure could accommodate that envelope, the transport proceeded within the existing road configuration.
Where it could not, the route had to be prepared.
Civil Works as Part of the Transport Solution
This project required civil works and infrastructure modifications before the convoy could pass.
Our team carried out targeted interventions including:
removal of concrete barriers;
removal of prefabricated road elements;
dismantling of roadside signalling structures;
adaptation of access points;
preparation of manoeuvring areas;
temporary adjustment or removal of roadside infrastructure.
The project documentation specifically identifies the removal of concrete barriers and prefabricated elements, together with the dismantling of signalling structures where additional clearance was required.
The important point is that these civil works for oversize transport were not an external afterthought. They were incorporated into the transport solution and coordinated by the same project team responsible for the movement.
From Offer to Final Delivery
A project of this scale involves a chain of decisions that need to remain connected.
Cargo → transport configuration → route engineering → infrastructure assessment → civil works → permits →transport execution.
Keeping these activities within one integrated team reduces the gap between what is proposed commercially and what has to be delivered operationally.
For Eastship, that means the team working on the price offer can be connected to the engineers planning the route, the specialists configuring the modular trailer, the people carrying out the civil works, and the operational team executing the transport.
For a 296-tonne oversize transport, that continuity is not simply a matter of convenience. It is part of controlling the technical and operational variables of the project.
350 km. 296 tonnes. 52 metres. 24 modular axles. One integrated transport solution.
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