Fleet Management Solutions for Heavy Haul and Specialized Freight

In the world of heavy hauling and specialized freight operations, every detail can have serious implications. From route planning to regulatory compliance, load securement to meticulous inspections, fleets responsible for transporting oversized, heavy, or specialized loads must be on top of their game for every job.

The number of moving parts involved in a bulk or specialized freight job can be impressive and overwhelming. Careful planning often begins months before a job, which may also include pilot cars and even a police escort. Considerations must be made for road conditions, overpasses, inclines, and turns. Some fleets conduct run-throughs ahead of time to eliminate any surprises on the day of the job. 

A single mistake in planning can result in a dangerous accident, blocking traffic indefinitely, impacting production timelines, causing frustration with the customer, and putting the truck out of service.

Top Concerns for Heavy Haul & Specialized Freight Carriers

Heavy haul and specialized freight carriers face unique challenges and concerns due to the type of loads they carry and the high risk involved in their routes. Their top concerns include:

1. Navigation

Route planning is a top priority for fleets tasked with transporting extra-long, extra-heavy, or extremely sensitive cargo. Routes that look fine on paper may in fact be lined with obstacles that can cause a driver serious problems, like low-clearance bridges, weak overpasses, or very sharp turns. Some roads may be weight restricted, while others are under construction, making it impossible for the truck to pass through. Weigh stations can slow down the job, while unexpected toll roads add to the already high costs associated with the job.

2. Equipment Maintenance

Rigs set up to haul specialized freight or oversized loads often require additional, customized equipment and features. This means regular and preventative maintenance, before and after a job, is necessary to ensure trucks always meet code and can effectively complete their haul without costly and dangerous breakdowns. 

These specialized rigs often include multi-axle configurations or additional features for loading and unloading, like lift gates and carts. Trucks designed for specialized hauls might include climate control features to protect sensitive cargo, like in the case of data centers. These customizations can be expensive and require extra maintenance and care to protect the fleet’s investment. Additionally, reliable and well-maintained trucks attract top drivers, who want to feel safe and confident that their truck will complete their route every time, even with demanding loads.

3. Load Management

DOT and FMCSA maintain additional stringent requirements for bulk and specialty shipping, such as a specific number of tie-downs, weight distribution, and inspection. Failure to adhere to these guidelines can result in hefty fines and out-of-service orders, sidelining a job, and resulting in missed timelines and unhappy customers.

Drivers must also observe their cargo during their routes, as even slight shifting can result in increased stopping distances or catastrophic accidents like rollovers. This raises the risk of injury for the truck driver and other drivers on the road, as well as potential damage to the load. Drivers must carefully inspect their cargo before starting the route, at rest stops, and throughout the trip. 

4. Cost Management

While every commercial trucking fleet must watch their expenses carefully, cost management is especially imperative to heavy load and specialty shippers. Long and slow routes mean that every gallon of fuel is precious; heavier loads consume more fuel, especially in stop-and-go traffic. Extra delays in navigation or not utilizing the most affordable refueling locations can add up quickly to impact the bottom line. Being aware of every toll road or weigh station your driver might encounter is also key in bidding on jobs and setting budgets to ensure there are no hidden surprises. 

Staying compliant is also key in managing costs for specialty shippers. In planning routes, carriers must comply with specific travel times, adhere to escort vehicle requirements, and ensure they have all the required permits, such as ​​oversized, overweight, super, and temporary trip permits. Missing any of these key requirements can result in expensive fines and even load impoundment, as well as loss of future business and damage to the company's reputation.

5. Communication

With such involved operations and so many factors to manage, specialty carriers highly value clear, quick, and accurate communication. Whether it is on-truck sensors communicating real-time data, live weather modeling to help avoid adverse weather conditions, improved communication between the back office and the cab, or simply more accurate status updates along the route, situational awareness can make a huge difference in the success of a job. 

Additionally, in-cab distractions should be minimized so that drivers can focus fully on their very valuable load that has the potential to impact numerous people on the road. Messages from the back office regarding the current job should be prioritized and easy to receive, with tools like heads-up notifications and read-aloud features. It should be easy for management and drivers to monitor HOS status for their drivers, especially with long and slower routes. 

Fleet Management Solutions for Heavy Haul & Specialty Freight

As a telematics provider specializing in commercial carriers, Platform Science knows that bulk and specialty freight fleets face these additional challenges that require real-time, quality data sharing and communication. Some of the features in the Platform Science fleet management portfolio that are especially helpful to these carriers include:

Customizable Workflow: Since heavy hauls often require additional permits or route-specific limitations, a customizable workflow can account for these extra steps, helping drivers move more efficiently through all required steps to stay productive and compliant.

Pre-Load Checks: Pre-load and offloading procedures can be intricate and detailed, along with securement verification. DVIRs and conditional logic in the workflow automatically populate next steps based on the specific load type to ensure particular permits and checks are completed only for the proper load type.

Integrated TMS Data: Heavy haulers generally mean fewer loads, but higher stakes or risks are involved. Fleets can reduce uncertainties and increase situational awareness with real-time status updates such as loading, in transit, stopped, and arrived. Integrating this TMS data with ELD and telematics tools in your system is a tremendous asset in ensuring you get the right trailer to the right place with minimal downtime.

Equipment Matching and Tracking: Data cleanliness is imperative when matching trucks to trailers and loads. Ensuring that accurate trailer VINs, axle count, weight rating, and maintenance logs are all easily accessible is imperative for specialty hauling. 

Digital Inspections: DVIR plays a massive role in heavy hauling and ensuring the back office, the asset, and the driver are all in sync with knowing the truck and trailer are inspected and accounting for any potential hazards that need addressing.

Streamlined Messaging: Driver communication is especially important when hauling heavy loads. Instead of communicating through macro comms, our intuitive messaging app better connects drivers to their fleet managers and reduces distractions in the cab.

Add-on Apps: Just like you can customize your smartphone, commercial fleets can customize their fleet management tools with pre-approved add-on apps designed by third-party integrators specializing in safety, navigation, load management, compliance, training, sensors, and more. Choose from 90+ apps in the Virtual Vehicle Marketplace that are pre-vetted to seamlessly integrate with the Platform Science environment to beef up the areas you want and need most.

‍Ready to learn more about how Platform Science can optimize your fleet operations? Contact us today to schedule a demo, or explore our site to learn more about our driver-focused solutions and extensive add-on app ecosystem, the Virtual Vehicle marketplace.