What is Project (Out-Of-Gauge) Transportation?
Project transportation is shipping out-of-gauge cargo from the departure point to its destination in special vehicles with caution. Any non-standard cargo could be suitable for this method. It includes the shipment of any equipment needed in a domestic or international project, being involved in the whole project process and coordinating the shipping operation until it is complete.
Project transportation is a fast-growing business. Safe and smooth transportation of the cargo is essential so as not to affect other vehicles or infrastructure negatively. It starts with loading the cargo from the manufacturer, the cargo ship, another vehicle, the factory or the warehouse. It is crucial to choose a suitable tow truck for a smooth transportation. Choosing the right trailer and tow truck depends on the cargo type, destination and the distance.
Project cargo is transferred to the vehicles by cranes which necessitates many precautions. Strong ropes, capstans and hard grounds might be needed. Loading and unloading should be operated as engineering processes. The driver and the personnel should be experienced on heavy cargo and road conditions and they also should be educated on ground studies. Heavy cargo transportation benefits from guide vehicles and it should be noted that project transportation is a team work.
Highway authorities, traffic police and district authorities should be informed on heavy goods vehicle transit and they should work in coordination to ensure safety.
Another aspect of project transportation is disassembling the machines of a factory completely, moving them to another country and reassemble them. In other words, moving the whole factory somewhere else. Factories are moved from countries where the workforce costs are high to countries with lower costs. Sea transport being the most popular one, all types of transport can be preferred for this purpose. Moving factories necessitates disassembling and reassembling which require engineering services. Working with experienced personnel minimizes the costs.
Transportation Permit in the Literature
In logistics, highway authorities must be contacted with and permits must be obtained. Transportation, loading and unloading must be notified to the authorities, precautions taken must be validated, paramedics must be present during dangerous processes.
Besides the transportation permit, road report is also important. In some countries, the transporter is expected to find the related engineering firm and ask for the report to be issued. All costs are paid by the logistics company.
Out-of-gauge vehicles, even when they are empty, are supposed to obtain permits in order to be on the roads. Driving those vehicles even for maintenance requires road permit and escort which brings about extra costs.
It is very expensive for the transporter to obtain road permits from engineering firms for cargo of 150 tons and over. Heavy cargo transportation is only allowed in the day. As a result, the heavy cargo from around Turkey moves to countries where the costs are lower. Therefore, Turkey cannot compete with poor legislation and high costs.
