An ‘abnormal load’ is a vehicle that has any of the following:
Other measurements may apply if you are transporting a load abroad.
Notifying the authorities
Depending on the load, you are moving and your route, you may need to give advance warning to:
You can use Highways England’s electronic service delivery for abnormal loads (ESDAL) to:
If you do not use ESDAL, you must fill in an abnormal loads movement application forms.
Give advance notice
You must allow time to get the necessary clearances from the police, highway and bridge authorities. For example, a Special Order application must be completed 10 weeks before the scheduled date of the move.
Read the factsheet for notice requirements.
‘Notification requirements for the movement of abnormal indivisible loads or vehicles’
Taking an abnormal load abroad
If you are taking an abnormal load outside the UK, you will need to:
Check if a load is abnormal in another country
Some countries measure abnormal loads differently from the UK.
Check with each country you are travelling through to find out if the load you are transporting counts as abnormal – if it does, you will need to:
Restrictions
As is the case with many things associated with road haulage, there are restrictions that affect the movement of abnormal loads. For instance, abnormal loads are not allowed to travel in London on the following days and times:
There may well be other town city, or local/county restrictions on your proposed route, so please check during the planning stage.
Source – DVSA
Operators going abroad
Since 1996, the European Union has had clear legislation on allowed weights and dimensions in road transport. However, loads surpassing the allowed limits – experts call them “abnormal loads” – constitute an economically important segment of commercial road haulage. They include anything from a mobile house and mobile crane to exceptionally large and heavy indivisible loads such as electric transformers, chemical reactor vessels, airplane fuselage or wings. Abnormal road transports often need to travel considerable distances; in many cases, national borders have to be crossed.
As abnormal road transports do not comply with the general European legal requirements on vehicle weights and dimensions, an exemption or permit is needed prior to carrying out an abnormal road transport operation. Authorities need to verify that bridge structures on the road route can accommodate the often heavier than normal vehicles, and that roads are appropriate for the size of load being moved.
Currently, in the absence of European harmonisation in this field, international transporters are confronted with a panoply of rules and procedures, for instance on vehicle escorts, the time frames allowed, authorised speeds, etc… for obtaining an abnormal road transport permit. This varies from Member State to Member State or sometimes even from region to region. Often, this results in delays and difficulties for carriers to make precise cost calculations or to meet their contractual obligations to shippers and customers.
To facilitate efficient freight transport throughout the European Union, improve safe operations and provide more transparency in the field of abnormal load transport, European experts from industry, Member States and the Commission have together produced the Guidelines available at the link below.
European Best Practice Guidelines for Abnormal Load Transport within the EU.
