It’s that time of year again when several Northern states enact frost laws to protect their roadways during the spring thaw. Due to the unseasonably mild winter, some frost laws have begun earlier this year than normal.

The states of Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and the Canadian provinces have frost law restrictions during the spring. These laws greatly reduce the weight allowances for permitted shipments over 80,000lbs gross weight. In some cases, it can take 9 or 10 axles to move a commodity that would normally be moved on 6 axles.

These frost laws normally begin in March and could remain in effect until June. So be careful to not put yourself in a position with a load of freight that cannot be delivered due to frost laws.

British Columbia and South Dakota have already started with road restrictions. The following have posted start dates as follows; Alberta 2/17/12, North Dakota 2/21/12, Ontario 3/1/12, Quebec 3/5/12, and Manitoba 3/11/12. Please keep checking the links below for more updates or changes.

Please click on the state or provincial links below for more information.

Michigan

Wisconsin

Minnesota 

Nevada

North Dakota

South Dakota  

Alberta

British Columbia

Manitoba

New Brunswick

Newfoundland and Labrador

Northwest Territories

Nova Scotia

Ontario

Price Edward Island

Quebec

Saskatchewan

Yukon Territory

It's not everyone who has experience with flatdeck and overdimensional/heavy haul freight. Many transportation service providers have specialties. Making investments in top-quality equipment that best supports the business-specialty-focus makes a big difference.

Individual trucking companies invest in equipment such as step decks, double drops, curtain sides, racks and tarps for over the road truckers. When shipping flatbed freight--wide load shipping is often required. Special trucks and trailers and specially trained drivers can accommodate these over-dimensional shipments. 

Know if your chosen company can take the role of an LTL freight carrier or if they offer full-truck transportation services. There are many companies adept at wide load shipping. Not every customer has simple standard dry van or flatbed truck service needs. Most companies that are competent make sure they support LTL freight services as well as full truck and wide load shipping.
Many companies easily service wide ranges of flatbed freight. Competition is what helps to stabilize markets. Using outside operators and independent contractors also works to support the local economies. Discovering who is the quality-driven and most cost effective / efficient company is only a matter of local research and inquiry or you can simply call Loadstar which has a network of 1000's of carriers independent and otherwise that they work with.

Regardless if your load is too tall or too wide, a list of full service transport and trucking companies will provide the choices needed. Obtaining the permits necessary for your wide or tall load whenever they are required can be tricky. Specialized freight requires specialized permits as well as equipment, loading expertise and operators with experience. Shipping flat deck freight is not as difficult as most people assume when working with the right company. Permits and specialized equipment often go together. Government agencies, states and other municipalities often require specialized permissions for large loads moving through these various localities. High quality flatbed and trucking services are already prepared for these circumstances and can facilitate smooth transitions with these various entities and places. It doesn't matter if it is a heavy haul, over sized or over dimensional need. Special shipments need special attention. Experienced and well-trained teams make all the difference.
 For more information about any aspects of flatbed, heavy hauling, freight trucking, heavy equipment hauling or oversized or over-dimensional hauling needs, your need can be met both on LTL or on a truckload to truckload basis. Just contact the experts at 877-851-1539 or visit http://www.loadstartransportation.ca/

Operating a mine is no easy task.  There are a number of logistical factors that need to be considered with opening a mine or decommissioning a mine.  Movement of heavy and oversized equipment to the mine site is paramount to its continued production and selecting a carrier to accommodate these moves takes careful consideration.

Landstar agents have many years of experience in trucking for the mining industry.  Along with technically skilled staff in heavy equipment hauling and oversize loads, we maintain a wide variety of specialized hauling equipment to accommodate your needs.  There is no shipment that we can’t handle effectively and efficiently with our flatbed, drop deck, and lowboy trailers (among others) as well as B-train equipment.

Expert Mine Equipment Hauling

Drivers are well trained to ensure a safe load to sometimes very remote areas.  Securing permits and escorts when necessary along with organizing dangerous cargo shipments are just a few of the services offered by a Landstar agent. 

Whether starting a new mine or decommissioning a mine, Landstar agents are well versed and experienced with all types of cargo for the mining industry.

Our services include not only domestic transportation but also transborder shipments.  A full complement of customs brokerage services would be required if you are importing or exporting to ensure the best chance of a hassle free clearance through the border. 

Each of these services is available domestically and internationally with numerous shipping lanes in current operation.  You can trust Loadstar transportation an independent Landstar agent as a qualified transport carrier to meet your ever changing needs.  The next time you are relocating one of your mine camps, keep in mind the discipline of planning, organising and managing resources that a Landstar agent has to offer

Customs & Shipping Forms

Getting your oversized loads across international borders demands additional paperwork. The heavy haul trucking company is required to have a number of customs and shipping forms when they travel from USA to Canada and vice versa.

It is imperative that all the required forms and paperwork are handled professionally to ensure a smooth flow of transport operations. All shipments going to and/or from Canada should include the following customs and shipping forms:

Bill of Lading

The Bill of Lading must signify clearly a complete and accurate description of goods that the carrier is transporting. Also included should be the type of clearance that the consignee prefers. The name of the Customs Broker (or appointed agents) must also be mentioned at either the frontier port or the inland sufferance warehouse or shipper. It is essential that the writing on the form is legible and consistent with the information on the Commercial Invoice, which is another required document.

Commercial Invoice

The commercial invoice is basically an invoice which comprises the goods’ description and the appropriate valuations and relevant currency information. It’s important to remember that TWO copies of the commercial invoice are required and both should match the information listed on the Bill of Lading. One copy of the invoice should go with the shipment from the pickup point to custom clearance point while the second one should be attached with the Bill of Landing.

Canada Customs Invoice

Like the Commercial Invoice, this invoice accompanies the freight from pick up point to customs clearance and a copy should be attached to the Bill of Lading. Additionally, writing “PARS Clearance” is necessary on the invoice if the Bill of Landing indicates border clearance.

Certificate of Origin

Getting this certificate right is very important. If you miss this, the highest duty rates can be applied to the consignment. The broker uses the certificate to ascertain the correct duty rate according to the American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Furthermore, the freight may be barred from entering the country by the US Customs.

Ideally, your customs broker should handle all of the above diligently. Failure to do so may upset your operations slow your shipment and trucking company and cost you money. Our expertise and experience in cross border shipping enables us to ensure smooth, efficient and cost-effective heavy equipment hauling service to all our clients.

Chris Montgomery is a Landstar agent in Coquitlam, British Columbia offering flatdeck, specialized haul, overdimensional, heavy haul and added-value freight services typically from the us to western Canada and from Western Canada to the United States

Choosing a Heavy Equipment Transportation Service That Meets Your Needs

Often times the shipment that you are sending does not fit into or on a normal truck trailer.  Heavy equipment and oversized cargo must be shipped by specialized haul trailers.  Over height, over width and over length cargo can be accommodated by an extensive range of landstar trailer equipment designed specifically to meet your needs.

In addition, you need a company that is well versed not only in the selection of the proper equipment for your shipment, but also one that knows the limitations of the route that you require. This includes weight limitations of roads and highways, bridge heights/breadths and depending on the dimension of the cargo, the effects that the oversized shipment will have with the state DOT's.  These restrictions also vary throughout the year with the changing of seasons.  A shipment in July can possibly have different requirements than a shipment in April or May when the spring thaw may be occurring

A Landstar agent can provide expert guidance to coordinate the proper method of shipping and selecting the correct equipment for your cargo.  Maintaining a fleet of specialized haul equipment from tri-axle flatbeds to step deck, drop deck, lowboy and double drop trailers, Landstar agents are able to accommodate your requirements.  If necessary, each of the above mentioned specialized haul trailers are also ‘extendable’ for over-length shipments.

Equally important is to have a Landstar agent who is familiar with permit requirements that can involve a simple highway permit or to another degree, police escorts.  Each province in Canada and each state in the US have varying legislation for heavy equipment hauling or oversize freight.  It is extremely important that your carrier is fully up-to-date with the rules in each of these areas.

Moving your shipment safely is paramount to ensure that it arrives in proper condition and avoids any logistical or traffic pitfalls along the way.  Selecting the proper equipment and securing safe loads is a trademark of Landstar agents. 

Chris Montgomery is a Landstar agent in Coquitlam, British Columbia offering supply chain logistic services including multimodal, rail intermodal, load optimization, LTL consolidations, oversize shipments, specialized haul and added-value freight services.

It’s that time of year again when several Northern states enact frost laws to protect their roadways during the spring thaw. The states of Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and the Canadian provinces have frost law restrictions during the spring. These laws greatly reduce the weight allowances for permitted shipments over 80,000lbs gross weight. In some cases, it can take 9 or 10 axles to move a commodity that would normally be moved on 6 axles. These frost laws normally begin in March and could remain in effect until June.

Last year, Wisconsin began some of their weight restrictions on March 10, Minnesota began on March 8, and Michigan began on Mar 8. Nevada already has restrictions in place on certain highways.

Please click on the state links below for more information or give Chris a call at 604-790-8484

United States

1. Michigan  
2. Wisconsin
3. Minnesota
4. Nevada
5. North Dakota
6. South Dakota

Canada

1. Alberta
2. British Columbia
3. Manitoba
4. Saskatchewan
5. Northwest Territories
6. Nova Scotia
7. Newfoundland and Labrador
8. Ontario
9. Prince Edward Island
10. Quebec
11. Yukon Territory
12. New Brunswick

The volume of container traffic into Canada and the USA has grown at a rapid pace and continues to rise steadily. Congestion at the ports can make it sometimes difficult to retrieve your container without a good working knowledge of the intricacies in arranging your container hauling. Ocean ports work by very stringent schedules and restrictions creating many hurdles that only an experienced container delivery company can clear.

Landstar agents are familiar with these challenges and perform these pick up and delivery services everyday with careful planning. Coordinating reservations with the container freight station, positioning the correct equipment and a timely delivery to the consignee are all part of a days work. Once customs clearance has taken place, the surrendering of original bills of lading is complete, a Landstar agent will take care of the rest.

Whether you have a 20, 40 or 45 foot container, Landstar has the proper equipment to suit your needs. All of our power units and trailers are inspected in accordance with the government ministry in the area. We also schedule appointments for delivery with the consignee in order to avoid any surprises. Rush deliveries can be provided where required and additional unloading time can be arranged when you have a hectic schedule.

To accommodate your heavy cargo, tri-axle equipment is also available to ensure a safe delivery. Open top and flat rack containers that can sometimes carry over dimensional cargo are routinely handled by Landstar agents. Our delivery areas are extensive and flexible.

Remember that once your cargo is delivered and ready to ship out, through the landstar network Loadstar Transportation can also provide a more conventional transportation service to get your shipments to your destination. Offering LTL and FTL truck shipments to various regions throughout North America is a value added service to our already extensive transportation services.

Loadstar Transportation is a Landstar agent in Coquitlam, British Columbia offering supply chain logistic services including multimodal, rail intermodal, load optimization, LTL consolidations, oversize shipments, specialized haul and added-value freight services.