Heavy Equipment Transport in Minnesota
Excavators, dozers, loaders and tractors moved across Minnesota on the trailer each machine needs, with the state's oversize permits arranged before pickup.
Tell us about your shipment in 60 seconds
Your request is in the queue. Our team will text you in under 10 minutes during business hours with your custom quote.
Here is what we received. Our team reviews it and replies in under 10 minutes during business hours with your quote.
- PICKUP LOCATION
- DELIVERY LOCATION
- EQUIPMENT TYPE
- MAKE & MODEL
- WEIGHT (LBS)
- DIMENSIONS
- FULL NAME
- PHONE NUMBER
We'll text you at in under 10 minutes during business hours.
Save our number: +1 (888) 354-7402
Every carrier is vetted for operating authority and insurance, and we check the certificate before every dispatch, not once a year. USDOT 3411782 · MC 1100274
At a glance
Shipping in Minnesota at a glance
The facts that decide how a load moves here. Regulatory figures link to the official page they come from.
- I-35
- I-90
- I-94
- I-35E
- I-35W
- I-494
- I-694
- Port of Duluth-Superior
- Port of Saint Paul
How freight moves in Minnesota
Freight in Minnesota runs on I-35, I-90, I-94, I-35E, I-35W and I-494. Ocean and river cargo moves through Port of Duluth-Superior and Port of Saint Paul. The state's economy leans on agriculture and food processing, medical devices and healthcare, iron ore mining and Great Lakes shipping and forestry and paper products, and that is most of what moves on its roads.
Rules of the road
What shapes a move in Minnesota
- When oversize loads can travel
Minnesota bars oversize loads wider than 12 ft 6 in or longer than 110 ft from 2 p.m. the day before to 2 a.m. the day after major holidays and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on summer Fridays and Sundays, while overweight-only loads are not restricted unless the permit says so. Source ↗
- Escort vehicles
On multi-lane divided roads Minnesota requires a certified rear escort at 15 ft wide (16 ft at the top) or 110 ft long and front and rear escorts beyond 150 ft long, while on undivided roads front and rear escorts are required at those same widths and lengths, plus a lead peace officer when any part of the load crosses left of the centerline. Source ↗
- Seasonal conditions
Spring Load Restrictions: MnDOT posts reduced weight limits on state and federal trunk highways each spring by zone, with at least three days of notice, and in 2026 the zones ran from early March to as late as May 15.
Fishing opener weekend in May has its own travel restriction for oversize loads wider than 12 ft 6 in or longer than 110 ft, from 2 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday and from 2 p.m. Sunday to 2 a.m. Monday (May 8 to 10 in 2026).
Rules change. The specialist on your move checks the current ones for your exact route before anything is booked.
Permits by state
If the route leaves Minnesota
Every state a load crosses issues its own oversize permit. These are the offices next door, closest first, with their legal limits.
North Dakota
NDHP · North Dakota Highway Patrol, Motor Carrier Division
Legal height: 14 ft (4.27 m)
Legal width: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Wisconsin
WisDOT · Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Services
Legal height: 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
Legal width: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Iowa
Iowa DOT · Iowa Department of Transportation, Motor Vehicle Division
Legal height: 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
Legal width: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
South Dakota
SDHP · South Dakota Highway Patrol, Motor Carrier Services
Legal height: 14 ft (4.27 m)
Legal width: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Cities
Heavy Equipment Transport by city in Minnesota
These are the busiest pickup points. Any address in Minnesota works, including the towns between them.
DuluthSt. Louis County
Duluth is the western end of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway system, where the Port of Duluth-Superior moves iron ore, grain, coal and other bulk cargo and I-35 ends.
- I-35
- I-535
- US-53
MinneapolisHennepin County
Minneapolis is the center of the Twin Cities freight network, where I-35W, I-94, I-394 and the I-494 and I-694 beltway meet.
- I-35W
- I-94
- I-394
- I-494
Saint PaulRamsey County
Saint Paul is Minnesota's capital, with barge terminals on the Mississippi River, and I-35E, I-94 and the I-494 and I-694 beltway cross the city.
- I-35E
- I-94
- I-494
- I-694
MoorheadClay County
Moorhead is on I-94 across the Red River from Fargo, North Dakota, and handles agricultural and manufacturing freight for the Red River Valley.
- I-94
- US-10
- US-75
RochesterOlmsted County
Rochester, in southeastern Minnesota, is reached from I-90 by US-52 and US-14 and is a regional hub for healthcare and distribution.
- US-52
- US-14
- US-63
St. CloudStearns County
St. Cloud is on I-94 about 65 miles northwest of Minneapolis and serves as a distribution point for central Minnesota.
- I-94
- US-10
- US-15
- MN-23
Heavy Equipment Transport
Trailers and machines
RGN (removable gooseneck)
The neck detaches so tracked and wheeled machines drive on at deck level.
Lowboy
A deck close to the ground for tall machines that would break the legal height on a flatbed.
Step deck
For loaders, tractors and skid steers that clear the height limit on its lower deck.
Flatbed
For attachments, smaller machines and anything loaded by forklift or crane.
Questions about shipping in Minnesota
Who issues oversize permits in Minnesota?
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). A load over the legal limits (13 ft 6 in (4.11 m) tall, 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) wide) needs its permit for the exact route, and it is arranged before pickup so the machine does not wait at the yard.
When can an oversize load travel in Minnesota?
Minnesota bars oversize loads wider than 12 ft 6 in or longer than 110 ft from 2 p.m. the day before to 2 a.m. the day after major holidays and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on summer Fridays and Sundays, while overweight-only loads are not restricted unless the permit says so.
When does Minnesota require escort vehicles?
On multi-lane divided roads Minnesota requires a certified rear escort at 15 ft wide (16 ft at the top) or 110 ft long and front and rear escorts beyond 150 ft long, while on undivided roads front and rear escorts are required at those same widths and lengths, plus a lead peace officer when any part of the load crosses left of the centerline.
Are there seasonal restrictions in Minnesota?
Spring Load Restrictions: MnDOT posts reduced weight limits on state and federal trunk highways each spring by zone, with at least three days of notice, and in 2026 the zones ran from early March to as late as May 15. Fishing opener weekend in May has its own travel restriction for oversize loads wider than 12 ft 6 in or longer than 110 ft, from 2 p.m. Friday to 2 a.m. Saturday and from 2 p.m. Sunday to 2 a.m. Monday (May 8 to 10 in 2026).
Which trailer does my machine need?
The machine decides: its weight, height, width and whether it drives on. Tracked machines usually ride an RGN or a lowboy, loaders and tractors a step deck, attachments a flatbed. With the make, model and dimensions we tell you which before we quote.
How fast do you reply to a quote request?
In under 10 minutes during business hours, by text or phone for a move inside the U.S., and on WhatsApp for one going to Mexico.
Get a Free, No-Obligation Quote Today
Our logistics specialists are standing by. We reply in under 10 minutes.
Every carrier is vetted for operating authority and insurance, and we check the certificate before every dispatch, not once a year. USDOT 3411782 · MC 1100274