Heavy Equipment Transport in Montana
Excavators, dozers, loaders and tractors moved across Montana on the trailer each machine needs, with the state's oversize permits arranged before pickup.
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- PICKUP LOCATION
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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 Montana at a glance
The facts that decide how a load moves here. Regulatory figures link to the official page they come from.
- I-15
- I-90
- I-94
How freight moves in Montana
Freight in Montana runs on I-15, I-90 and I-94. The state's economy leans on agriculture, including wheat and cattle, oil, gas and coal energy, mining and mineral processing and forestry and wood products, and that is most of what moves on its roads.
Rules of the road
What shapes a move in Montana
- When oversize loads can travel
On Montana Interstates, permitted loads up to 18 ft wide may travel 24 hours a day, every day including holidays; on other highways only loads up to 10 ft wide, 150 ft long and 15 ft 6 in high travel around the clock, larger loads move in daylight hours only, and loads over 12 ft 6 in wide, 150 ft long or 15 ft 6 in high cannot move on holidays or holiday weekends. Source ↗
- Escort vehicles
On non-Interstate highways Montana requires a front pilot vehicle for loads over 12 ft 6 in wide up to 16 ft 6 in and front and rear pilot vehicles up to 18 ft, while on Interstates a rear pilot vehicle is required from 16 ft 6 in to 18 ft wide and two rear pilot vehicles above 18 ft. Source ↗
- Seasonal conditions
Winter chain law: where chains-required signs are posted, chains must be on the drive wheels of one axle, tractor-trailers must carry chains, and from October 1 through April 30 trucks of 26,001 lb or more towing a trailer must carry approved traction devices, while studded tires are legal only from October 1 to May 31.
Spring thaw: some highways are posted for lower axle weights or speeds while road surfaces break up, with signs at the start of each posted road.
A winter weight term permit allows 10 percent excess weight on non-Interstate highways from December 1 through March 7, and it can be suspended if roads thaw early.
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 Montana
Every state a load crosses issues its own oversize permit. These are the offices next door, closest first, with their legal limits.
Idaho
ITD · Idaho Transportation Department, Commercial Vehicle Services
Legal height: 14 ft (4.27 m)
Legal width: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Wyoming
WHP · Wyoming Highway Patrol, Commercial Carrier and Ports of Entry (Wyoming Department of Transportation)
Legal height: 14 ft (4.27 m)
Legal width: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
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)
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 Montana
These are the busiest pickup points. Any address in Montana works, including the towns between them.
BillingsYellowstone County
Billings is Montana's largest city, where I-90 and I-94 meet, and a regional hub for trucking and rail in the eastern half of the state.
- I-90
- I-94
- US-87
- US-212
BozemanGallatin County
Bozeman is on I-90 in the Gallatin Valley and is the gateway to Yellowstone National Park via US-191.
- I-90
- US-191
- MT-86
Great FallsCascade County
Great Falls is on I-15 beside the Missouri River in north-central Montana and serves the surrounding grain-growing region.
- I-15
- US-87
- US-89
MissoulaMissoula County
Missoula is on I-90 in western Montana, where US-93 runs south to the Bitterroot Valley and US-12 leads west to Idaho.
- I-90
- US-93
- US-12
ButteSilver Bow County
Butte is where I-90 and I-15 meet in southwest Montana, linking Idaho, Billings and Great Falls.
- I-15
- I-90
- I-115
HelenaLewis and Clark County
Helena, the state capital, is on I-15 between Butte and Great Falls.
- I-15
- US-12
- US-287
KalispellFlathead County
Kalispell is on US-93 and US-2 in the Flathead Valley and is the gateway to Glacier National Park.
- US-93
- US-2
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 Montana
Who issues oversize permits in Montana?
The Montana Department of Transportation, Motor Carrier Services (MDT). A load over the legal limits (14 ft (4.27 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 Montana?
On Montana Interstates, permitted loads up to 18 ft wide may travel 24 hours a day, every day including holidays; on other highways only loads up to 10 ft wide, 150 ft long and 15 ft 6 in high travel around the clock, larger loads move in daylight hours only, and loads over 12 ft 6 in wide, 150 ft long or 15 ft 6 in high cannot move on holidays or holiday weekends.
When does Montana require escort vehicles?
On non-Interstate highways Montana requires a front pilot vehicle for loads over 12 ft 6 in wide up to 16 ft 6 in and front and rear pilot vehicles up to 18 ft, while on Interstates a rear pilot vehicle is required from 16 ft 6 in to 18 ft wide and two rear pilot vehicles above 18 ft.
Are there seasonal restrictions in Montana?
Winter chain law: where chains-required signs are posted, chains must be on the drive wheels of one axle, tractor-trailers must carry chains, and from October 1 through April 30 trucks of 26,001 lb or more towing a trailer must carry approved traction devices, while studded tires are legal only from October 1 to May 31. Spring thaw: some highways are posted for lower axle weights or speeds while road surfaces break up, with signs at the start of each posted road. A winter weight term permit allows 10 percent excess weight on non-Interstate highways from December 1 through March 7, and it can be suspended if roads thaw early.
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.
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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