Heavy Equipment Transport in North Dakota
Excavators, dozers, loaders and tractors moved across North Dakota on the trailer each machine needs, with the state's oversize permits arranged before pickup.
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- PICKUP LOCATION
- DELIVERY LOCATION
- EQUIPMENT TYPE
- MAKE & MODEL
- WEIGHT (LBS)
- DIMENSIONS
- FULL NAME
- PHONE NUMBER
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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 North Dakota at a glance
The facts that decide how a load moves here. Regulatory figures link to the official page they come from.
- I-29
- I-94
How freight moves in North Dakota
Freight in North Dakota runs on I-29 and I-94. The state's economy leans on oil and gas production in the Bakken formation, agriculture, including spring wheat, soybeans, canola, sunflowers and dry beans, agricultural equipment manufacturing and dealers and wind energy and coal-fired power generation, and that is most of what moves on its roads.
Rules of the road
What shapes a move in North Dakota
- When oversize loads can travel
North Dakota single-trip permits do not authorize overdimensional moves at night unless the load is 12 feet wide or less and 120 feet long or less (or the Highway Patrol approves), and loads wider than 16 feet cannot move after noon Saturday, on Sunday or on six major holidays. Source ↗
- Escort vehicles
North Dakota requires pilot cars for movements wider than 14 feet 6 inches, taller than 18 feet or longer than 120 feet, though loads up to 16 feet wide may use amber warning lights on the vehicle instead, and loads wider than 16 feet need a pilot car ahead of and behind the load on two-lane highways (one behind on four-lane divided highways). Source ↗
- Seasonal conditions
NDDOT posts spring load restrictions on state highways as weather and roadbed conditions require, often on short notice, and lifts them when roadbeds can carry legal-weight traffic without damage.
North Dakota overweight permits are not valid on bituminous pavement when the air temperature is 90 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.
Winter blizzards and blowing snow can close or restrict sections of I-94 and I-29.
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 North Dakota
Every state a load crosses issues its own oversize permit. These are the offices next door, closest first, with their legal limits.
Minnesota
MnDOT · Minnesota Department of Transportation
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)
Montana
MDT · Montana Department of Transportation, 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 North Dakota
These are the busiest pickup points. Any address in North Dakota works, including the towns between them.
BismarckBurleigh County
Bismarck, the state capital, sits on I-94 on the Missouri River and is a regional distribution point for central North Dakota.
- I-94
- I-194
FargoCass County
Fargo is North Dakota's largest city and sits where I-29 and I-94 cross, making it a regional distribution point for the Red River Valley.
- I-29
- I-94
Grand ForksGrand Forks County
Grand Forks lies on I-29 near the Minnesota line, about 75 miles south of the Canadian border.
- I-29
- US-2
MinotWard County
Minot is the main commercial center of north-central North Dakota, where US-2, US-52 and US-83 meet within reach of the Bakken oil fields.
- US-2
- US-52
- US-83
DickinsonStark County
Dickinson is on I-94 in southwestern North Dakota and serves the region's oil and gas activity and agriculture.
- I-94
- US-22
JamestownStutsman County
Jamestown sits on I-94 where US-281 crosses it, roughly midway between Fargo and Bismarck.
- I-94
- US-281
WillistonWilliams County
Williston is the center of the Bakken oil patch in the northwest corner of the state, where US-2 and US-85 carry heavy equipment and oilfield freight.
- US-2
- US-85
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 North Dakota
Who issues oversize permits in North Dakota?
The North Dakota Highway Patrol, Motor Carrier Division (NDHP). 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 North Dakota?
North Dakota single-trip permits do not authorize overdimensional moves at night unless the load is 12 feet wide or less and 120 feet long or less (or the Highway Patrol approves), and loads wider than 16 feet cannot move after noon Saturday, on Sunday or on six major holidays.
When does North Dakota require escort vehicles?
North Dakota requires pilot cars for movements wider than 14 feet 6 inches, taller than 18 feet or longer than 120 feet, though loads up to 16 feet wide may use amber warning lights on the vehicle instead, and loads wider than 16 feet need a pilot car ahead of and behind the load on two-lane highways (one behind on four-lane divided highways).
Are there seasonal restrictions in North Dakota?
NDDOT posts spring load restrictions on state highways as weather and roadbed conditions require, often on short notice, and lifts them when roadbeds can carry legal-weight traffic without damage. North Dakota overweight permits are not valid on bituminous pavement when the air temperature is 90 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Winter blizzards and blowing snow can close or restrict sections of I-94 and I-29.
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