Heavy Equipment Transport in South Carolina
Excavators, dozers, loaders and tractors moved across South Carolina on the trailer each machine needs, with the state's oversize permits arranged before pickup.
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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 South Carolina at a glance
The facts that decide how a load moves here. Regulatory figures link to the official page they come from.
- I-20
- I-26
- I-77
- I-85
- I-95
- I-385
- I-526
- Port of Charleston
- Port of Georgetown
How freight moves in South Carolina
Freight in South Carolina runs on I-20, I-26, I-77, I-85, I-95 and I-385. Ocean and river cargo moves through Port of Charleston and Port of Georgetown. The state's economy leans on container, vehicle and bulk cargo through the Port of Charleston, automotive and tire manufacturing in the Upstate, commercial aircraft assembly and aerospace manufacturing in the Charleston area and plastics, textiles and advanced manufacturing along I-85, and that is most of what moves on its roads.
Rules of the road
What shapes a move in South Carolina
- When oversize loads can travel
South Carolina lets loads up to 12 feet wide move from sunrise to sunset every day, adds urban rush-hour bans for loads over 12 and up to 15 feet wide, confines loads wider than 15 feet to 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (4 p.m. on non-school days), and allows no permitted travel on six major holidays. Source ↗
- Escort vehicles
South Carolina requires a front escort on two-lane highways for loads over 12 feet wide, front and rear escorts over 14 feet wide, civilian and police escorts over 16 feet wide, a front escort with a height-measuring device at 16 feet high or more, and a rear escort from 125 feet long. Source ↗
- Seasonal conditions
SCDOT bars permitted movement on Saturdays and Sundays from Memorial Day through Labor Day on routes east of I-95 in the Myrtle Beach area, including US-17 from the North Carolina line to Georgetown.
South Carolina allows no permitted movement in heavy rain or fog with visibility under 500 feet, in high winds, or when roads are slippery from ice, snow or sleet.
The South Carolina coast, including Charleston and the Port of Charleston, is exposed to Atlantic hurricanes from June 1 to November 30.
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 South Carolina
Every state a load crosses issues its own oversize permit. These are the offices next door, closest first, with their legal limits.
North Carolina
NCDOT · North Carolina Department of Transportation, Oversize/Overweight Permit Unit
Legal height: 14 ft (4.27 m)
Legal width: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Georgia
Georgia DPS · Georgia Department of Public Safety, Oversize Permit Unit
Legal height: 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
Legal width: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Cities
Heavy Equipment Transport by city in South Carolina
These are the busiest pickup points. Any address in South Carolina works, including the towns between them.
CharlestonCharleston County
Charleston anchors the Port of Charleston, whose terminals are spread across the harbor in the city, North Charleston and Mount Pleasant, with I-26 and I-526 connecting them to the interstate system.
- I-26
- I-526
- US-17
ColumbiaRichland County
Columbia, the state capital, sits where I-26, I-77 and I-20 meet in the middle of South Carolina, connecting the Charleston port with the Upstate and the Carolinas.
- I-26
- I-77
- I-20
- I-126
GreenvilleGreenville County
Greenville anchors the Upstate along I-85 and I-385, a manufacturing and distribution corridor between Atlanta and Charlotte.
- I-85
- I-385
- US-25
SpartanburgSpartanburg County
Spartanburg is where I-85 and I-26 meet in the Upstate, linking the region's factories and Inland Port Greer with the Port of Charleston.
- I-85
- I-26
- I-585
FlorenceFlorence County
Florence is where I-95, the East Coast's main north-south truck route, meets I-20 in the Pee Dee region of northeastern South Carolina.
- I-95
- I-20
GreerGreenville and Spartanburg counties
Greer, between Greenville and Spartanburg on I-85, is the site of Inland Port Greer, a rail-served container terminal linked to the Port of Charleston.
- I-85
- US-29
North CharlestonCharleston County
North Charleston is home to the Port of Charleston's North Charleston and Hugh K. Leatherman terminals, commercial aircraft assembly, and a rail and interstate hub at I-26 and I-526.
- I-26
- I-526
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 South Carolina
Who issues oversize permits in South Carolina?
The South Carolina Department of Transportation, Oversize/Overweight Permit Office (SCDOT). 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 South Carolina?
South Carolina lets loads up to 12 feet wide move from sunrise to sunset every day, adds urban rush-hour bans for loads over 12 and up to 15 feet wide, confines loads wider than 15 feet to 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (4 p.m. on non-school days), and allows no permitted travel on six major holidays.
When does South Carolina require escort vehicles?
South Carolina requires a front escort on two-lane highways for loads over 12 feet wide, front and rear escorts over 14 feet wide, civilian and police escorts over 16 feet wide, a front escort with a height-measuring device at 16 feet high or more, and a rear escort from 125 feet long.
Are there seasonal restrictions in South Carolina?
SCDOT bars permitted movement on Saturdays and Sundays from Memorial Day through Labor Day on routes east of I-95 in the Myrtle Beach area, including US-17 from the North Carolina line to Georgetown. South Carolina allows no permitted movement in heavy rain or fog with visibility under 500 feet, in high winds, or when roads are slippery from ice, snow or sleet. The South Carolina coast, including Charleston and the Port of Charleston, is exposed to Atlantic hurricanes from June 1 to November 30.
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