From a single pallet to heavy plant, moved anywhere in the UK. Route planning, movement orders, police notifications, and escort vehicles all handled in-house, filed before the lorry leaves the yard.
Altida is a Chesterfield-based transport company, moving loads of almost any size and type across the UK. From building materials and palletised freight to mobile cranes, heavy plant, and long structural steel.
We match the trailer to the load, the route, and the site access, then move it with our own drivers. Where a load needs it, we plan the route and handle the movement orders, police notifications, and escort vehicles — all in-house, filed before the lorry leaves the yard.
Altida runs cranes as well as transport. So when a load needs lifting onto or off the lorry, the crane and the lorry come from the same team — no handover between two separate firms.
What we move
Whatever the load, the job is the same: get it there safely, legally, and on time. These are the loads we move most. There's rarely one we can't put on the right trailer.
The fleet
We run a mixed fleet so we match the trailer to the job.
Versatile across loads of varied weight, shape, and size. The articulated pivot gives the turning radius to move equipment and materials site to site, without the access compromises of a rigid lorry.
Best for General loads, building materials, palletised freight.
Built for mobile cranes, lifting equipment, and mobile homes where height is the constraint. The stepped deck sits low enough to run legally under bridges and gantries a standard trailer wouldn't clear.
Best for Tall plant, mobile cranes, mobile homes.
Triple-extending beds with rear-wheel steer that follows the tractor through tight corners — the choice for long loads heading into narrow site access or into town centres.
Best for Structural steel, long plant, beams.
Beavertail trucks built to be driven onto by heavy plant — forklifts, mini excavators, and tracked machinery. A quick load-and-go for site-to-site plant moves.
Best for Excavators, forklifts, tracked plant.
Know your load
Most loads move within normal road limits. Once a load is over them, it becomes an abnormal load. That moves under Special Types rules, with notice to the authorities and, where the route needs them, escorts — handled by the same Altida team.
| Standard load General haulage | Abnormal load Special Types | |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | Up to 44 tonnes gross | Over 44 tonnes |
| Width | Up to 2.9 m | Over 2.9 m |
| Length | Up to 18.65 m | Over 18.65 m |
| Notice to authorities | Not normally required | Police & highway authorities notified in advance |
| Escort vehicles | Not normally required | Arranged where the route needs them |
These are the standard UK road limits — the exact thresholds depend on the load and the route, which we confirm when we plan the job.
Over the limits? See Abnormal LoadsBefore you call
The more you can tell us up front, the faster we can confirm the trailer, the route, and the timing. Don't worry if you don't have it all — we'll work the rest out with you.
What the load is, and roughly what it weighs.
Its dimensions — length, width, and height, even approximate.
Where it's collected from, and the access at that end.
Where it's going, and the access on delivery.
When you need it moved, and any fixed date or window.
Anything unusual — fragile, hazardous, or needs lifting on or off.
If you have most of that, send it over and we'll come back with a clear quote — the trailer, the route, the timing, and any escort named up front.
Why Altida
Most transport firms don't have cranes; most crane firms sub the transport out. Altida runs both, which makes a move simpler from the first call.
When a load needs lifting on or off, the crane and the transport come from the same yard. No handover between two firms, no waiting on someone else's diary.
A mixed fleet of trailers and qualified drivers, so the trailer fits the load and one person owns the job from booking through to delivery.
Route planning, movement orders, police notifications, and escort vehicles — all handled by the same team that runs the move.
A central base in Chesterfield means we reach the length of the UK without starting every job miles from where it begins.
Across industry
Good to know
Two questions come up on almost every haulage job: will it fit and stay legal, and will it travel safely? Here's the plain version of both — and if you're not sure where your load lands, tell us and we'll work it out.
What it carries
A 44-tonne artic isn't 44 tonnes of payload. Once the tractor and trailer are accounted for, a standard curtainsider carries around 28 tonnes, across roughly 26 UK pallets on the deck. We match the trailer to the weight and pallet count.
Standard or abnormal
Within roughly 2.9 metres wide, 18.65 metres long and the normal weight limit, a regular trailer carries it as general haulage. Past any one of those it becomes an abnormal load, with permits and notice — which the same team also handles.
In transit
Loads are secured to the recognised standard: the restraint has to hold the full weight of the load forwards and half its weight to each side and the rear, so nothing shifts under braking or cornering. Straps, chains and the right trailer for the shape, checked before the lorry leaves the yard.
Common questions
The questions transport and site teams ask us most often. Anything else, just call.
Get in touch
