Excavators, dozers, rollers and tracked plant moved between sites across the UK. We match the trailer to the machine, load it and secure it ourselves. And where a machine can't be driven on, the same team cranes it onto the bed.
Altida is a Chesterfield-based transport company, moving plant and machinery between sites, depots, and hire across the UK. Excavators, dozers, rollers, telehandlers, forklifts, generators and site cabins, tracked or wheeled.
We match the trailer to the machine and the site access, then move it with our own drivers. The machine is loaded, secured and delivered to standard, with the route and any paperwork handled in-house before the lorry leaves the yard.
Altida runs cranes as well as transport. So when a machine can't be driven onto the trailer, the crane that lifts it on and the lorry that carries it come from the same team — no handover between two separate firms.
What we move
A machine on a trailer is a different job to a pallet on a flatbed — the weight sits high and a non-runner can't drive itself on. These are the machines we move most.
The fleet
The right trailer depends on how the machine loads, how tall it stands, and how much it weighs. We match the trailer from the make and model, or the weight and dimensions.
Plant trucks with a sloped beavertail and ramps, built to be driven onto by tracked and wheeled machines. The quick load-and-go for forklifts, mini excavators, and self-propelled plant that can climb the ramps under its own power.
Best for Forklifts, mini excavators, tracked plant.
A low, stepped deck for heavier excavators and tall machines where height is the constraint. Sitting the load low keeps it legal under bridges a standard trailer wouldn't clear, and the deck loads by ramp or by crane.
Best for Larger excavators, rollers, tall machinery.
Triple-extending beds with rear-wheel steer that follows the tractor through tight corners — for long machines and plant that overhangs a standard trailer, heading into narrow site access.
Best for Long-reach plant, overhanging machinery.
When a machine won't run, is awkward, or can't climb the ramps, Altida's cranes and lorry-loaders lift it straight onto the bed. The lift and the haul come from one team, so there's no second firm to book or wait on.
Best for Non-runners, awkward plant, restricted access.
Loaded & secured
Damage is the worry with any plant move — a machine that shifts in transit, a track that slips on the ramp. The work that prevents it happens before the trailer pulls away.
The machine loaded by ramp where it can drive on, or craned on by the same team where it can't.
A non-runner winched up the bed under control, not dragged or rushed.
Lashed and chained at the rated points to the recognised standard. The restraint holds the full weight of the machine forwards, and half its weight to each side and the rear.
Any excavator or crane boom set down and faced to the rear, so it can't pitch forward under braking.
Tracks and wheels chocked, and the machine sat low and central on the deck.
Height and weight checked against the route before the trailer leaves the yard.
Unloaded the same careful way at the other end, onto firm ground.
The same drivers and the same team load, secure and deliver — so the same team that ties down your machine answers for it.
Know your load
Most plant moves within normal road limits. A larger machine can tip over them on weight, width or length — and then it becomes an abnormal load, moving under Special Types rules with notice to the authorities and, where the route needs them, escorts. The same Altida team handles both.
| Standard plant move Plant movement | 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 machine and the route, which we confirm when we plan the move.
Over the limits? See Abnormal LoadsBefore you call
The more you can tell us up front, the faster we can confirm the trailer, whether the machine needs craning on, and the timing. Don't worry if you don't have it all — we'll work the rest out with you.
The make and model, or the weight and dimensions of the machine.
Whether it's tracked or wheeled, and a runner or a non-runner.
Where it's collected from, and the access and ground at that end.
Where it's going, and the access on delivery.
When you need it moved, and any fixed date or window.
Whether it can drive onto a trailer, or needs lifting on.
If you have most of that, send it over and we'll come back with a clear quote — the trailer, whether it's a drive-on or a lift-on, and the timing named up front.
Why Altida
Most plant movers run trailers but no cranes; a machine that won't run, or one that can't drive on, means booking a separate lifting firm. Altida runs both, which makes an awkward plant move simpler from the first call.
When a machine can't be driven on, the crane that lifts it and the lorry that carries it come from the same yard. No handover between two firms, no crane sat waiting on someone else's lorry.
A mixed fleet of beavertails, low-loaders and extending trailers with qualified drivers, so the trailer fits the machine and one person owns the move from booking through to delivery.
Plant lashed and chained down at the right points on grade-10 chains, sat low on the deck and checked against the route — the careful work that keeps an expensive machine safe in transit.
A central base in Chesterfield means we reach the length of the UK without starting every move miles from where it begins.
Across industry
Common questions
The questions plant-hire and site teams ask us most often. Anything else, just call.
Get in touch
