Overview
A long load, planned
end to end.
A single 38.5-metre rail had to move from Nottingham to Portlaoise, in Ireland — long enough, at over 30 metres, to need a Special Order — and Altida planned and ran the whole job in-house, from the route survey to the ferry.
Anything over 30 metres needs a Special Order. That can take up to eight weeks for the local authorities along the route to approve. With that in hand, Altida lined up the police escorts county by county and booked the ferries to tie the whole move together.
The rail ran on Altida's CAT2 truck and Broshuis triple-extending trailer, with our own escort vehicle following behind to help rear-steer the trailer through the tight spots — delivered to Portlaoise.
The Brief
Over thirty metres, and a sea crossing.
The load was a single 38.5-metre rail that had to get from Nottingham to a site in Portlaoise, in Ireland — over land, onto a ferry, and over land again at the other end.
At over 30 metres it was a Special Order move: weeks of approvals, escorts to arrange with every police force on the route, and ferries to book around it.
- A 38.5-metre load. Over 30 metres — a Special Order move by law.
- Weeks of approvals. Special Orders take up to eight weeks for the local authorities on the route to clear.
- Police escorts. Arranged county by county with the police forces on the route.
- A sea crossing. Ferries booked and timed into the plan around the road legs.
The Approach
Surveyed, permitted, and escorted.
Altida planned the move in-house from the start — a route survey to check the 38.5-metre load could make every junction, roundabout and bridge, then a Special Order raised and worked through the local authorities along the way.
With the permits granted, the police forces on the route were brought in to escort the load through their counties, and the ferries were booked and timed so the road legs and the crossing tied together.
Surveyed in-house
Before anything else, Altida's own route survey checked the whole run for a 38.5-metre trailer — the tight turns, the pinch points and the clearances — so the Special Order application matched the road.
Permits and escorts
The Special Order and permits were worked through the local authorities the route passes through, and police escorts arranged county by county for the police forces on the route.
On the road, and rear-steered
The rail ran on Altida's CAT2 truck and Broshuis triple-extending trailer, with our in-house escort vehicle following behind to help rear-steer the trailer through the tightest spots.
The Outcome
Delivered to Portlaoise.
The 38.5-metre rail was delivered to Portlaoise — the planning, the permits, the escorts and the ferry all tied together so a long load ran from Nottingham to Ireland.
It is the kind of move Altida's transport side is built for: the abnormal-load planning done in-house, the escorts and crossings arranged, and our own truck, trailer and escort vehicle seeing it through end to end.
