Professional Arkansas Heavy Equipment Transport

Standard limits: Width: 8.5ft wide | Height: 13.5ft tall | Weight: 80,000lbs

Single-trip permits allow only one move on that specific route. Annual permits are used when transporting the same size load regularly, since filing for a new permit takes more time. Superloads need a route survey first, where someone has to check bridge clearances.

The Arkansas Heavy Hauling Regulations

Size alone does not clear a load for the road. Flags have to mark anything sticking out past the trailer. Signs reading “oversize load” go on the front and back.

Escorts are required when the width exceeds the limit. 12ft needs one pilot car. 16ft requires two, and with a police involved through cities like Little Rock or Fort Smith. Travel mostly happens during daylight, with weekends and holidays frequently off limits depending on the permit. Insurance has to be on file, too. ARDOT will not approve anything without proof of liability coverage first.

Major Arkansas Routes for Heavy Equipment Transport

A few roads handle most of the oversize traffic in Arkansas.

• Interstate 40, goes east to west through Little Rock, connecting Memphis to Oklahoma
• Interstate 30, heading southwest from Little Rock to Texarkana
• Interstate 55, tracing the Mississippi River along the eastern edge
• Interstate 49, covering the western side near Fort Smith
• US 67, US 65, and US 71, filling gaps between the interstates

Construction and low bridges shut down sections of these roads without much warning. Our drivers use the most dependable routes to ensure the equipment is delivered on time.

Arkansas Ports for Heavy Equipment Transportation

Five rivers handle barges in Arkansas, and there are ten public ports located along them. Each port provides heavy equipment transport with a route around the highways.

Arkansas River:

• Port of Fort Smith, handling steel coils, plate, and bars for the northwest part of the state
• Port of Little Rock, with two barge docks and over fifty industrial tenants on site
• Port of Pine Bluff, the oldest public port on the river, is located in Jefferson County

Mississippi River:

• Helena Harbor, run by the Phillips County Port Authority along a slackwater channel
• Osceola Port, moving farm products near Interstate 55
• West Memphis Port, located close to Interstate 40 and Interstate 55
• Yellow Bend Port, also called the Chicot Desha Intermodal Authority, near McGehee and Arkansas City

Ouachita River:

• Camden Port, a small river terminal near downtown Camden
• Crossett Port, supporting the paper and wood products industries in South Arkansas

White River:

• Newport Port, run by the White River Regional Port Authority in Jackson County

Equipment too heavy for any road permit often ends up on one of these barges. A load travels by water for most of the move, then switches over-the-road transport once it reaches dry ground.