Whether you’re going to use wood poles, steel poles, or concrete transmission poles, you need to transport poles to your material yard.
When planning your utility project, never underestimate the difficulty of this task.
Transporting utility poles is not the same as hauling other common items. There are many unique considerations that make this job especially difficult.
Here’s what you need to know about the top challenges of utility pole hauling.
Weight
Pole transport is so challenging in part because of the weight of utility poles. A 30-foot premium wood pole weighs 650lbs on average. Not to mention poles made from other materials are also heavy.
Steel poles may weigh a bit less, at around 450 lbs for a 40 foot Class 4 pole. On the other hand, concrete poles come at around 300 lbs for 25 feet.
Those numbers are all for just ONE pole. The vast majority of the time, you need many poles for a new utility project. Pole transport with such heavy poles is not simple. Most trucks cannot handle their immense weight.
Size
Utility poles can be anywhere from around 25 to 60 feet long. Ones used along major highways may get up to 120 feet long. On average, the national standard is 40 feet long.
Very few trucks can accommodate the length of these poles. While something like a semi-truck could be long enough, it is not suited for hauling utility poles (more on this to come). Given most trailer models, these long poles result in excessive rear overhang.
Truck Limitations
The vast majority of trucks and trailers are not suited (or optimal) for utility pole hauling. For example, you do not want a utility pole trailer that is enclosed, because this just makes it much more difficult to load and unload the cargo.
Finding a trailer model that is:
Long enough
Strong enough for the weight of many poles
Optimally designed to hold the poles
Open (not enclosed)
Is not an easy task. You’ll find that many trucks and trailers, even Felling trailers, are not suitable for utility pole hauling.
Local Laws
Even if you find a suitable hauling vehicle, it’s not as simple as just loading up the poles. Some communities require a permit to haul them because of their length. You may also be required to have a spotter car in front of and behind the vehicle hauling.
Getting a permit and the necessary arrangements on your own is time-consuming and expensive. Unfortunately, many professionals may not even have the required permits and conditions to haul these poles.
Finding a Quality Hauler
It’s pretty clear that hauling utility poles is a specialized job. It requires special trucks and equipment to do right. Essentially, it’s something you’ll need to hire a hauler for.
That brings us to the next challenge: finding a reputable hauling company for the job. This is also quite difficult. Many generic hauling companies cannot handle utility poles. There are far fewer trucking companies geared toward this specific job.
Even if you do find one, there’s a good chance it’s a broker. Brokers do not do the hauling, they simply connect you to a company in their network and take a commission out of that company’s pay. The broker does not own any equipment or hire drivers. This means that quality can drastically vary depending on who they choose.
Unloading
Getting the poles to the job site is only part of the transport process. Once they’re there, you need to unload them.
Even if you do find a reputable hauling company to handle the job for you, most of the time unloading is up to you.
Because of their size and weight, unloading these poles is a huge challenge. You need specialized equipment, like cranes and forklifts, to get the job done. That means most of the time, you’ll have to hire additional workers and rent equipment just to unload the poles once they get there.
Unloading is a huge consideration for pole transport. It can be time-consuming and expensive.
Blackwood Resources is Your Utility Pole Transport Solution!
Address all of the challenges of hauling utility poles with Blackwood Resources! We have several years of experience hauling utility poles with our specialized equipment.
You can count on us for efficient, safe transport of your poles. As an asset-based company, we own our trucks and hire our team. We don’t hire people to haul, WE haul!
Better yet, our certified women-owned trucking company also offers self-unloading services. That means you won’t have to worry about renting equipment and hiring people to unload. We do it for you in a matter of minutes!
If you need help hauling steel poles, wood poles, concrete poles, transformers, or large reels, we’re here to help!
Learn more about our self-unloading utility hauling services and how we can help you. Contact us today at 812-676-8770 or jamie@blackwoodresources.com,
