27
RIGGINGREVIEW
DECEMBER 2014
ACT
TimHillegonds
discusses
the term ‘superload’
andwhy theword has
differing definitions.
The 2014 SC&RA Hauling Job of the
Yearwinner, Berard Transportation, of
New Iberia, LA, moved an astonishing
2,000,000 poundswhen they transported
a bulkmaterial crane across 97miles of
Louisianawaterways.
A
s I’vebeenwritingand
researching thismonth’s
RiggingReviewcolumn,
about ablockaway frommyapartment
inChicago’sSouthLoopneighborhood,
a company calledWolfeHouseand
BuildingMovershasbeenmovinga19th
centuryhistoricmansionabout ablock
down the street tomake room forDePaul
University’snewbasketball arena.
It’sbeenapretty impressive feat towatch,
even for aguywhohasbeenwritingabout
andwatching impressivemoves for the
greaterpart of the last 12years.At 1.7
millionpounds, theReeseHouse isone
of theheaviest tobemoved intact in the
U.S., andwhen theybacked it into its
newaddress– thebrownbrickchimney
stretching into theMidwestern sky from
atop29 remotecontrolledBuckingham
Power andCoasterdollies– it looked like
theywereparallel parkinga three-story,
nine-bathroommansion.
Of course, in the specialized
transportation industry,movesof that
sizearen’t all that uncommon.The2014
SC&RAHauling Jobof theYearwinner,
BerardTransportation, ofNew Iberia,
LA,movedanastonishing2,000,000
poundswhen they transportedabulk
material craneacross97milesof Louisiana
waterways.A largeandcomplicatedmove
that sometimespassedonlya few feet
belowhigh-voltagepower lines, Berard
Transportation’s achievement encapsulates
the intricacies that go intomoving large
objects.Moving large loads are typically
superhard, super complicatedand
rightfully referred toas superloads.
Defining a superload
While the term “superload” isquite
common, itsdefinitionvarieswidely
from state to state.When I askedSteven
Todd, vicepresident, SC&RA, about the
definitionof theword, he said thecriteria
of a superloaddiffersdependingonwhere
themove isbeingexecuted.
“Tomyknowledge, there isnot an
industry-wide, accepteddefinition,”
he said. “Most states, forpurposeof
differentiatingoversize/overweight
permittingpolicies andprocedures, do so
employing terms suchas ‘routine’ versus
‘superload.’”
In Illinois, anythingover120,000gross
pounds is considereda superloadbut in
other states, that figurecanbe180,000
poundsor greater.
“Inmanycases, a superloadvaries froma
routinemove in that itmay trigger amore
comprehensive, and in somecasesmanual,
bridgeanalysis, [or] a requirement forone
ormorecivilianand/orpoliceescorts to
accompany the load,”Todd said.
BrookeBurkhalter, president of
BurkhalterRigging, aColumbus,MI-based
heavy lifting, riggingand transport
company, agreed that there’snouniversal
definition.
“Thedefinitionof a superloadcan
vary from state to state,”he said, “but a
superload [forus] is typicallyanything
over254,000pounds gross vehicleweight
or anythingover16 feetwide, 125 feet long
or16 foot, six inches tall.”
As superloads area regularpart of the
Burkhalterbusiness– thecompanywon
theSC&RAHauling Jobof theYear in
2013 for transporting two1,425,730-
poundhydrogen sulfide (H2S) absorbers
– theyareoneof the relatively few
companieswithagreat deal of authority
in issues related to superloads. Because
ofBurkhalter’s location in theGulfCoast
region, thecompanyhas seenan increase
in theamount of vessels they’vebeen
moving for customers in thepetrochemical
field. But the superloadbusiness is steady
for them, and they seework remaining
consistent in thepower andcivil
industries, aswell.
However,movingenormous vessels and
absorbers isn’twithout its challenges. It’s
impressivework, but thatworkcomes
at ahighprice–one that’spaidwith
engineeringhours, patienceandgoodold
fashioned sweat andmoney.
“Ourbiggest challenges stem from the
sheer sizeof thepieces thatwe transport,”
Burkhalter said. “Whilea superloadcan
THEAUTHOR
TimHillegonds
spent
10 years in the heavy
construction insurance
industry before founding
Thrive Creative Services,
a creative copywriting
agency dedicated to helping businesses
tell their stories. Formore information
visit
Superloads
