Managing equipment moves between jobsites

On heavy civil work, tomorrow's plan often depends on a machine that is still working somewhere else today. A paver that finishes one job at 5:00 PM may be needed at another by 6:30 the next morning.

Moves look simple on a whiteboard. In practice, each one ties together a machine, a truck, a trailer, a driver, two sites and a set of road rules. When one piece slips, a crew starts the day without its machine.

A note on terms

Regional terms vary. This guide uses float, common usage in Ontario, for the low-deck trailer that carries heavy equipment; it is also called a lowbed, or a lowboy in the United States. The tractor is the truck that pulls it.

What every move record needs

Write each move as a record, not as a line in a text message. A complete move answers ten questions:

1. Machine. Unit number and type, plus any attachments travelling with it.
2. Transport. The tractor and float, and whether that combination suits the machine's size and weight.
3. Driver. A named driver who holds the licence class and endorsements the combination requires.
4. Pickup. Project, exact location on site, and an on-site contact.
5. Ready time. When the machine will actually be released, cleaned and prepared, not when the crew hopes to finish.
6. Drop-off. Project, exact location, access notes, and who receives the machine.
7. Available-by time. When the machine must be on site and ready, usually before the receiving crew starts.
8. Route and constraints. Construction zones, clearances, bridges, restricted roads and seasonal limits.
9. Permits. Whether the load needs an oversize or overweight permit, and whether you have one for this route and date.
10. Status. Scheduled, in transit or delivered, so everyone knows where the move stands.

Example: move MV-0616-01 takes paver PV-02 from Talbridge Logistics Centre to Bellwether Pointe with tractor TR-02, float FL-01 and driver Dev R.

The paver is ready for pickup at 5:15 PM and the drop is planned for 6:15 PM. It must be available by 6:30 AM the next day for a 7:00 AM crew start.

Plan moves with tomorrow's dispatch

A move belongs to two plans: the job losing the machine and the job receiving it. Plan it at the same time as the next day's dispatch, not afterwards.

• Work backwards from the receiving crew's start time: available-by time, drop time, travel, loading, then the ready time at pickup.
• Check the float and the driver across all of the day's moves. One float and one driver can only do so much, and a long move can block the next one.
• Leave margin. Loading, securement and site access often take longer than planned.
• Decide what happens if the machine is not ready. Who calls the receiving foreman, and what is the backup?
• Time moves around the work. Moving a machine after its shift, or before the next crew starts, avoids taking it away from a working crew.

Moves are also where equipment conflicts surface. If two jobs both need the same machine tomorrow, the move schedule shows it before the crews do. For the wider picture, see managing equipment across multiple jobsites.

Permits and road rules: check your jurisdiction

Whether a move needs a permit depends on the load's dimensions and weight, the route and the time of year. The rules belong to each province, state and municipality, and they change, so check the current rules for every route.

A few general points apply in most places:

• A provincial or state permit may not cover every road. In Ontario, for example, provincial oversize/overweight permits are valid on King's Highways only, and a municipality may require its own permit or permission.
• Spring can change the rules. Many northern jurisdictions reduce allowed axle weights during the spring thaw, which can affect heavy moves and some permits. In Ontario, 511 Ontario lists current seasonal load restrictions.
• Permits carry conditions. A permit may set the route, travel times, escorts or signs. The driver needs to know them before leaving the yard.

Responsibility for permits, routes and compliance stays with the contractor and the carrier. Put the permit check on the move record, so it is never skipped on a busy afternoon.

Securement and preparation

Securing the machine is the driver's and carrier's job under cargo securement rules. In Canada, provinces and territories adopt or mirror the National Safety Code standards, and Standard 10 covers cargo securement.

In the United States, the FMCSA's cargo securement rules include specific requirements for heavy vehicles, equipment and machinery.

The move record can support the driver with preparation notes:

• Attachments removed, lowered or secured as the machine requires.
• Screed extensions retracted on pavers.
• Loose tools and materials removed from the machine.
• Mud and debris cleaned off before the machine travels on public roads.
• Access at both sites checked: room to load and unload, firm ground, overhead wires.

The handover at each end

A move is not finished when the float leaves the yard. It is finished when the receiving crew has the machine, ready to work.

• At pickup: the sending foreman confirms the machine is released and ready, and notes any damage or fault.
• In transit: the status is updated, so the receiving foreman knows the machine is on its way.
• At drop-off: a named person receives the machine and confirms where it was left.
• Custody: the record shows which job is now responsible for the machine.

Clear custody answers the question nobody wants to ask at 6:30 AM: where is it, and who signed for it?

Equipment move checklist

When planning

• Machine, attachments, tractor, float and driver are named.
• The ready time is confirmed with the sending foreman.
• The available-by time is set from the receiving crew's start.
• The route is checked for restrictions and seasonal limits.
• The permit need is checked, and the permit is in hand if one is required.

On the day

• The machine is prepared and released at the ready time.
• The driver has the route, permit conditions, site contacts and access notes.
• The status is updated at pickup and at drop-off.

After delivery

• The receiving crew confirms the machine is on site and ready.
• Custody is updated to the receiving job.
• Any damage, delay or problem is recorded.

Where software fits

A spreadsheet of moves can work, as long as it is kept current and everyone reads the same one. The harder part is keeping moves connected to the dispatch, so a change to one shows up in the other.

For more on missed hand-offs, see how to reduce missed construction assignments.

In STRACTA, Equipment Moves schedules a move with the machine, truck, trailer, driver, destination and the time the machine must be available, and records movement status and custody changes. The dispatcher can also just say it, for example "Move PV-02 to Bellwether Pointe tonight with Dev on the float, ready for 6:30", and the move is scheduled.