What does it take to move a load that weighs 135,000 pounds (61,000 kg), is about 21 feet wide (6.4 meters) and 15.5 feet (4.7 meters) high?

“Plenty of planning and a whole lot of patience,” replies Mike Partington, a heavy-haul driver for Scott-Woods Transport based in Vaughan, Ont.

Driving a semi is a difficult job. Steering a mega move needs a special kind of driver who takes trucking to a whole new level. Why does Partington do it?

“It is satisfying. We do critical moves, people are waiting for this stuff and are happy to see me,” he said. It also pays very well, he added with a smile.

Partington has been working for the company since 1978, starting out as a mechanic. He got his D licence in 1979, moving machinery around and working in the shop as well. Along the way, he owned a business making cabinets and office furniture.

He obtained his A licence in 1993 and returned to trucking. His former boss bought a company that owned multi-axle equipment in 2002 and Partington began hauling oversized loads.

Interesting loads

Partington estimates he’s driven about 1.5 million miles across all the states in the mainland U.S. and all Canadian provinces moving oversized loads. Two of those moves stand out.

One was hauling fuel containers that were 30 feet high and 30 feet wide on Baffin Island, Nunavut in the Arctic Circle. The other was just a 40-km move in Quebec, moving a massive fermentation tank for a brewing company.

Hauling oversized loads requires specialized equipment. Partington drives a heavy-spec’ tri-drive 2013 Kenworth T800 with two transmissions – an 18-speed and a 4-speed crawler.

Different types of trailers are used, depending on the load. Modular trailers that have a 10-foot-wide (3-meter) bed can be pinned together to increase length. A perimeter flat deck can be opened to increase width to 20 feet (6 meters).

Moving specialized loads is a team effort. Project managers order route surveys to be carried out keeping the dimensions and weight of the load in mind. They also take care of the paperwork and obtain permits from municipal jurisdictions and ministries involved.

On a sunny winter morning, Partington was hauling an oversized load from St. Catharines, Ont., to a mine in the Sudbury, Ont., area – a journey that would take a regular tractor-trailer a few hours. But for Partington, this move would take three days. He can only drive during daylight hours and must stop during bad weather. He must avoid low overpasses and bridges and follow a planned route.

Hauling 235,000 pounds

He was pulling about 235,000 pounds – the tractor and trailer weigh about 100,000 pounds and the load 135,000 pounds (104,326 kg). The length of the tractor and trailer for the move was about 165 feet long (50 meters). The vehicle was so long, a steersperson was present to help steer the back end of the trailer using a remote control around tight corners and while backing.

Four pilot vehicles were accompanying him and would be in constant communication. They would help clear the way ahead, block intersections, watch out for obstructions and keep vehicles from attempting to pass the extra wide load that occupies two lanes on a road. 

Partington must keep an eye out for tree limbs, guardrails, traffic lights and low wires. Wire skis – curved metal rods – are placed on top of the load to help low-hanging wires slide as he inches along in some spots.

“You drive as carefully as you can. I’ve got a second set of mirrors on my truck. It shows the top of the load, and I can see when wires or branches are getting close,” he said. “I try not to lose sleep over any of this stuff, I’ve had some challenging loads.”

What about impatient drivers hovering behind the convoy? “When we get a few vehicles behind us, we pull over when we get a chance and let them by. It is common courtesy and we gotta do it safely,” Partington said.

This type of work is not for everyone. Partington admits to getting tired after a day of driving. “We’ve had a lot of people roll through this job. They want to try it, but it doesn’t work out and they can’t do it,” he said.

Challenges at work

Finding parking at night for a vehicle that can be up to 180 feet (56 meters) long can be difficult. Traffic can be challenging at times, and he has a particular dislike for roundabouts that are hard to navigate. Most times when he needs to fuel up, he must unhook his truck from the load and drive into a truck stop or cardlock.

Despite the challenges, Partington plans to keep trucking for a little longer. He recently celebrated his birthday and plans to retire when he turns 65 next year. He plans to spend more time with his wife of 42 years, finish up his old farmhouse and work on cabinets. And the best part … he aims to relax and get away from the traffic.