What Services Can Haulage Companies Provide?

The haulage sector is actually one of the largest employment sectors in the UK, and it’s currently ranked as the fifth-largest employer with just over 2.5 million employees. Haulage companies provide a wide range of important services which keep things running smoothly behind the scenes, so if you want to know more about haulage and the types of services haulage companies provide, read on.

Haulage describes the process of transporting goods by either road or rail, and this can include everything from coal to waste products, food supplies, heavy machinery or specialist heavy haulage loads such as boats. A haulage company can also be known as a freight company and a whopping 98% of all food and agricultural products in great Britain are currently transported by road freight.

Road haulage is also responsible for the transportation of 98% of consumer products and machinery, so as you can see, it’s a very important part of the UK’s economy. We will explore some of the services a haulage company can provide in more detail below.

As mentioned, haulage is used to transport a vast amount of goods, machinery and more across the UK, as well as providing other services such as parcel delivery or waste disposal. If you want to know more about the important services a haulage company can provide, see our handy guide.

General haulage services can serve many sectors and industries, including agriculture, electrical, food and drink, healthcare and retail. As the name suggests, these general services involve transporting products or machinery from any of the above sectors by either road or rail (although road haulage is far more common).

The number and size of haulage vehicles required will, of course, depend on how much is being transported, but haulage companies can provide a number of vehicles, from just one to a whole fleet. Products suitable for general haulage include paper, tinned food, building products, retail items, goods for export, seeds, raw materials and much more.

This is the term given to the transportation of hazardous substances, such as chemicals or fertilizers. All drivers and warehouse staff will be trained in how to handle hazardous material and a company will have specially adapted delivery vehicles if they offer this service.

There are nine different classes of dangerous goods, including explosives, toxic gas, flammable liquids and radioactive substances. Some haulage companies may have the legal right to ship all nine, or a restricted selection.

This involves the loading and transportation of plant machinery onto specialist vehicles that are equipped to safely handle heavy loads. Plant machinery covers a range of heavy machines used in the industrial sector, such as excavators, tipping dumpers, shovels, cranes and road rollers.

Vehicles used for plant haulage come equipped with specialist equipment including winches and side protection, to ensure that all heavy machinery can be transported safely.

Heavy haulage services are specifically for moving large or heavy objects safely and efficiently. There are several categories of heavy haulage and each one comes with its own set of speed limits and weight restrictions. Most heavy haulage vehicles must follow a speed limit restriction of 35 to 40mph, and you may need special permission to transport particularly heavy loads.

Heavy haulage services can also be used to transport agriculture or construction equipment, cranes, or even a static home. Some businesses also opt for one heavy haulage load to save money when transporting goods, instead of several smaller vehicle loads.

While haulage services are predominantly used to transport goods and equipment, they can also be used to dispose of waste. Haulage vehicles can move large amounts of waste and recyclable materials quickly and easily and in accordance with the European Waste Code. Waste haulage services are suitable for both liquid and solid waste and a haulage company can ensure all waste is disposed of in a legal and safe manner, as well as being as environmentally friendly as possible.

As well as bulk goods and machinery, haulage companies in the UK can also arrange mass package delivery across the country. Haulage vehicles can serve as delivery trucks for big-name companies such as Argos or Amazon and many also offer additional useful features such as express delivery or tracked delivery.

This type of haulage can be used to transport vehicles such as cars or motorcycles across the UK or internationally. Haulage services are mainly required by commercial customers, but vehicle haulage can be very useful in domestic situations such as moving house or transporting a car bought from elsewhere in the country.

If you have more than one vehicle to transport or don’t have the time or resources to collect a vehicle and drive it back to your destination, vehicle haulage services can help. In most cases, it’s as simple as filling in an online form with your collection and delivery locations and letting the haulage company do the rest.

As well as bulky, robust machinery or vehicles, haulage companies are also experienced in the transportation of fragile loads like fully grown trees or digital display screens. A haulage company will have all the specialist equipment and training required when it comes to moving fragile or expensive goods, and it’s a safe way to have your items tracked if you’re worried about theft, loss or damage.

This covers any items which fall outside of a vehicle, machinery, goods or waste category and includes items such as wind turbines, bridge sections, cranes, sculptures or oversize machinery. Like with heavy haulage, abnormal loads are likely to have their own specialist set of rules and regulations regarding speed limits and how much notice you need to give before you move the items.

In some cases, a notice period of either two or five days is required before the items are transported; this ensures that all safety regulations are in place and the relevant people know that a heavy or unusual item is out for transportation.

Livestock

As well as transporting inanimate objects and machinery, a big area of haulage includes the humane transportation of livestock. Livestock haulage vehicles are specially equipped with onboard watering and feeding systems to ensure the animals are transported in as much comfort as possible. Animals transported via livestock haulage services include farm animals such as sheep, cattle or chickens, or domestic animals like horses, dogs or cats.

Several different industries and businesses may require the use of livestock haulage services, including farmers, equine hauliers, commercial pet breeders, market workers or slaughterhouses.

If you’re looking for professional haulage services for your business, get in touch with the team at TW Bowler Ltd. We’ve been in the haulage industry for almost 70 years, and have everything you need to safely and reliably transport your items. Our fleet of vehicles can handle a wide range of haulage needs, including general haulage, abnormal loads, multi-axle heavy haulage, plant transportation and more.

We can also take care of your waste transportation or heavy machinery haulage requirements, so get in touch with us today if you’re looking for a professional freight company. For more information, don’t hesitate to give us a call to speak to a member of the team, or find out more on our website.