Florida’s construction pipeline — from Miami high-rises to solar farms and roadwork on I-75 — keeps excavators, dozers, cranes, and lifts moving around the state year-round. Hauling that iron is its own discipline: weight rules, permits, securement, and site logistics all have to line up. Here is a practical 2026 guide to construction equipment transport in Florida, whether you are repositioning a skid steer between jobsites or moving a 100,000 lb excavator across the state.
Matching machine to trailer
- Skid steers, mini excavators, scissor lifts: hotshot or tag trailers; often legal loads with no permits
- Backhoes, compact track loaders, telehandlers: flatbed or step deck; watch height with cabs and booms
- Excavators 20–45 tons, dozers, graders: lowboy / RGN with detachable gooseneck for drive-on loading
- Cranes, milling machines, 50-ton-plus excavators: multi-axle RGN configurations, often overweight permits and sometimes superload treatment
Go Freight runs lowboys, Landolls, and RGNs out of Miami as part of its heavy hauling fleet, which means drive-on loading for tracked machines and hydraulic detach for tall iron.
Florida permit rules in plain English
A load is oversize in Florida when it exceeds 8 ft 6 in wide, 13 ft 6 in tall, or legal length, and overweight above 80,000 lbs gross. Routine oversize/overweight permits cover most construction equipment. Key practical points:
- Permits are route-specific — the truck must follow the approved routing
- Wide loads may require escorts and daylight-only travel windows
- Superloads (very heavy or very large) need engineering review and more lead time
- County and municipal roads can carry their own restrictions, which matters for the final mile into a jobsite
Build permit lead time into project schedules: routine permits are fast, but superload approvals can take days to weeks.
Securement is not optional
FMCSA rules set minimum tie-down counts by weight, and heavy machines need chains rated for the load, boom and attachment securement, and articulation locks. Experienced heavy haul drivers carry the right hardware and know how DOT scales and inspectors read a load.
Jobsite logistics: the overlooked half
Most equipment transport problems happen at the ends of the move. Confirm before dispatch:
- Ground conditions and turning room for a 70+ ft combination vehicle
- Overhead obstructions — power lines, tree canopy, gate widths
- Who loads and unloads, and whether a ramp or detach is needed
- Site contact with authority to sign and redirect
For projects with phased equipment needs, staging machines at a secure yard storage facility near Miami keeps iron off congested jobsites and lets you call machines forward as phases open up.
What equipment transport costs in 2026
Pricing is driven by distance, weight class, permits, and escorts. Short in-county repositioning of legal loads is priced as a flat move; long-haul oversize moves price per mile with permit and escort costs added. The levers that lower cost: flexibility on pickup windows, drive-on/drive-off loading at both ends, and combining multiple machine moves into one project schedule. For dealers and rental houses importing machines through PortMiami, pairing container drayage with heavy haul delivery gets equipment from vessel to jobsite under one dispatcher. Request a heavy haul quote with machine model, weight, and dimensions for a firm number.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to move an excavator in Florida?
If the loaded combination exceeds 8 ft 6 in wide, 13 ft 6 in tall, or 80,000 lbs gross, yes. Most 20-ton-plus excavators on a lowboy trigger at least an overweight permit. The carrier typically obtains permits as part of the move.
What trailer do I need for a dozer?
Most dozers move on lowboy or RGN trailers so the machine can drive on over the detached gooseneck and sit low enough to clear height limits. Smaller dozers can ride a step deck with ramps.
How much notice does a heavy haul move need?
Legal loads can often move next-day. Permitted oversize moves usually need 2–5 business days for permits and escort scheduling; superloads need more.