Four of the Most Unusual Items Transported by Heavy Haulage
Heavy haulage transport is relied upon heavily in modern times, offering a safe and convenient option to transporting some of the largest items from A to B on our roads. Whilst heavy haulage loads typically consist of items such as plant machinery, boats and shipping containers, there have been some instances throughout history where items of a much larger and more unusual scale have been transported.
Read on below as we discuss four of the most unusual items to have ever been transported by heavy haulage across the world.
1. A Whale
Starting relatively close to home, the first item on our list is a whale. That’s right, weighing in at 30-tonnes and measuring 45-feet long, a sperm whale that unfortunately washed up on a beach in Scotland was transported from Fife to Dunbar by lorry.
A similar occurrence took place in China, whereby a 50-tonne sperm whale passed away after becoming stranded in a port, and was subsequently transported to a museum to be displayed (after being preserved).
Whilst livestock haulage isn’t all that uncommon, it’s fair to say that the transportation of whales isn’t!
2. Space Shuttle Endeavour
A renowned spacecraft, the Space Shuttle Endeavour is a retired orbiter from NASA’s Space Shuttle programme. It successfully completed 25 missions to space and was the first mission to add a U.S. component to the International Space Station.
Since completing its last mission, the Space Shuttle Endeavour has been transported to the California Space Station (its official retirement home), where it was transported to from LAX airport via a large 160-wheeled truck - taking up six lanes of traffic during its journey.
3. Nuclear Weapons
Perhaps one of the last things you’d expect to see on this list and certainly one of the most dangerous, rather surprisingly, nuclear weapons are actually transported across Britain’s motorways. Whilst the transport of such weaponry is supposedly kept to a minimum, haulage is still the chosen method of transportation and will often be heavily guarded by police vehicles.
4. Power Station Transformer
One of the biggest loads ever to be transported on the UKs roads, a power station transformer made a journey along the M4 and M32 from Didcot to Bristol. Weighing up to 640-tonnes, it measured in at 100m long and 4m wide, taking up two lanes of the motorway.
Due to its sheer size and weight, it was only able to travel at a painfully slow pace of 4mph, resulting in 13-mile long tailbacks - not the best day to drive for many motorists, but certainly a sight to behold for the many bystanders that turned up to catch a glimpse of this momentous journey!
Heavy Haulage Solutions
Whilst you may not be transporting nuclear weapons or space shuttles, if you require heavy haulage solutions then we can provide the vehicles to meet your needs here at Nick Sampson.
We offer transportation services for various load types, including plant haulage, boats, cranes and more.
Get in touch with us today to discuss how we can meet your requirements.
