Georgia Heavy Haul Transport, From the Ports to Atlanta
Brunswick and Savannah pickups, deliveries inside I-285 and statewide moves, arranged by a licensed broker
Quick answer
Can you move heavy equipment from Brunswick or Savannah to Atlanta?
Yes. The two ports took 27.6% of U.S. dozer, excavator and loader imports in 2025, and they hand machines over differently: 90.7% of Brunswick's vessel value came off outside containers, so its machines roll straight onto an RGN or lowboy, while Savannah's arrived almost entirely in containers. Inside I-285, a permitted load may only make its pickup or delivery, and not 7–9 AM or 3–6 PM on weekdays.
Updated October 2026 by the HTS Logistics broker team (FMCSA MC# 1178470).
How does Georgia heavy haul get from the coast to Atlanta?
Georgia heavy haul trucking between the coast and Atlanta uses three Interstates: I-95 from Brunswick to Savannah, I-16 from Savannah to Macon and I-75 from Macon to Atlanta. From Atlanta, I-20 runs east to Augusta and I-85 northeast toward the Carolinas, and each permit names the exact route.
Georgia is home to 3,068 carriers that haul for hire across state lines and list machinery as a cargo type, sixth among the states and two more than Florida, plus 929 active broker authorities on FMCSA's May 14, 2026 list (data pulled October 17, 2026). Carriers tick that cargo box themselves on Form MCS-150, so the count includes small operators as well as lowboy fleets.
One Georgia rule decides which carrier can take the load. Before a permit is issued for any vehicle over 10,000 lb, the hauler's insurance certificate must be on file with the state, with bodily injury limits of $300,000 for one person and $1,000,000 for several, plus $1,000,000 for property damage (O.C.G.A. 32-6-28). HTS Logistics, the licensed broker (MC 1178470) arranging the move from East Northport, New York, checks that certificate before booking.
Brunswick or Savannah: which kind of pickup is it?
The two ports sit on the same stretch of coast and work almost oppositely: Brunswick hands over machines off the vessel, Savannah ships nearly everything in containers. The table shows 2025 values from the Census Bureau's port-level trade data (pulled October 17, 2026), with each port's rank among all U.S. ports.
| Equipment (HS code) | Brunswick | Savannah |
|---|---|---|
| Earthmoving machines: dozers, excavators, loaders (HS 8429) | $1.28 billion, No. 2; 90.7% outside containers | $959.9 million, No. 3; 0.1% outside containers |
| Off-highway dump trucks (HS 8704.10) | $344.3 million, No. 2; 93.8% outside containers | $1.6 million, No. 22 |
| Farm and track-type tractors (HS 8701, excluding road tractors) | $232.4 million, No. 6; 98.8% outside containers | $616.0 million, No. 2; 0.1% outside containers |
| Forklifts and lift trucks (HS 8427) | $414.5 million, No. 5; 90.0% outside containers | $795.8 million, No. 2; 0.0% outside containers |
| All heavy equipment | $2.55 billion, No. 4; 86.8% outside containers | $2.81 billion, No. 3; 1.0% outside containers |
Both are running ahead of last year. Brunswick's dozer, excavator and loader imports reached $934.8 million in January to August 2026, up 6.7% on the same months of 2025; Savannah's were $687.8 million, up 2.5%; and Brunswick's off-highway dump trucks were $255.3 million, up 17.0%. The figures record the port where each machine was unloaded, not its destination, and 2026 numbers are preliminary.
For the pickup, that split decides the truck. A Brunswick machine goes from the terminal straight onto an RGN or lowboy, so the carrier needs terminal access and the permit starts at the gate; a machine in a container at Savannah leaves on a chassis, and only flat-rack or out-of-gauge pieces need heavy haul equipment at the port. Customs and terminal release are covered in our Ro-Ro and breakbulk guide.
Off-highway dump trucks include articulated haulers such as the Volvo A40, whose unloaded operating weight is 69,225 lb at 11 ft 2 in wide, and which measures about 13 ft 11 in high when loaded on a 2 ft deck. In Georgia that means a permit and a requested route, since Georgia wants a route requested above 13 ft 6 in of height or 100,000 lb of weight, but no escort below 12 ft wide. Driving it to a nearby job is limited: Georgia will not permit off-road equipment with any axle over 25,000 lb and keeps axles of 20,340 to 25,000 lb within 10 miles of origin.
Can a heavy haul load go inside I-285?
Only to make a pickup or delivery inside the perimeter, with proof, under Georgia rule 672-2-.02; a load passing through Atlanta does not enter it. Inside, permits do not cover 7–9 AM or 3–6 PM on weekdays, and waiting on an Interstate or limited-access shoulder for the window to open is not allowed. GDOT's own permit page lists 6–9 AM and 4–6 PM instead, so we plan around both sets of hours until the permit confirms them.
Georgia's permitted day is also shorter than most. It starts 30 minutes after sunrise and ends 30 minutes before sunset, about two hours less each day than the half-hour-before-sunrise to half-hour-after-sunset window that Texas, Ohio and New York use, and loads over 12 ft wide stop when visibility falls under 600 ft or the wind passes 25 mph.
Weight alone is treated more gently. A permitted load up to 125,000 lb that stays within legal dimensions may run 24 hours, except in bad weather and on holidays, so a Cat 140 motor grader, 8 ft 4 in wide and about 13 ft 4 in tall on the trailer, can travel overnight even if the gross runs over 80,000 lb. The oversize load checker shows whether a machine stays within legal dimensions.
Georgia permits at a glance
- Legal height is 13 ft 6 in, or 14 ft for auto carriers on Interstates.
- Escorts start over 12 ft wide: on two-lane roads a lead escort and amber lights at the rear, on four-lane roads a trailing escort, and on limited-access highways rear amber lights only.
- The Georgia DPS Oversize Permit Unit issues permits for GDOT through GAPROS.
- A single trip is a flat $30 as long as the load stays at or under 16 ft in width and height and 150,000 lb in weight, and it is valid 10 days not counting Sundays or holidays.
Escort tiers, Superload paperwork and Georgia's holiday list: see our Georgia oversize permit rules.
Brunswick, Savannah and Atlanta: common questions
What do you need from me to book a Brunswick or Savannah pickup?
The bill of lading or booking number, the terminal, the vessel and its arrival date, and word that customs and the ocean line have cleared the machine. Add the make, model and serial number, and say whether attachments shipped separately. With that we can match a carrier and trailer, and the carrier can request the Georgia route before the machine is ready to leave.
How heavy can a load be before Georgia's process takes longer?
Georgia's process lengthens in steps. To 150,000 lb, and within 16 ft of width and height, a single-trip permit does it. From 150,001 to 180,000 lb, or past 16 ft, the load is a Superload, which GDOT can take up to 3 days to approve. Over 180,000 lb, a Superload Plus needs a full bridge analysis and up to 3 weeks, and at 300,000 lb or more a Mega Load needs a GDOT-prequalified bridge consultant, 30 business days or more and at least two police escorts.
When can an oversize delivery happen inside I-285?
Between 9 AM and 3 PM on a weekday is the safe window, because it clears the rule's 7–9 AM and 3–6 PM blackout as well as GDOT's web-page hours of 6–9 AM and 4–6 PM. The truck cannot wait on an Interstate shoulder for the window, so it stages off the highway or times its arrival, and it carries proof that the pickup or delivery is inside the perimeter.
Do large farm tractors need escorts in Georgia?
Not below 15 ft 6 in tall. A John Deere 9RX 640 is 9 ft 9 in wide and about 14 ft 11 in tall on the trailer (2 ft deck). That calls for a permit and a requested route but no escort. From 15 ft 6 in up, a lead escort carrying a height sensor is required, unless the hauler has an NJUNS (National Joint Utilities Notification Service) trip approval ticket.
Can you move equipment from Georgia into Florida?
Yes. Brunswick and Savannah both sit on I-95, which continues into Florida, and the Florida leg needs its own FDOT permit, issued before the truck reaches the state line. Florida also requires escorts qualified in Florida or by a state whose standards are at least as strict, so the escort team is confirmed for both states before dispatch.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked in October 2026 against the sources below. Rules and rates change; we confirm current requirements on every move.
- FMCSA Company Census File (data.transportation.gov, az4n-8mr2) (pulled Oct 17, 2026; cargo types such as Machinery, Large Objects are self-reported on Form MCS-150)
- FMCSA Carrier - All With History, legacy Licensing and Insurance file (6eyk-hxee) (active broker authority counts as of May 14, 2026, when the file was frozen)
- U.S. Census Bureau: Port Imports HS6 (December 2025 and August 2026 files) (general imports by port of unlading, customs value; pulled Oct 17, 2026; 2026 figures preliminary)
- GDOT: Oversize permits (GAPROS, Georgia DPS Oversize Permit Unit)
- GDOT: Oversize fees, escorts, restricted travel and legal limits
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 672-2-.01: Definitions (Superload tiers)
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 672-2-.02: General restrictions (I-285)
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 672-2-.03: Conditions (travel times, weather, insurance)
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 672-2-.06: Escort certification and escorts
- O.C.G.A. 32-6-28: Permits and fees (Justia reproduction)
- GDOT Mega Load requirements letter (Sept 2016)
- Volvo A40 articulated hauler product guide (20064352_D (2025.01))
- Caterpillar 140 motor grader technical specifications (AEXQ4601-00 (09-2026))
Quote a Georgia port or Atlanta move
Send the machine, the terminal or pickup address, the delivery address and your dates. If the delivery is inside I-285, say so: the permit allows it only with proof of the delivery.
- FMCSA-licensed property broker, MC# 1178470
- Permits, escorts and route surveys arranged for each move
- Carriers checked for authority, insurance and safety record
- Commercial shippers, dealers, contractors and auction buyers
Prefer to talk? Call (631) 683-8275.
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Keep reading
- Ro-Ro & Breakbulk MachineryImported machinery picked up at the port, with 2025 import data by U.S. port.
- Heavy Equipment TransportTrailer choice, width-by-width permit and escort triggers and shipping ranges for 47 machines, plus six checks before you book a hauler.
- Georgia Oversize PermitsGDOT flat fees, escorts, superload tiers and the inside-I-285 windows.
- Heavy Haul TruckingOversize and overweight loads on RGN, lowboy, step deck and flatbed trailers across the 48 states.
- Heavy Haul in New YorkLong Island, NYC and upstate moves, carrier counts by county, and machinery entering at Buffalo, Champlain, Albany and Port Newark.
- Heavy Haul in TexasHouston, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio and Permian moves: inner-loop limits, Galveston, Freeport and Laredo pickups, and a worked TxDMV fee example.