Oversize transport glossary
The terms you come across in a quote, a permit or a discussion about oversize transport and project cargo, explained briefly. Where a term has a dedicated page, you will find the link in the definition.
- AST (special transport permit)
- Road administrator
- CNAIR
- DRDP
- Indivisible load
- Gross weight
- Axle load
- Transport engineering study
- Route survey
- Escort vehicle
- Traffic Police escort
- Overhang
- Gauge
- The “TRANSPORT EXCEPȚIONAL!” sign
- Flatbed
- Semi-lowbed
- Lowbed
- Gooseneck
- Gondola (well-deck lowbed)
- Extendable trailer
- Hydraulic modular trailer
- Axle line
- SPMT
- Push tractor
- Lashing
- CMR
- All-risk insurance
- Incoterms
- Packing list
- Centre of gravity
- Lifting points
- Project cargo
- Breakbulk
- RO-RO
- Flat rack and open top
- Heavy lift
- VEMAGS
- BF3 and BF4
- STGO, ESDAL and VR1
- WebTEUV
- NCTS
- A.TR
- ECMT permit
- AST (special transport permit)
- The document without which a vehicle with excess weights or dimensions may not travel on public roads in Romania. It sets the route, the period and the travel conditions. See the AST guide.
- Road administrator
- The body that manages a road and issues the AST for it: CNAIR for national roads and motorways, the county councils and town halls for their own roads.
- CNAIR
- The National Company for Road Infrastructure Administration, which manages Romania's national roads and motorways and issues the AST for them.
- DRDP
- The Regional Directorate for Roads and Bridges, a CNAIR unit that manages the national roads in a region and publicly announces the oversize transports on its network.
- Indivisible load
- A load that cannot be divided into two or more parts without undue cost or risk. An oversize transport permit is granted only for such loads.
- Gross weight
- The weight of the vehicle or combination together with the load. In Romania, the general limit for a combination with 5 or 6 axles is 40 t.
- Axle load
- The part of the gross weight that bears on an axle or on a group of axles (tandem, tridem). It matters more than the gross weight for roads and bridges.
- Transport engineering study
- A study drawn up by a licensed engineer, required for large excesses in axle load. It checks the bridges on the route and sets the necessary measures.
- Route survey
- Checking the route before the transport: bridges, clearances, bends, roundabouts, cables, access for loading and unloading.
- Escort vehicle
- A licensed vehicle with special markings that travels in front of or behind the transport and warns other traffic. In Romania it is required, for example, above 3.20 m width.
- Traffic Police escort
- A Traffic Police patrol that escorts the transport and directs traffic. In Romania it is required above 5 m width, 40 m length, 5 m height or 80 t.
- Overhang
- The part of the load that projects beyond the vehicle, at the front or rear. It is marked and counts towards the overall length.
- Gauge
- The outer outline of the vehicle together with the load: width, height and length. An “oversize” transport exceeds the permitted gauge.
- The “TRANSPORT EXCEPȚIONAL!” sign
- The yellow sign (“Abnormal load!”) fitted on the cab and at the rear of the combination for transports with excess dimensions, together with the flashing amber lights.
- Flatbed
- A semi-trailer with a flat deck, for long or wide but low loads: structures, precast elements, containers.
- Semi-lowbed
- A semi-trailer with a deck lowered on one section, for machines of medium height.
- Lowbed
- A semi-trailer with a low deck between the gooseneck and the axles, for tall machines: excavators, bulldozers, cranes. See lowbed transport.
- Gooseneck
- The front part of the semi-trailer, which rests on the tractor unit. On some lowbeds the gooseneck can be detached for front loading.
- Gondola (well-deck lowbed)
- A lowbed on which the load sits between two beams, very close to the road. It is used for very tall equipment.
- Extendable trailer
- A semi-trailer whose length can be increased, for beams, poles or wind turbine blades. It usually has steered axles.
- Hydraulic modular trailer
- A trailer made of axle-line modules, coupled according to the weight of the load. The hydraulic suspension equalises the load across the axles.
- Axle line
- A row of wheels across the full width of a modular trailer. The number of axle lines is chosen according to the weight of the load and the limits of the roads.
- SPMT
- Self-Propelled Modular Transporter: a self-propelled modular platform for very heavy moves over short distances, in a port, a factory or on site.
- Push tractor
- A tractor unit that pushes the convoy from behind, on very heavy transports, on ramps or slopes.
- Lashing
- Securing the load on the vehicle with tensioned chains or straps, at the points specified by the manufacturer, in line with standard EN 12195-1.
- CMR
- The consignment note for international road transport and the international convention that sets the carrier's liability. CMR insurance covers this liability.
- All-risk insurance
- Cargo insurance for the goods' value, covering more risks than the carrier's liability. Recommended for high-value equipment.
- Incoterms
- International rules that set out, in a sales contract, who pays for and who is responsible for each stage of the transport.
- Packing list
- A document listing all the packages of a shipment: dimensions, weights, numbers and contents. Essential for projects and sea freight.
- Centre of gravity
- The point at which the mass of the piece is considered to be concentrated. Its position decides how the piece is loaded and how the weight is distributed over the axles.
- Lifting points
- The lugs or areas specified by the manufacturer for lifting the piece by crane. Lifting from other points can damage the equipment.
- Project cargo
- The transport of all the equipment for an industrial or energy project, coordinated as a single plan, often with several modes of transport. See project cargo.
- Breakbulk
- Sea transport of pieces that do not fit in containers, loaded directly into the hold or on deck with cranes.
- RO-RO
- Roll-on/roll-off: loading onto a ship via a ramp, on wheels or on trailers. The RO-RO terminal at Agigea, near Constanța, is the starting point for many oversize transports.
- Flat rack and open top
- Special containers: a flat rack has no side walls or roof, an open top has no roof. They are used for pieces too wide or too tall for a standard container.
- Heavy lift
- Lifting and transporting very heavy pieces, including with ships that have their own high-capacity cranes.
- VEMAGS
- The online system through which permits for large and heavy transports are requested and issued in Germany. See oversize transport in Germany.
- BF3 and BF4
- Escort vehicles used in Germany: a BF3 has a variable message sign, a BF4 additionally has staff who can take over part of the traffic control.
- STGO, ESDAL and VR1
- In the United Kingdom: STGO is the legal framework for abnormal loads, ESDAL the system for notifying the authorities, and VR1 the approval for loads wider than 5 m.
- WebTEUV
- The joint online platform used to apply for abnormal load permits in Belgium's three regions.
- NCTS
- The electronic customs transit system used in the EU and in the common transit countries, including Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Serbia and Ukraine.
- A.TR
- A movement certificate for goods in free circulation within the EU–Turkey customs union. See oversize transport in Turkey.
- ECMT permit
- A multilateral permit for road haulage between the member countries of the International Transport Forum, used mainly on routes outside the EU.
Read also
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