How to Transport Heavy Equipment in Texas: Trailers, Permits & Costs

Moving heavy equipment isn’t like shipping a car. The weight, the dimensions, and how the machine loads all change what trailer is needed and whether permits come into play. Here’s what to know before you move a skid steer, excavator, tractor, or forklift across Texas.

Cost starts with dimensions and weight

Equipment transport is priced per mile, and the rate climbs with size:

• Light equipment (under 10,000 lbs): $2.50–$3.50 per mile
• Medium equipment (10,000–15,000 lbs): $3.50–$4.50 per mile
• Heavy or oversized: custom quote, because permits and escorts factor in

A skid steer from Granbury to Houston runs roughly $550–$770. A compact excavator from DFW to Lubbock lands around $1,120–$1,440.

The four numbers that drive everything: length, width, height, and weight. Get those right and you get an accurate quote. Guess, and you risk a wrong trailer showing up.

When permits enter the picture

Texas — like every state — has legal limits for a standard load. Cross any of these and you’re into oversize/overweight permit territory:

• Width over 8 feet 6 inches
• Height over 13 feet 6 inches
• Weight over 80,000 lbs gross

Oversize loads require TxDMV permits, and often a pilot car escort and a surveyed route to avoid low bridges and weight-restricted roads. This isn’t a reason to worry — it’s a reason to use a carrier who coordinates it. We handle TxDMV permits and pilot cars and pass permit costs through transparently.

Loading method matters

How the machine gets on the trailer affects both safety and cost:

• Drive-on / self-loading — the machine runs and drives onto the deck
• Winch — it rolls but doesn’t run
• Forklift or crane — it can’t roll and must be lifted

Our Silverback 40-foot Power Tilt Gooseneck has a hydraulic power-tilt deck, so equipment can be driven or winched on without external ramps — faster, safer loading right at the job site.

Don’t forget the attachments

Buckets, forks, blades, and tool heads often ship alongside the machine. Tell your carrier up front so the weight and space are accounted for in the quote.

Moving equipment across Texas?

From our Granbury base we serve construction, agricultural, and oilfield operations statewide — including the Permian Basin via I-20. Send us the type, dimensions, and weight and request a quote; pick “Heavy Equipment Hauling” and our team confirms exactly what your load requires.