Van der Vlist moves Terex through Europe

European transport and logistics firm Van der Vlist has completed a 10-week project to deliver a Terex TR100 rigid dump truck from the factory in Motherwell, Scotland, to its final destination in Callas, southern France.

The project involved three Van der Vlist business units. First, Van der Vlist UK collected the dump truck from the factory in Scotland, transporting the 56 tonne machine 300 km across the country and delivering it on board a ferry from Teesport to Zeebrugge in Belgium.

From Zeebrugge, the machine was loaded to a Van der Vlist 2 bed 4 modular trailer. On it the dump truck was jacked up to allow the wheels to be removed. This allowed the overall height to be reduced to 4.05 metres for transport through mainland Europe. The final loaded dimensions of the trailer, cargo and 4-axle truck were 30.0 x 4.15 x 4.45 m and a total weight of 107 tonnes.

Moving the cargo through France presented a number of challenges, as the country has stringent regulations about the movement of abnormal loads. A stipulation is that the national highways cannot always be used. This meant that small local roads through rural towns and villages had to be included as part of the route and permits issued.

The load moved through France with two Van der Vlist escort cars and two police escorts. In both Belgium and France street furniture needed to be removed and replaced enroute.

In total, the full process from receipt of order to delivery took 10 weeks, including planning, route surveys and permit applications, even though the transport itself took 13 days.