Tuesday, February 2021

The regulations regarding specialist transport varies widely in the member states of the European Union. Therefore, fundamental to use a hauler that understand the legislation with an expertise to handle the logistics. You will be able to see that there is a lot to consider when preparing the movements of exceptional cargo. Which is why Insight Trans Logistics Ltd is your partner as we will arrange transport permits, exemptions and have other necessary documentation quickly and completely, ensuring your cargo arrives at its destination on time. Further to this, Insight trans logistics ltd can undertake route surveys and feasibility studies ensuring we do not come across any unexpected issues along the way.

Spain
The Spanish Guidelines are fairly straight forward, However the system does have its exemptions.

Category Name	Length	Width	Height	Maximum gross weight	Escort required?	Permits
Genérica	up to 20.55m	Up to 3m wide	Up to 4.50m	Up to 45 Tonnes	No	General permits (can be obtained in 5 days
Específica	Up To 40m	Up To 5m	Up to 4.7m	Up to 110 Tonnes	Yes	Specific Route permits, (can take up to 6 weeks)
Excepcional	Above 40m	Above 5m	Above 4.7m	Above 110 Tonnes	Yes + Police (ATGC)

Regions
For the application of exemptions and permits there are 3 different regions in spain: the Basque country, Navarre and the rest of Spain, including Catalonia. It principle it is one system but with differences in the finer details. Each region has different allowances for the number of trailers included on each permit; the period the permit is valid for; and deposit required for heavy transport.

Driving Bans
In Spain there are numerous driving bans on national and regional holidays. It is important to take note of the times because they vary. For abnormal transports there is a driving ban from Saturday or the day before a national holiday from 13.00 hrs to 02.00 hrs on Monday (or the day after the holiday). For a regional holiday the driving ban starts at 0.00 hrs and lasts until 02.00 hrs on the day after the holiday. In the Basque country it is different: the driving ban there starts on Saturday (or the day before a holiday) from 13.00 hrs to Sunday 24.00 hrs. There is also a driving ban on 31 July from 08.00 hrs to 24.00 hrs.

Security deposits
With large, heavy transports there is a real risk of damaging the road, bridges or buildings. To ensure that any damage will be compensated, a deposit has to be paid in the ‘Exceptional’ category. This deposit may be as much as € 6,000 per trip in one region. And don’t expect an employee of the region to go and check the day after the transport to see if any damage has been done. Reports of damage can still come in after months. That’s why it can take up to a year before the deposit is paid back into the company’s bank account.

Belgium
Belgium has a very clear-cut system, which is very well broken down.

Category	Validity	Road Type	Length	Width	Height	Weight
CAT 1	5 Years	All Roads in Belgium	27m	Up to 3.50m	Up to 4m	Up to 44 tonnes
CAT 2	1 Year	Network Motorways	Up to 30 m	4.25m	Up to 4.3m	Up to 44 Tonnes
CAT 2	1 Year	Network Cranes Network Class 90 Travel route	Up to 30 m	Up to 4.25m	Up to 4.5m	Up to 90 Tonnes
CAT 3	4 Months	Network Class 120 Travel route	Up to 35m	Up to 5m	4.8m	Up to 120,000 tonnes
CAT 4	2 Months	Travel Route	More than 35m	More than 5m	More than 4.8m	More than 120,000 tonnes

Driving
Belgium has a few different driving restrictions for specialist transport, and they are as follows.

Peak traffic curfews for specialist cargo over 27m length, 3.5m wide and over 60 tonnes between the times of 07:00 – 09:00 and 16:00 – 18:00 every day.
Weekends from Saturday 12:00 through to Sunday 24:00
Public holidays from 16:00 on the day before the public holiday through to 24:00 on the holiday itself. These are: January 1st; Easter Monday; May 1st; Ascension; Whitmonday; July 21st; August 15th; November 1st; November 11th; December 25th.
Day time bans for transport over 30m length and 4m wide between the times of 06:00 and 21:00
There are further restrictions for driving on motorways that have less than 3 lanes between the times of 06:00 and 21:00 for cargo that is wider than 3.5m

France

Driving Bans
Driving bans can differ per department and highway; this is an overview of the most common driving bans
Weekends from Saturday 12:00 to Monday 12:00
Day before any public holidays at 12:00 until sunrise after the public holiday. Public Holidays in France are: January 01 - Easter - May 01 - May 08 - Ascension Day - Whitsun - July 14 - August 15 - November 01 - November 11 - December 25
During summer vacations in France there are also Driving bans on various Saturdays in July and August, throughout France.
 
Escorts required

Width(m)	Length (m)	Transport CAT 1	Transport CAT 2	Transport CAT 3	Transport CAT 3	Transport CAT 3
				for dimensions and total weight ≤ 72.000 Kg	for total weight or axle load, totalling ≤ 120 000 kg	for total weight or axle load, totalling > 120 000 kg
≤ 3,00	≤ 20	none			1 escort	2 escorts
	20,01 – 25,00		none
	25,01 – 30,00			1 escort	2 escorts	2 escorts + Motard
	30,01 – 40,00			2 escorts
3,01 – 4,00	≤ 25,00		1 escort		2 escorts	2 escorts
	25,01 – 30,00			1 escort		2 escorts + Motard
	30,01 – 40,00			2 escorts
4,01 – 4,50	≤ 25,00			1 escort	2 escorts	2 escorts + Motard
	25,01 – 30,00			2 escorts
	30,01 – 40,00			2 escorts	2 escorts
4,51 – 5,00	≤ 40,00			2 escorts		2 escorts + Motard
> 5,00	> 40,00			2 escorts + Motard